I know that picking a few team members or even creating a team is not something everyone gets to do; many times leaders walk into an already established team or find themselves in other similar circumstances. But, when you do have the chance to pick a team, what qualities would you look for? What traits would be on your wish list? What non-negotiables would be a part of your Team Roster?
I have had the chance to work on several leadership teams over the years because I was an administrator at the secondary level where we enjoyed teams of 5-7 administrators. I also worked for some very different leadership styles on those teams. At one point, I had an amazing 2-3 years working for a former superintendent who was charismatic and energetic and definitely had vision. I loved watching him work with parents, students, and teachers. He was a gifted speaker who could make things happen.
I also worked on another pretty amazing team, a few years later, at the secondary level. My favorite part of that experience was my teammates. There was one teammate in particular who was brilliant! She and I worked well together for so many reasons. She liked to be out in front, and I liked to work the magic behind the scenes. She was the idea girl, and I was the achiever--I could put the ideas into action. And, most importantly, we challenged each other by always striving to be our best and by always looking for something new and innovative that would help our school or our students. We would sit for hours after the regular school day and brainstorm ways to improve the systems we were working in.
After having those types of experiences, I think I have been pretty spoiled. I have some lofty goals for what my teammates should be, and I will constantly strive to find that same synergy again. Here are the things I believe make a GREAT teammate.
STUDENTS FIRST:
Framing everything we do within the context of...is this what is best for our students?...will never fail any school leader. Yes, there is a delicate balance because the adults on campus need to be happy and successful in order to execute the plan for "students first". So I tend to hire folks who have the same mantra, "students first" in order for us all to carry the same torch. A great teammate will recognize this as the lens with which we review every decision. I truly consider my job like mission work. I work at a high poverty school with 80%+ students are stuck in cycles of generational poverty, and education can not only modify those cycles...it might even end them. I was a child of poverty, and my father ended the cycle for all of us! I believe all of us are dealing with the lives of children, and our "touch" should only be positive and powerful. I treat every child as if this child is the Superintendent's child! A teammate should have that same lens when making decisions for our school.
Framing everything we do within the context of...is this what is best for our students?...will never fail any school leader. Yes, there is a delicate balance because the adults on campus need to be happy and successful in order to execute the plan for "students first". So I tend to hire folks who have the same mantra, "students first" in order for us all to carry the same torch. A great teammate will recognize this as the lens with which we review every decision. I truly consider my job like mission work. I work at a high poverty school with 80%+ students are stuck in cycles of generational poverty, and education can not only modify those cycles...it might even end them. I was a child of poverty, and my father ended the cycle for all of us! I believe all of us are dealing with the lives of children, and our "touch" should only be positive and powerful. I treat every child as if this child is the Superintendent's child! A teammate should have that same lens when making decisions for our school.
INITIATIVE:
I believe a teammate has to take the initiative. I know that delegation is part of the leader's job; however, my teammate and I, when we were at the top of our game, never had to be told what to do. As assistant principals, we always rushed into our Principal's office and listed the things we would like to do and how quickly we would have them done. This demonstrates proactivity and forward thinking. I love getting out in front of situations vs. reacting to them after they have happened. Being able to plan/predict a situation and how it will play out allows you to hone your skills in many areas. Comparing your plan to how it really occurred increases your ability to execute successful plans. AND....knowing how people will react to a plan you have created is key in planning for its successful implementation. Taking the initiative allows you to be innovative because you are generally the first one to start the task if you an initiator.
A SENSE OF URGENCY:
I believe that a teammate will work swiftly and at a grueling pace during the work day because our time with these little ones is so short. We must make every minute count. A minute can not be wasted when those countless minutes add up to hours or days of instruction where a child could learn to read. I believe it is criminal if a child leaves the elementary school level and can not read proficiently. We must be creative and utilize everything in our power to help them walk through our doors equipped to succeed in our ever-changing world...a world that used to be concerned about neighbors and happenings in our town. Now, we are clicks away from others around the globe. We need to equip our students with the tools to succeed in a world that will look entirely different than anything we have ever known.
I believe that a teammate will work swiftly and at a grueling pace during the work day because our time with these little ones is so short. We must make every minute count. A minute can not be wasted when those countless minutes add up to hours or days of instruction where a child could learn to read. I believe it is criminal if a child leaves the elementary school level and can not read proficiently. We must be creative and utilize everything in our power to help them walk through our doors equipped to succeed in our ever-changing world...a world that used to be concerned about neighbors and happenings in our town. Now, we are clicks away from others around the globe. We need to equip our students with the tools to succeed in a world that will look entirely different than anything we have ever known.
POSITIVE:
Being positive in the education business is two fold. First, it is imperative that we tackle all our problems in a positive light otherwise we would be devastated by the home lives of our children. In education, we do so much that goes unnoticed or unappreciated by the recipients. BUT, that is not why we are teachers or educators. We do the job because it is a courageous and rewarding job. We do not seek recognition. Just this past week, I had a teacher who voluntarily took an early morning ride in a police car to locate a lost child who did not make it to school. She knew the student because he was a member of her class. She saw him walking with his 4 other siblings to school. Then, when class started, he was not there. She quickly located his twin, and the brothers and sisters did not know why he didn't make it to school. They left him behind because he was walking too slowly. He was found within the hour, and this teacher was happy that he was safe. Keep in mind, this same student had tried to kill the fish in her aquarium the week before!!! We love our students, and we will view them and the opportunity to work with them as the best job in the world. The second need for positivity comes from the need to help our team of teachers stay positive. I read article after article that describes how one or two toxic (negative) employees can destroy any good work to be done in a corporation, small business, and school. I have a policy that if teachers bring me problems, they need to come with ideas and suggestions for solutions. We ALL own the success of our students and our school; therefore, we ALL need to be involved in the improvements. Feedback on improvements is essential, and it is how we will get stronger as a school; BUT feedback is a much different animal than someone who finds negative things to discuss all the time without any impetus for solutions. We are lucky to have only a few folks at the school who are negative at this point. It is sad that when we see them coming, we know exactly what their discussion will be about. So, a great teammate will be positive and assist our team in reaching innovative solutions and will not be discouraged by the morass of sad circumstances we encounter on a daily basis.
LEARNING ALL THE TIME (Teach me!)
As the lead instructional leader for our school, I am charged with learning and being versed on all the best practices and on all the new research that has any chance of making an impact on our ability to teach our students better. I am quite the DIY (do it yourself) learner, and it helps to have a teammate who is cut from the same cloth. I need someone who can challenge me with better and more cutting edge ways than I can glean in my own studies. I need someone who is versed enough in the latest research to challenge my decisions and think of even better ways than I can to tackle the issues at hand.
These are difficult skills to find contained in one individual. I am always trying to keep my own skills polished so that I can be the best that I can be...and there are some times that I fail. That is why I need that teammate who can remind me why we do what we do, who we do it for, and how amazing it can be EVERY SINGLE DAY!
I will close with a quote from Mia Hamm (my daughter is a soccer fanatic--LOL):
"Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it."
Being positive in the education business is two fold. First, it is imperative that we tackle all our problems in a positive light otherwise we would be devastated by the home lives of our children. In education, we do so much that goes unnoticed or unappreciated by the recipients. BUT, that is not why we are teachers or educators. We do the job because it is a courageous and rewarding job. We do not seek recognition. Just this past week, I had a teacher who voluntarily took an early morning ride in a police car to locate a lost child who did not make it to school. She knew the student because he was a member of her class. She saw him walking with his 4 other siblings to school. Then, when class started, he was not there. She quickly located his twin, and the brothers and sisters did not know why he didn't make it to school. They left him behind because he was walking too slowly. He was found within the hour, and this teacher was happy that he was safe. Keep in mind, this same student had tried to kill the fish in her aquarium the week before!!! We love our students, and we will view them and the opportunity to work with them as the best job in the world. The second need for positivity comes from the need to help our team of teachers stay positive. I read article after article that describes how one or two toxic (negative) employees can destroy any good work to be done in a corporation, small business, and school. I have a policy that if teachers bring me problems, they need to come with ideas and suggestions for solutions. We ALL own the success of our students and our school; therefore, we ALL need to be involved in the improvements. Feedback on improvements is essential, and it is how we will get stronger as a school; BUT feedback is a much different animal than someone who finds negative things to discuss all the time without any impetus for solutions. We are lucky to have only a few folks at the school who are negative at this point. It is sad that when we see them coming, we know exactly what their discussion will be about. So, a great teammate will be positive and assist our team in reaching innovative solutions and will not be discouraged by the morass of sad circumstances we encounter on a daily basis.
LEARNING ALL THE TIME (Teach me!)
As the lead instructional leader for our school, I am charged with learning and being versed on all the best practices and on all the new research that has any chance of making an impact on our ability to teach our students better. I am quite the DIY (do it yourself) learner, and it helps to have a teammate who is cut from the same cloth. I need someone who can challenge me with better and more cutting edge ways than I can glean in my own studies. I need someone who is versed enough in the latest research to challenge my decisions and think of even better ways than I can to tackle the issues at hand.
These are difficult skills to find contained in one individual. I am always trying to keep my own skills polished so that I can be the best that I can be...and there are some times that I fail. That is why I need that teammate who can remind me why we do what we do, who we do it for, and how amazing it can be EVERY SINGLE DAY!
I will close with a quote from Mia Hamm (my daughter is a soccer fanatic--LOL):
"Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it."
This is the sort of commitment a good teammate has--the commitment to ensure our students never go out of bounds. We always guide them to be winners no matter what it takes!
