Leadership Connectors- Safety

"Only when we feel safe can we shift our energy from basic 

survival needs to complex thinking and reflecting" 

-Hensley & Burmeister

Prior to reading this chapter I would not have considered "safety" as a mark of an effective educational leader.  However, upon reading this chapter I do believe that it is necessary and crucial that teachers and students are safe to promote an environment in which everyone thrives.  

Often times when we think of safety we only think of feeling physically safe.  In this chapter of Leadership Connector, Hensley and Burmeister discussed in depth about bullies and the need to end and get rid of bullying.  Something that I learned and did not consider as a "safety" concern was establishing healthy relationships such as providing others with recognition for their hard work.

I am glad that Hensley and Burmeister addressed that the issue of sleeplessness.  I am certain as time progresses I eventually move up the ladder this issue will continue to manifest.  I will certainly put some of the suggestion into play (starting tonight, maybe).

Leadership Connectors- Support

Support is an essential element in the success of a school or company.  Support is a "transparent" factor that is evident in the work community or not.  When I think of support I think of loyalty and trust.  In order to have support or give support there has to be a level of dependency and trust. This was evident in the story about the new principal Mary.  She was able to provide teachers with support and an open, trusting relationship.  In return the teachers were loyal to her and worked hard to make the school a successful place.  

Support is similar to communication in that these are elements of working below the green line.  Good support and communication establishes buy-in and relationships, which are crucial in creating an effective work environment.  

Hensley and Burmeister explains that support comes in various forms- financial, material, physical, emotional, human and moral.  It was also addressed in this chapter that all of teachers' "needs" (in material items) must be addressed and met.  Medical supplies and other needs are addressed but education is not treated with the same level of urgency.  With the current state of budget, not all teachers' needs can be met.  It is important to share budget records and conditions with school staff so that everyone is aware of the financial situation.  

Leadership Connectors- Communication & Support

In Leadership Connectors Hensley and Burnmeiser addressed some key developmental characteristics that great leaders possess in order to develop successful relationship in schools.  Two characteristics that were addressed in the first two chapters were communication and support.

Good communication is the pivotal factor in a leader's ability to connect/build relationships with others.  It is also stated that when good communication occurs other "connectors" have the ability to flourish, and without good communication other connectors have little chance of succeeding.  It seem obvious that communication would be the most important factor in establishing the culture and relationships at a school site yet this is a component that is often times overlooked.  Hensley and Burnmeiser provides numerous examples of great communication, such as emails, newsletters, notes, etc.  It is also addressed that communication is any form of contact-oral, written and nonverbal.

Nonverbal communication is definitely an area that I need to work on! I have a million things running through my mind that often times I am distracted and not fully engaged on the speaker. Oops! Sorry!

Support is also a crucial component in establishing relationships in schools.  All members of the school site seek constantly seek support-financial, material, emotional, physical or moral.  Support is an area that helps a school transcend beyond "work place" to a more family-oriented, nurturing environment.

I am truly fortunate to work at a school site where these two characteristics exist- not just on an administrative level but at every level (teachers, students, parents/community).  :)

Beginning of the End...

It is unbelievable that this is my last semester of my masters/admin program.  Yay!  On August 24th I had our first face-to-face class meeting for EAD 269- Site-Based Leadership.  This class is special in that I have three professors, Dr. Buster, Dr. Darrow, and Dr. Wise and this class as combined several cohorts to create an ultimate collaboration of cohorts- Sanger, Tulare, Clovis, Kingsburg, and Visalia.  I am looking forward to our journey together in this course and this semester.

One of the highlights of this class meeting was watching the RSA Animate video about motivation.  This video was created by Daniel Pink, who uses illustrations to convey the drive of motivation.  He explains that extrinsic motivations and rewards are only effective on simple tasks and actually have an negative affect on completing tasks that require higher cognitive abilities.  


At the conclusion of this video it was determined that there are three factors that would motivate skilled, cognitive-oriented workers- autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  As a teacher, I have discovered that it is essential to move students from the extrinsic motivations to intrinsic motivation, so that they have the drive (motivation) to endure them for a lifetime.