As superintendents and school administrators we need to implement new ideas and change on a regular basis. It may be that we need to change attendance boundaries, make budget cuts, or simply modify bus routes. Regardless, each change and/or new idea which is implemented places us in a situation where someone will be opposed. Experience tells us this is normal and goes with the territory as a superintendent or school administrator. The question is how do we successfully deal with opposition? -Step 1 – Keep your emotions in check and use the opportunity to analyze the type of opposition tactic …
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Are You an Effective Decision Maker?
As leaders I believe we all strive to be “effective decision makers”, but what exactly does that mean? An effective decision maker is one who is objective and recognizes the impact of their bias in the decision making process. Clearly this requires reflection, focus and ongoing practice. We all are victims of what Chip & Dan Heath refer to as “confirmation bias” in the decision making process. In essence, we all want to confirm what we initially believe based upon our background, experience and opinions. Although this desire to confirm our bias may not initially be recognized at a conscious …
Handling Ideas, Proposals, and Requests with Emotional Intelligence
On multiple occasions throughout our career we are approached with ideas, proposals, and requests from colleagues, employees, clients and others in and outside of our organization or business. How do we respond? How should we respond? The emotionally intelligent way to respond is to listen to the individual, seek any necessary clarifications, validate their enthusiasm, and then ask them to give you a “written proposal”. Why react in this manner? After careful thought, reflection and planning a new idea might be helpful to implement, but alternatively it may not be feasible or in some situations can be manipulative in nature. …
The Art and Science of Changing People’s Minds
In Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People’s Minds, author Howard Gardner identifies seven techniques which can be used to promote acceptance of an idea or encourage change of thought. Gardner refers to these techniques as levers, which can help individuals understand and accept new ideas or changes. To dig deeper into these seven levers, one should read Gardner’s Changing Minds book (or So Now You’re The Superintendent, a book I co-authored with Dr. John Eller). In the So Now You’re the Superintendent book, the seven levers are more fully discussed and practical ideas …
Your Choice: Manage Tasks or Let Them Manage You!
As leaders tasks drive our lives. We must complete reports, remember to attend meetings, deal with issues which rise to our level, pick up the dry cleaning, take the dog to the groomer – You get the picture… The key is how do we set ourselves up as leaders to effectively manage our tasks, rather than letting them manage us? In the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity written by David Allen the author points out that we must make “decisions” about our tasks which can help us become more efficient. Allen recommends deciding among three options for every …