I, like many educators, look for breaks to recharge the batteries and reflect about recent events and decisions. It is an opportunity to grow and learn without the constraints of the daily operations. This break allowed me to do two things. First, I committed to exercising every morning with my wife, Donita. We went to the gym at 5:30am. Secondly, this allowed me to listen to various podcasts and TED talks while I exercised. I cannot describe how great if felt emotionally and physically by mid-week. Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership podcasts speak to entrepreneurs and small business owners, but the simplicity of the message easily transferred to education and general leadership.
Here was my podcast menu this past week:
TED Radio Hour - Brand Over Brain
EntreLeadership - Developing Culture, Why Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, How to Make Your Company Healthy and Wealthy, Put Your Strengths to Work, & The Art of Asking
Now, I have several ingredients for finishing the year and I started preparing the recipe for short-term and long-term success. It is critical everyone in the organization knows the purpose and focus of Groveport Madison High School. I challenged myself to connect with my leaders within the building. I plan to informally ask them what they are working on and if I can help them. From this I will gather information to see if our focus is aligned with our purpose. Determining if we working on the things that matter and propel us to reach our mission.
This year the theme of most staff meetings and newsletters has included defining our own success. Declaring our mission and measuring our work towards it. Our team is committed to designing opportunities at the high school to prepare students for success beyond graduation. We are creating internship and work study programs, career exploration courses, and courses to assist students with college admissions. Finally, we are developing a cluster of courses assisting students with interests in law, teaching, nursing, business, IT, and more. I need to ensure the work in the building is aligned to the these structural changes.
In closing, I aim to refine my work to make it simplistic and use the power of asking questions and forming (or in some cases repairing) relationships to guide our school to a buffet of courses for students to consume.
