For the last two weeks, I have enjoyed the Facebook Live conversations between The Instructional Coaching Group’s Jim Knight and other leaders in the field of teaching, coaching, and leadership. Last week, I relished in the language of resilience shared by Elena Aguilar. This week, one of my all time favorite leadership and change management gurus, Michael Fullan, was the guest. It was replete with takeaways and my back and forth side conversations with my dear colleague, Marsha, and my OD/LD Consultant mom, were nerdy delight.
While the takeaways were many, one of that I continue to dwell on is a quote from Fullan, “In times of change, leaders must be both an expert and an apprentice.” He targeted the traits of humility, growth mindset, and trust as important qualities a leader must possess to be successful at all times, but particularly in times of crisis. How might we show up and leave a meeting both with answers and questions?
This is one of my favorite elements of leadership. I can share my ideas, experience, research, or passion all day long, but I want to empower YOU to do the same. What questions or ideas can you bring to the table that perhaps I haven’t considered with my one mind?
In these weeks of distance learning, I still feel intellectually or emotionally confident in some areas. However, there are some other areas where I am learning things like a newbie. This is what it means to learn without ceasing. I’m never done learning new things.
In a meeting today with our incredible specials team, I was comfortable enough to say, “we talked through so many ideas, let me ask the team what we decided” and “hmmm, let’s ask the other team.” What yielded was a stronger plan, empowered teachers, and confidence and trust in their work.
We are all becoming masters of learning on the fly and the more we become comfortable with our apprentice mindset, the stronger we will grow.
Onward.
Teach2Connect 