Sometimes I have some thoughts that don’t make it as full blog posts but are also worth surfacing so they don’t die in my Draft folder. Here are 3 quick mini posts:
Status quo is the risky position – We spend a lot of time focused on the challenge of change in education. As we welcome new parents each year they enter with the paradigm of their school experience which is usually about twenty years dated. The challenge is that the world is changing. If we don’t embrace the social changes around us, or the digital shifts that are impacting all parts of our life education risks its relevancy. So while change feels like risk, not changing is truly the riskier approach.
Values over skills – If I could hire for values or skills I would pick values every time. Skills are learnable. In our leadership interviews over the last decade we have tried to get better at finding out what kind of a leader candidates would be and less concerned over what they currently know. Of course, this leads to challenging advice for people who want to move into leadership – they ask what skills can they gain to be better candidates – and sure, there are many – but in the end it is not about the “what” of leadership but the “how” and “why” that we are increasingly favouring. Oh, and by the way – to clear this up – when you apply for a leadership position with us, I don’t care where you did your Masters Degree (and don’t care if you have one yet) and I will never look at your marks.
Consistent consistency – You hear this a lot in the self-help world, but it is true that a lot of work is just about showing up. Teachers who are consistent with students so they know what to expect each day, and principals who are consistent with staff and families go a long way to being successful. If you are different everyday and people don’t know what to expect it is confusing and leads to anxiety. Consistent consistency should be a daily goal.
Here is to a June with thoughts of risk, values and consistency!