Lessons Learned

I am physically and mentally exhausted and I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. The only differences are I don't wake up to Sonny and Cher every morning, I'm not waiting on a furry rodent to tell me when the winter will end, and I don't know what is going to happen at each given point throughout the day. I am, however, feeling a little rejuvenated after attending my first session on the ABC's (Anything But COVID) Zoom session hosted by MissionMonday.com and Eklund Consulting. The premise of the ABC Sessions are pretty simple, but when you get down into the weeds a little, you begin to struggle to get your mind wrapped around deeply reflective topics such as:

1. What are you learning about YOURSELF?
2. What are you learning about your TEAMS?
3. What are you learning about your SCHOOL?

What makes these reflection questions even more difficult is answering them without using COVID-19 as part of the answers. As we all know, this pandemic will pass, but if we don't take an opportunity to reflect and grow as part of the process, we will be wasting a huge opportunity to get better. Keeping this in mind, here are some some of my reflections.

What are you learning about YOURSELF?

I've learned that I am actually an introvert in many ways. I enjoy time by myself thinking, reading, and reflecting. Keeping this in mind, I do need to be around people and have an opportunity to engage with them.

I have no problem going to the golf course and walking 18 holes by myself after a long Zoom session so I can decompress and get even more frustrated by the fact that I am terrible at golf. 

I am learning that I really enjoy learning new things and that the struggle I am going through learning to play guitar is actually pretty comforting because it is teaching me humility and that I don't always have to be an expert. Believe me, if you heard me play, you would certainly understand that this is the case.

I am learning that I will always fall short in some areas of my life and that I don't need to be so hard on myself. My shortcomings as a leader are something that I need to own, but I don't have to let them get the best of me. 

I am learning that I need to let people in a little more and that I don't need to exhibit a tough and rugged exterior all of the time. While it is comforting for people to think that their leader has it all put together, it is important to show that you are human and that you struggle just like everyone else does. Keeping this in mind, even in the midst of struggle, you can and should remain positive.

What are you learning about your TEAMS?

I am learning (although I already knew this in the first place) that my team consists of AMAZING people who get things done. They put on their game face and show up to "school" every day and do right by kids and their families.

I am learning that my team wants to get better and they aren't content with the status quo. They ask a lot of questions and want to improve.

I am learning that it is okay to delegate things to my team. Although I might do things a different way, there is more than one way to skin a cat and things will get done efficiently, effectively, and on time.

I am learning that my team craves interaction and they want to engage with their colleagues, including me. We all may have our differences from time to time, but we are a work family that looks out for one another.

What are you learning about your SCHOOL?

I am learning that no matter how big my school is, we all come together when we encounter tough times and we are there for one another.

I am learning that as a school, we are certainly not perfect, but we are pretty AWESOME! We definitely have some work to do when it comes to processes and procedures, but we are committed to doing the work.

I am learning that continuous improvement is not a catch-phrase, but rather, something that my school really wants to achieve.

I am learning that when our school means ALL students, it isn't just lip service. We will bend over backwards to help students of all nationalities, ethnicities, and socio-economic status to be successful.

While this is only a short list of my rambling list of self-reflection items, I have enjoyed taking on the challenge. The tough thing about in-depth reflection is that you may not like what you see when you look in the mirror. When you are faced with circumstances like this, you have the option to look away and focus on others or you can do the heavy lifting and wrestle with some pretty tough topics and make an intentional effort to learn from them. To #OwnYourEpic means that you need to take control of the narrative of your story. If you aren't happy with what's been written thus far, you have the power to change it. Doing so helps develop grit and resiliency and allows you the opportunity to achieve self-actualization if you are interested in that sort of thing. 

At the end of the day, you can work to get better or you can stay in the rut you are in and try to go back to the old ways you did things before a crisis started. The old adage, "If it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it" is is a dangerous mantra to follow because it implies that you remain content with how things are rather than trying to imagine new possibilities that may exist. In times of crisis, you owe it to yourself to take a deep and terrifying leap into self reflection so you can become a better human being. After all, the only constant in life is change, so why not use a pandemic to be the catalyst for self improvement.