I have the privilege of spending the weekend in Houston, TX taking in my first ever ASCD conference. I've always heard great things about this annual conference and I have to tell you I've been blown away! I've been particularly impressed with the acute keenness of addressing timely issues in education.
Yesterday, we were blessed to hear Dr. Sarah Lewis speak about creativity, the gift of failure, and the role of grit. One of the key takeaways was that the most successful people are almost obsessed with the "near win." In other words, what could they have done better to "win." We often see this with the person on the silver podium at the Olympics, but the most successful individuals are always analyzing what they could have done better even when they've won "gold."
As educators, I believe we have a moral imperative to be constantly reflecting about how we can be better. This morning, I heard from an administrator from Mexico City speaking about the mindset we bring into our interactions with those we serve; whether students if we're teachers, or teachers if we're administrators. This quote struck me,
"If I want my staff to change in any way, I have to change...it can't happen without relationship."
This one hit me! How often do I as an educator expect things out of people that I don't expect out of myself? What about as a spouse? Or as a parent? Yikes!
We're ALL leaders! No matter what our role is within our organization, we're leaders in our arena. If we want to be the best, and I know I do, we have to lead by example! A great reminder of how I can be better as an educational leader...
Dave
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