A little Courage goes a long way
Leaders are often at a crossroads when a decision has to be made. Some are really easy and obvious choices. Those do not require much courage. Others are fraught with challenge, controversy, unknown and unintended negative consequences. This is where a leader's courage to act comes in. This last summer I shared the power of a moment to my district's school administrators. I retold an experience when as a high school principal, I made some bold statements to my teachers. I wanted to instill in them that they matter, that they make a difference in the lives of students. I further stated that if they did not believe they had the power to make a difference, they needed to find a new professional as soon as possible and not be around me. A few weeks ago, one of my elementary principals, told me that she followed my example this Fall. There was a moment in her staff meeting when some of her teachers started making excuses for their school's test scores ...