Courage means being afraid and doing it anyway.
We don’t often think about needing courage in our leadership so I want you to think about the last time you needed to have an uncomfortable conversation.
Read MoreA quote I use often when talking about having a clear vision is: "If you don't know where you're going, how do you know when you get there?"
And the reason I use it often is because it's rare to begin working with a person or program that genuinely knows what they want. It's more common for people to understand what they don't like.
Yet, when talking about personal leadership...
Read MoreLast week, I facilitated a two-day leadership retreat, and one of the phrases I used frequently was, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
This phrase was made popular by Martha Beck and refers to your mindset or your approach to life.
I use it often because it raises awareness about our thoughts and beliefs, which are often unconscious yet greatly influence how we behave both in and outside of the workplace.
Read MoreFront-loading. While we all do this, we often do it by default rather than intention.
So, what is front-loading? Dictionary.com defines it as the act or practice of concentrating on something at the beginning of a process or period.
We do this when we prepare for staff to return, and they, in turn, prepare for children and families.
Read MoreStaff are trickling back in or have already arrived.
You've begun your "check-in" and "welcome back" one-on-one meetings.
And now, it's time to meet with all staff to set the tone for the year, starting with norms and expectations.
Setting the tone for how we, the adults, get to "BE" with each other.
Read MoreIt’s the beginning of July, and many of us are preparing for the new school year.
Enrolling new children and families in to our programs
Hiring new staff for our classrooms and other positions
Making sure all forms are completed and compliance regulations are in place
I recently did a training session where a conversation arose regarding working with young children.
First, we know being with young children is physically demanding. It requires standing up, sitting down, and moving from space to space all day long.
Read MoreOver the last several months, more and more people have been asking for support with their staffing teams. This has led to a heavy travel schedule, with more to come.
While I love in-person training, I've been torn because I know programs desperately need help, yet I was beginning to get burned out.
Until I made one small change…
Read MoreI just came from NAEYC’s annual Professional Learning Institute (PLI), where I had a blast.
While my main purpose was to present a session on Strategies for Developing Highly Effective Teams (here’s the link to the PowerPoint),
Read MoreFor the past month, I've been discussing emotional intelligence within a team, and this week, I will conclude by discussing how highly effective teams play "big" teams.
As a reminder, when I reference "big" teams, I am talking about how teams interact with other teams and the organization. In her book Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Dr. Greaves refers to it as external relationships and speaks to the many benefits of teams who have this dialed in. For example:
Teams who excel in their external relationships…
Read MoreLike all relationships, having a strong "core" team (those you work with daily) requires time and attention.
This is probably one area we are all familiar with and do often: team building.
Those activities that support us getting to know each other. Having fun, laughing, and sharing experiences. Using the good times to strengthen the team, knowing there will be challenging times the team must navigate through.
Read MoreThe next step is to support your team(s) in building their emotional management skill sets, which would give your team(s) the ability to navigate emotional ebbs and flows that can push a team towards success or disaster.
Emotional management entails reading emotions accurately and reacting in ways that benefit the team's work, internal and external relationships, and the organization's overall goals.
Read MoreHaving a team with high emotional intelligence takes practice, just like building a muscle.
Over time and with regular practice, the team will internalize and use the skills without thinking, similar to muscle memory.
So, knowing that we already have a gazillion other things to do, how can we build our team's emotional intelligence without adding more workload?
Well…
Read MoreHave you ever been sitting in a room when someone comes in and you could just tell they were angry? And then, before you know it, you're angry as well?
And what about the opposite? Someone sits next to you, smiling and laughing. How often has that shifted your mood to one that is positive?
We've all had experiences related to the above and understand the power and impact of emotions. In her book Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Dr. Greaves helps us understand how emotions impact teams and the four skill sets teams need to navigate those emotions effectively.
Read MoreSo, what is emotional intelligence, and how does it impact the workplace?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage one's own emotions and understand the emotions of others.
Why is it soooo important?
While we can tell you why based on our own experiences with people who have it and those who don't, research shows that highly emotionally intelligent people are better equipped to make sound decisions, create sustainable relationships, and handle continuous change.
Can you imagine a workforce where people are able to manage and express their own emotions and empathize with the emotions of others?
Read MoreMany of us intentionally spend time teaching our children emotional literacy, or the ability to recognize one's emotions, name them, and express them appropriately.
But we don't do the same for adults. And we don't even think about it with our teams.
Read MoreIn last week’s email, I talked about how those you spend the most time with can influence your values, beliefs, and thoughts by as much as 30%.
And keeping that in mind, I then challenged us to think about “who gets to have a seat at our table?
And that’s where I’d like to pick up from today.
Who does get to have a seat at our table? And how do we go about figuring that out?
Well… here is an exercise I’ve begun using at my leadership retreats called “A Seat at Your Table.
Read MoreEveryone knows I love a good quote; here's one of my newest favorites…
"You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with," a quote attributed most often to motivational speaker Jim Rohn. There's also the "show me your friends, and I'll show you your future" derivative.
Read MoreHave you ever had that person you love to connect with in your professional life?
You know, the one person who you can spend hours with talking about the craft of what we do in our profession?
First, if your answer is “no,”
Read MoreThe last several weeks we’ve been talking about what it means to “belong” in the workplace.
Today, I want to talk about how to intentionally cultivate belongingness in the workplace. With the key word being intentionally! For example, many of us have a list of tasks the employee needs to go through when onboarding but, how many of us include the following to foster a sense of belonging right away?
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