Leadership Habit #1: Be Present and Build Relationships
Jul 14, 2024
Year-end data is back, and that means it will be a very busy time for me. I’ve been training school leadership teams looking back at last year’s performance and looking forward to the next steps. At the end of one of those trainings, a school leader approached me and asked me a question.
“Can you recommend any books about data so that I can learn more about analyzing data?”
I applaud this school leader for wanting to learn and grow – that is a big piece of leadership! For me, it was also an interesting question as I am close to publishing my new book.
We have just spent 2 days analyzing school data, identifying root causes and solutions, discussing transforming school staff and putting items in place for long-term achievement. It would make sense that this school leader is thinking about data and how to analyze it better. However, data is only one piece of the puzzle.
To change your data, it’s not enough to just look at data. You must review and analyze several root causes in your school. This will help determine how you will proceed to help your staff celebrate positive root causes and find solutions for the challenging ones. Leadership is the picture of the puzzle for all the underlying factors that contribute to your results, (all the individual puzzle pieces).
As you reflect and discuss your school data, here are 3 Leadership Habits that I learned from that business world that will help you start your new school year strong:
Habit 1: Be Present and Build Relationships
I recognize that you're juggling multiple priorities and responsibilities. The things you need to do to start the school year, hiring staff, taking care of plant management issues, preparing schedules, etc.
From the perspective of those you lead, if you cannot be fully present to them, it feels like disrespect, or you do not care. Being too busy and not being present for your staff could result in more challenges. (Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way. Once I had a new plan, things changed.)
Take a breath, eliminate distractions and think about the connections you have with the people on your staff. Just as we ask staff to have a plan to connect with your students, we should also have plans on how to connect with our staff. It’s not a one-size-fits-all and some will need more direction and connection compared to others. Having a plan for each person based on their skills and needs will help you move forward to positive results.
That’s the first leadership habit that I learned through my experience. I’ll be sharing with you the next habits in the following weeks.
In case you are wondering, how did I answer this principal’s question?
“Yes – I have a new data book coming soon and it will elaborate on many of the activities we accomplished these past 2 days. I do know of other data books, but it is not about data, it is about school leadership and moving your school to the next level. Data is one piece of that. Are there any challenges that you are facing as a leader?”
As we talked more, we determined that relationships and climate-building were a big place for her to start. More specifically, it wasn’t about changing a negative climate, it was about transforming staff to reach the next level. We talked about a book that would help her in that area so that she can fully implement Habit 1.
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