Validation...Key to Human Success

Webster’s Dictionary defines “validation” as : the act of making someone or something “valid”; to substantiate, affirm, confirm; to approve. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all feel the cloak of approval, or to be affirmed for the work we do in our organizations?

What ignited my interest in this theme was an unusual YouTube clip entitled “Validation” by Hugh Newman. In fact, I highly recommend you take the time to view this clip, and hopefully, you will catch the bug to validate others in your lives, in your schools, in your communities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao&feature=channel&list=UL

Everyone wants to feel validated. Some people go through their lives without ever hearing anything positive for the work they complete. Schools have plenty of opportunities to validate employees, but do leaders take advantage of this chance to validate faculty and staff.

A few months ago I had dinner at a restaurant in Sarasota, FL, and we were being served by a young girl who happened to be from Macedonia. Her mannerisms were troubling to us in that she seemed troubled, unwilling to smile, or lend some cheerfulness. When I learned that she was from Macedonia, I promptly got out my Google Translator and looked up a few phrases in Macedonian. When she returned to the table with our salads, I tried to say a few of the phrases for her, and instantly, a smile came over her face. (Either she was laughing at the way I was attempting to speak her mother tongue, or she was touched!?). It turned out she was appreciative that I took the time to connect with her personality and personhood. The rest of the evening was quite enjoyable, and she was so happy to be with us as our waitress that she gave me a hug when we left. How about that for validating someone?

Your weekend homework assignment is to try validating people you meet. And when you adapt the right style of affirming another person, take it into your school on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Working With the Board

One of the paramount concerns that educational CEO's face is the never-ending struggle to work effectively with overseers, such as a Board of Directors, or a Board of Education. Micromanagement from the governing council of an organization is a disease that can spread faster than a mutant virus if allowed to fester, unchecked. Of primary importance in any relationship between a CEO and a Board is to communicate, and keep the dialogue open, frank, and honest.

Such was the problem in the University of Virginia this past summer when the President of the University, Dr. Teresa Sullivan was dismissed by the Board of Visitors for the institution without much warning. The faculty and campus community were in shock and dismayed by the decision of the Board, so much so, that through an orchestrated campaign of revolt and protest, Dr. Sullivan was reinstated to her post, two weeks later.

At odds in this relationship between the university president and the board were the differing perceptions that the CEO and the Trustees had for the institution. The Board wanted a more aggressive leader that would venture into dynamic strategic plan. The CEO was an "incrementalist" that adapted to the changing environment within a constrained budgetary climate. The perspectives clashed and caused backroom dialogues and a quasi coup d'etat, so to speak.

In analyzing this situation it is apparent the relationship between the CEO and the Board lacked a true working relationship. A mentoring of the minds that gauged the hopes, fears and goals of a true vision for the university was obviously missing. And, it was not until this crisis that all the parties could address the situation in a constructive manner, creating a new agenda for the university.

How is your relationship with your Board, or if you are a building principal, how is your relationship with your PTA/PTO council? DO you address the open and honest issues that confronts your leadership? Or, do you sidestep controversy in order to keep everyone happy.

In all relationships acrimony and crisis occurs. Leaders need to learn how to support and encourage the process.

Here's hoping to your efforts to cement that positive relationship.


Rice, A. (September 12, 2012). Anatomy of a Campus Coup. New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2012 on the Internet at

Connecting With Kids

In the school district I worked in as superintendent, we had a dynamic, energetic principal that fulfilled the model of the outstanding elementary principal. Mr. K. was the first person at the buses in the morning greeting each and every student by name, and he was the last person ushering them off to their buses to go home at the end of the day. In between he was in the classrooms, the lunch room, the hallways, and as much a part of the school as every employee in the building. His personality radiated throughout the elementary school neighborhood community and he was an important role model for the entire school community.

In many ways his model of school leadership is desirable and wanted more and more by parents in our schools today, than ever before. The warm, affable character of a principal-leader is what inspires students and faculty.

In a wonderful blog post on August 25, 2012 called the The Principal of Change, George Couros outlines the "6 Ways Principals Can Connect With Students".

1. Welcome the kids when they arrive. Wave goodbye when they leave.
2. Your first interaction with a student should be a positive one.
3. Talk as little as possible.
4. Use humor to deal with situations any chance you can.
5. Do the walk.
6. Kids will love you if they know you love them.

These simple suggestions will make a big difference to your leadership.

Here's hoping every child will feel welcomed in your school this week.

3 Warning Signs of Ineffective School Organizations

It's Labor Day in the US, and with this significant holiday for workers is the dread fact that schools are in full swing again this week. I say "dread" because after a 2 month hiatus for summer vacation, it never fails that the thought of going into another school year can always be another challenge, as well as the relaxed summer days being over for students and faculty members.

In today's blogpost I would ask 21st Century School Leaders to consider that one of the serious challenges you face with a new school year is to be mindful of how to have a positive and effective school district. Recently, the Harvard Business Review held an interesting discussion on the subject of organizational effectiveness on their LinkedIn Blog. Many participants in the discussion mentioned the kinds of things that can contribute to ineffectiveness in the organization but the general sentiments seemed to revolve around three basic themes:

1)     Lack of clarity and purpose

2)     Distrust on management intentions and capability

3)     Micromanagement

When considering these three themes in relation to schools and other educational organizations, it becomes clear they are also the culprits in learning communities, as well. Let's take the first point, "lack of clarity and purpose". In a day and age when many schools across the country are having their agendas being dictated by political hacks school administrators are being driven by another's vision or purpose, not their own. 21st Century School Leaders need to vocalize a vision and purpose created with feedback and participation from their faculty and community members. There must be group ownership of the school's goal, and it must be clear, succinct, and reachable.

"Distrust of management intentions" is a common problem demonstrated by faculty toward their school leaders. In a blogpost I wrote earlier this summer [Creating Animosity Not Accountability, July 17, 2012], often times paranoid or ineffective teachers harbor this fear more than others.  But the reality of this concern centers around the fact that communication, consistency and fairness may be problems for some leaders. The best advice to remedy this point is to "walk the talk" of a fair, objective, and consistent leader. This will reassure the faculty, the students, and the community that you are the person they can count on to do the job, and they will feel you can be trusted.

"Micromanagement" is every school leader's biggest fear. As a superintendent of a suburban school district I was always in fear of the Board of Education micromanaging my job, my decisions, and the school. Fortunately, these were my fears, the Board I worked with never attempted to do this. But, in a real way, micromanaging is something teachers feel concerned with just as much. A solid, trusting leader hires the best people to work in the classroom, and they need to trust that these teachers will do the right job, when it needs to be done. If they don't, then it will always be the leader's responsibility to assist, evaluate, and attempt to advise, or remove them from the job.  This is not micromanagement, but allowing people to do their jobs with feedback.

Organizational ineffectiveness is a disease that can be overcome by focused, and guided work in building connection, communication, and commitment within a school organization.

Have a great, and exceptional school year.

Key Questions to ensure Teacher Effectiveness

With all the discussion, frustration, stress, tension and anxiety circulating around teacher evaluation, sometimes it becomes helpful to remember that the key output for all of this angst is to have the best teachers working with students and supporting them effectively to achieve. Unfortunately, we have grown up as an educational society with diminished benchmarks for improvement of teacher effectiveness, and now as the calls for heightened awareness and more effective teacher evaluations are in front of us, we are shaken to the core of our foundation of educational practice.

In a wonderful book by Pamela Salazar, High Impact Leadership for High Impact Schools, five guiding questions are offered as key reminders of this work as schools, once again, take up the ever frustrating mantle of evaluating teachers.

1. Do supervision practices support teacher growth and development? Or, are they "hit and run" paper trails that do little to improve method, pedagogy, or instruction?
2. Are teachers challenged to examine assumptions about their work and rethink how it can be performed? Have teachers bought into peer evaluation or collegial observations to determine effectiveness?
3. Do teachers use instruction that engages and motivates students?
4. Have we created a climate of experimentation- an environment where teachers are willing to take risks, to try new things?
5. Do we have supports in place for new and struggling teachers? Something other than a Teacher Improvement Plan?

Inspiring and dynamic school leaders need to find ways to transform the teacher evaluation process into an important professional development opportunity if for nothing more than to strengthen the profession. Instead of viewing the calls for higher benchmarks as a threat to leadership, view them as a call for raising the bar for student achievement.

Schools and Social Media

I will never forget sitting in the kitchen of my boyhood home, at the dinner table, with my father holding a "pink slip" that was sent from my math teacher when I was in 7th grade, stating that I was having difficulty passing math. My Dad was troubled by that message, but was compelled to ensure that I would be passing math one way or the other, and he made sure that as a parent, he would follow through appropriately. "Pink slips" were a warning sent out to families every ten weeks. Today we refer to them as interim progress reports.

No matter what they are called, communication is the key concept here. Schools need to excel at communication or be ridiculed as failing to meet the needs of the students and the community.

Imagine if schools used social media tools to converse with parents on things, such as student achievement, class news, and other info-bytes, how wonderful the educational perspective might be for parents, students and community members.

Here are some social media thoughts:

1)     Social media demands what educators do not want to do.

• Social media demands pure engagement between school leaders and parents/students. Leaders need to compel teachers through their example in using it regularly and consistently. It brings the school and the parents closer together increasing interaction and support.

2)     Social media creates hype, buzz, and spreads the word about school.

• A district approach to social media PR and promoting info-bytes to the community places the school in a more favorable light to everyone. Announcing everything from school closings, lunch menus, sports activities, concerts, and budget concerns, keeps the school in front of the community.

3)     Social media is instant feedback on a global scale.

• Imagine getting survey feedback and opinions back from parents, students, and community members instantly or withing a matter of minutes as issues and PR concerns crop up for a school. Policy and practice merge and community interest is there when you need it.

The reality of social media is that it will increase parental and community opinion. But, is that such a bad thing in the long run? As leaders we cannot be fearful of opinion in the public arena. Yes, it is uncomfortable, but it is what we live for in doing our jobs at the public's request.

Social media is a wonderful phenomena for schools to use in moving ahead with 21st Century Learning. Use it, and prosper.

The Look of 21st Century Learning

Blythwood, SC has stepped into the 21st Century by creating a new high school, complete with optimal learning opportunites designed to prepare students for the future. From a brief description of the new school one can sense the kind of school that is awaiting kids this year. "The 70-inch televisions in every classroom are just the beginning. Two visual arts classrooms are loaded with pottery wheels and kilns. Sixteen science labs have hydraulic simulators and wind tunnels. The band room has computer-assisted practice rooms. The TV studio rivals some TV stations. While Westwood's features look good in brochures and on TV, teachers say their real purpose is opportunity. (bold by the blogger) "The look on it is very traditional, but when you come inside, I hope people see that it's 21st century," said Principal Ralph Schmidt. "It's about engaging students and making them self-directed learners." Schmidt doesn't expect his students to master aerodynamics or firefighting -- that's offered as a class too -- he wants them to get a taste of it."

What a tremendous tribute to this community's desire to push ahead and prepare students for 21st Century learning. Recognize the key thought though, as expressed by teachers..." the real purpose is opportunity." It isn't about the technology, or the design of new classrooms. It's about "opportunity" for students and teachers in creating a new learning environment, trying something different, and getting kids ready for the future. This is the true aim of 21st Century learning, not the toys, but the way we play or learn. 

Kudos to this school community for stepping into the dynamic learning of the future.