Getting Out of the Way Leadership

"I came in at halftime, and it's 16-6, I believe, and we're not playing well, and I look in the locker room and ready to kind of go after everybody, and I see Coach (Luke) Fickell has the -- you know, they use that projector, and they're going through making adjustments.  All the defense is sitting right in front of them. I go walk in on the offense and get ready to implode a little bit, and they're in there, Ed Warinner and everybody is working like pros, working on things.

"The worst thing I could do is open my big mouth and get in the way of a bunch of people working their tails off and being professional, as they were"

The Ohio State University football team is down 16-6 at halftime against Wisconsin.  OSU came out and won the game by dominating the second half.  The next day, everyone wanted to know what was it that Urban Meyer said to his team at halftime?!?!  The answer - nothing.

To me, Urban Meyer is one of the best leaders on the planet.  I love learning from others.  So what can we take from that?  Two things.

1.  There are times as a leader in which you lead by stepping back and letting others lead.  Urban saw that was already happening and he had the humbleness to be able to let it happen.  We need to be humble leaders and not always feel the need to be the one to do everything.

2. Urban Meyer had to create a culture in which this could happen.  Not every leader or not every organization/team is ready for its leader to step back and this doesn't happen automatically.  You have to build the right culture.  How do you do that?  Meyer said in this same interview that what matters is "...what you say and do in January, February, March, April, May, June, July..." so that those involved feel ownership and are emotionally vested in the organization/team.


Quotes taken from:
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/10/what_did_urban_meyer_say_to_oh.html

SHACKLETON'S WAY

One of my summer reading books was, Shackleton's Way by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell.  Ernest Shackelton was an early 20th century explorer, most well-known for his Antarctic exploration in which he and his crew survived a two year, twelve hundred mile journey.

I have summarized the key leadership points from the book here.  How does this relate to you and your position?  What is most important?

1-      The Path To Leadership

-          Learned from his family a broad and sympathetic view of the world that helped to shape his leadership style

-          Once a choice was made, he saw his commitments through to the end

-          Read often to find wisdom and guidance

-          Turn a setback into an opportunity

-          Learned from his past mistakes.  Experience taught him the kind of leader he didn’t want to be.

-          Always put the well-being of his crew first.

2-      Hire an Outstanding Crew

-          Hired those who shared his vision and enthusiasm for exploration, were reliable, loyal, optimist, team players, hard workers, and who had the skills and expertise he lacked

3-      Create a Spirit of Camaraderie

-          Made himself accessible to his crew, listened to their concerns, and kept them informed about the ship’s business

-          Shackleton worked right alongside the men doing the same job

-          Relaxation and entertainment (celebrations) were critical parts of the schedule

4-      Get the Best from Each Individual

-          To maintain morale, allow each man to put his personal stamp on his surroundings

-          Made sure each man had challenging and meaningful work

-          Gave his men constant feedback, praising their efforts and correcting their mistakes

5-      Lead Effectively in a Crisis

-          Addressed his men, leaving no doubt that he was in charge and would get them through the crisis if they would stick together and trust him

-          Made contingency plans while still being flexible

-          Kept the malcontent close to him to contain their effect and to try to win them over

-          Kept a sense of humor

-          Sought out advice but made final decisions alone

6-      Form Teams for Tough Assignments

-          Intentionally organized teams around personalities and ability to work together

-          Trusted his team leaders but always kept an eye on each individual

7-      Overcome Obstacles to Reach a Goal

-          Take extreme risks when options are narrowed

-          Shook his companions hands in a gesture of congratulations

CARING is #1

About one week ago, my wife and I rushed our 14 month-old daughter to Nationwide Children's Hospital.  She had pulled down a cup of hot tea on herself and sustained second degree burns on her abdomen.  It was one of the most terrifying and horrific moments as a parent.

When we arrived at the ER check in, we were the fourth family in line waiting to be checked in by the security guard.  I made my voice heard and security quickly ushered us to the front.  We were expedited through registration, a triage room, and escorted to room ten in the ER within minutes. The burn unit surgeon on-call assessed the wounds, consulted with a fellow, and explained the plan of action.

We spent three days and two nights in the burn unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital.  During this time we interacted with approximately 40 employees (nurses, doctors, therapists, housekeeping, security guards, pharmacist, clerical staff, etc.).  It was emotionally painful for my wife and I to watch our baby go through such a harrowing experience.  However, it was significantly lessened first and foremost by the prayers of our loved ones, but also by the sincere care that was displayed to us by these employees.  Every single employee of Children's that we encountered was caring.

From the security guard who ushered us to the front, to the nurse who was constantly reassuring, to the lady who brought the lunch and whispered so as to not wake my daughter and wife, to the nurse who blew bubbles to distract my baby when her bandages were being changed, to the guy who played his guitar for my daughter in the play room - we knew we were cared for.  We were strangers to these people, but they loved us as if we were family.

It is not enough to be competent in your job - especially in education.  It is not enough to have the knowledge to be good at what you do and the wherewithal to solve problems.

Sure you might know the content of your subject and the standards of your course inside and out. Maybe as an instructional leader you keep up on the latest technology tools and instructional practices to improve learning.  Quite possibly, you are so awesome that you've mastered the elusive challenge of using assessment data to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners.  But more than anything - do you love and care for those in your building?  How do your actions reflect this?

If you really want to make a difference - if you really want to make a lasting, powerful impact - you have to be driven with a sincere care for others.