Trust is Everything

After finishing the final chapter of Leadership Connectors on trust I was struck by the simple yet complex structure of good leadership.   Everything we do eventually comes down to trust.  I was encouraged by the authors reflection on how every characteristic of leadership discussed in this book is based upon the foundation of trust.  It is good to be reminded that everything we do, are asked to do, volunteer to do and what we are perceived to have done will point back to the trust factor.  Oh, heavy is the crown

Things I wish my dad had taught me, but instead I had to read about it in a book about leadership.  Better late than never.

• ·         Pick your battles, don’t die on every hill.
• ·         Falling down and making mistakes give you a chance to reflect and become better.
• ·         Don’t jump to conclusions, ever. 
• ·         Be visible, say what you mean and mean what you say
• ·         Invest in “me” time
• ·         Seek first to understand AND then to be understood. 
• ·         Know what to keep loose and know what to keep tight
• ·         A ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• ·         Work hard, Play hard, find your stride
• ·         Organize your life to keep things simple

I found the quote that opened the chapter to be profound, "A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while a on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best troops."

Good leadership, similar to good coaching, comes down to an individual with passion and clarity of mind to implement strategies that will help all willing participants reach a fuller potential, thereby improving the school culture and student/staff by-in.  As teacher for the last 10 years, it has been easy to pick and choose the "initiatives" that I really wanted to be apart of.  However, as a potential school leader I will be giving the charge to facilitate all staff with professional development and classroom improvement.  The check list on pages 85-88 was very useful in helping me focus on skill areas that i will need to cultivate to be effective; Social intelligence, communication, reflection kindness, respect, teaching methodology, organization, systemic thinking, vision and humility.  Some of these I feel as though I am on the right track, while others I know that I will need some mentoring.  However, we should never be afraid to say, "I don't know....yet! But I will know soon."