Tips for Leadership

[shadowjack]

@PG - there is that. But that's a job if I know in advance it's the role, I wouldn't take.

[PsyGuy]

@SJ

Thats not the locust of your earlier statement. Its not about what job you would or would not select, its about as you claim is the "biggest message a middle level leader can give", which fits one scenario, but not all scenarios, irregardless of if you would take those types of roles. Those types of roles exist, and your claim of "support and help teachers" isnt always the goal, objective, or priority in all roles.

[secondplace]

@PsyGuy

up until this point you were making some, if borderline illiterate, sense. And then:

6) Figure out your friends and enemies weaknesses and vices. Having something on someone makes manipulation a lot easier than 'good will' or 'respect'. "i know you have a lady friend you want to get to on Friday by 4, before getting home to the family but I really need you to stay late to supervise a student English fair" is a lot more effective than asking.

I'll concede you may make a certain Machiavellian point, but it speaks lots to either your experiences or personal philosophy that you would choose to make this point. If it's experiences of bad leaders then I am sorry for you but do know that we're not all like that.

7) Absolutely latch on to Pop.Ed fads, because impressing ITs isnt very rewarding, you want to impress people who know very little about education or classroom education, and making a positive first impression often means identifying with the majority. It may be better to be one of the few then among the many, but conformity is a lot less work.

Or, hold true to first principles.

8) Dress the part and do it well. You always want to look like your informed, confident, and a professional, appealing to preconceptions of authority means less work for you, you want to look like you look good because you have the time to look good as opposed to looking like you handle every situation like its a crises. Be first, be smarter or cheat, being first is easier.

Actually, dressing the part is quite important as appearances do matter and you'll be dealing with a range of cultural expectations and often looking smart can help. But also, be true to who you are and who your school is and don't do it to 'cheat'.

9) Learn deflection when working with subordinates, there is nothing really gained by being wrong and even less by admitting your wrong. It changes the power dynamic, ITs will think you being wrong means they get to be wrong sometime int he future, and they will forever thing you are wrong again in the future. Adapt a strategy that frames quality of issues as a matter of perspective, youre never wrong if your open to changing your mind to good ideas as long as you can spin it as your idea to begin with and they just didnt understand. This is different when working with superiors and supervisors where you want to acknowledge small trivial mistakes and errors (better if you can create them yourself) than acknowledge them, and apologize you will build trust and create a sense of humbleness.

If you're wrong admit it. Honestly, there is great strength in openness and vulnerability. People make mistakes. If you don't model that then your teachers will never do it.

10) Identify and cultivate spies early often the difference between good and great leadership is access to information, and your going to need ITs and staff on the inside to provide you the pulse of whats going on out of sight.

Just no. A thousand times no.

Essentially, ignore all this nonsense and be true to oneself and seek and accept positions that allow you to be you and practice honesty, decency and being principled.

Unless you're a sociopath and seek disorder and madness.

Your choice.

[shadowjack]

PsyGuy wrote:
> @SJ
>
> Thats not the locust of your earlier statement. Its not about what job you
> would or would not select, its about as you claim is the "biggest
> message a middle level leader can give", which fits one scenario, but
> not all scenarios, irregardless of if you would take those types of roles.
> Those types of roles exist, and your claim of "support and help
> teachers" isnt always the goal, objective, or priority in all roles.

Yes, but I'm sorry, as I said, that is not a job I would select. If I took a middle level position and that is what I was told was my role, I would ask to be released from the position. Sorry - I didn't sign up to be anybody's hatchet man. That said, if I had been at the school for a couple of years and some people needed to go for the good of the students/institution and I was in agreement, then I could do that. But not just to come in blindly and chop. Sorry.

[PsyGuy]

@secondplace

I wrote for the benefit of the LW, not to serve the needs or agenda of leadership. Who cares if some small minority of leadership have virtues, the majority of them will just prey on the others. This is why evil wins, good will play fair, and evil never intended too. Be a sheep instead of a shark if you want too, always need more prey.
Machiavelli was pretty successful, so was Sun Tzu, their practices work.

All of the major stream "best practices" today were once Pop.Ed at one time. Hold onto your dated, uninspired, unambitious first principals, fear change, and innovation.

All of IE is selling the same product. No one cares who you are, parents are buying a fantasy, your job is to dress up the packaging so that it looks special compared to everyone else.
Cheating is winning, its not even an issue of right or wrong, its how sophisticated your cheat is compared to others. The best cheater wins, want proof, look at the US Presidency, cheaters win. Losers with integrity still lose.

ITs arent there to model anything. You cant teach an IT anything, that time has come and pass. If you show weakness, admit to error, and being wrong, they will just think your stupid, and if you were stupid once, you will do something stupid and be wrong again.

Say no all you want, do you want to know or dont you. I see generally two types of leadership strategy when it comes to intelligence, those leadership that implement policies of ITs copying all emails to leadership (and ITs will just adapt communication strategies not involving email), and those leadership that dont need to because they know whats going on.

::cue Disney music::

Thats the problem with sociopaths, they look just like everyone else.

@SJ

Again, your preference is not relevant, those roles exist, and need leadership to fill them.

[secondplace]

@psyguy

If you weren't a semi-literate wind up merchant I would take the time to engage further with your latest stream of madness.

As it's clear that you're at best a troll, at worst an actual sociopath, then I'll decline.

Hugs etc.

[PsyGuy]

@secondplace

Sticks & Stones, I consider my position sufficiently strong to withstand debate.

[zenteach]

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. I appreciate the invaluable advice.