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Hello *|FNAME|*,
Don’t know where to start? Find a way back!
I literally feel like I have been on holiday since the middle of December, when people began departing for the trip they haven’t had in 3-years, until now, which is officially the first week back to school for a few schools I work with.
Perhaps you are feeling the same way I am right now:
- How do I get my programs back on track?
- How do I get leaders and other stakeholders reengaged?
- How do I compete with all the priorities they have returned to school with?
For inspiration, I searched for this article I wrote for International Teacher Magazine, which was brilliantly edited by Andy Homdem. I hope this article will help you get back on track with your team. Even if the 'track' hasn't been built, what you accomplish with your team in the next few months can considerably raise your profile in your school. I offer 5 recommendations below to help you with that goal, raising your profile.
In addition to the really rewarding work I am doing with schools, I also have to do some profile building. Like you, unfortunately, my work doesn't speak for itself. I still need to do some of the things I am recommending below to be seen. Over the next three months, I have some excellent workshop and conference opportunities coming up, not to mention the launching of PeerSphere (more on this in my April newsletter). A few of the events below are free, so if I don't get to see you in person, I hope I can see you online.
I hope, like me, you will excitedly embrace getting outside your box, and create opportunities to share your story with your community and beyond. I know you have a full plate, but I don’t want you to miss out on the most opportune time during a school year for a Middle Leader to lead.
Over the next few weeks, I want you to consider how you can raise your profile as a leader. You should consider:
- Stepping out of your comfort zone: Has what you have been working on this school year been largely limited to yourself or your team? If so, try to find opportunities to broaden your scope by involving other people or teams, even if it just giving a presentation to peers or submitting a project/program proposal for next year to your senior leadership team.
- Being audacious: Do you feel your team isn’t contributing to improving teaching and learning in the school? Identify something in the school you want to improve. Gather some like-minded team members. Before the Spring term break give your senior leadership team a proposal outlining how your team WILL realize that improvement next year.
- Advocacy: Many middle leaders undervalue their contributions, and by doing so limit the reach of what they are working on. BUT, if you don’t help people see what you are doing, odds are other teachers, and more importantly, their students, won’t get to experience the benefits of your hard work. Start talking to people and look for opportunities to share your experience and knowledge.
- Promotion: Do you feel limited by your current role? Don’t!!! Firstly, you don’t need a title to lead, but if the project or program you want to lead requires a title, then offer up your time and passion to support those that do have that responsibility. This is how you pave the road for promotions. If that position is opening up, then don’t limit your activity to submitting an application, speak to the person that is currently in the role and do your homework to prepare for the interview.
- Reflection: Process is just as important as product. In many cases what you are working on will be continued next year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate what you have learned to date. Present your findings, including all the obstacles you have and are facing. Even if you are only presenting to the person you report to, let them know where you have come from, where you are going, and how you have grown along the way.
As always, the rest of this newsletter is chock-full of great resources, including some amazing interviews with amazing people, professional learning events that I am participating in, and a selection of articles to help you regroup.
Have a great week!
Michael
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If you want to share this newsletter in whole or in part with friends and colleagues please identify the author, Michael Iannini, and here is a link to the blog post: https://middleleader.com/articles/regrouping.
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INTERVIEWS WITH EDUCATION INFLUENCERS
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You Don’t Need a Title To Lead
with David Burke
In this interview, I discuss how schools can more effectively develop future leaders, as well as share advice for aspiring and experienced leaders looking for new roles.
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Team Formation
with Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini
Nancy shares her experience and recommendations for helping middle leaders to build strong foundations with their teams, from which they can achieve transformative change.
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IN PERSON MIDDLE LEADER WORKSHOPS
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ACAMIS F2F Program
Leading Effective Teams for Middle Leaders
Finally, a return to in-person ACAMIS Middle Leader workshops. I have been facilitating this workshop for ACAMIS for over 10 years, and each year it sells out. Due to several inquiries, ACAMIS is offering this course in 3 cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
This course will instruct participants on how to foster greater interdependency among team members by helping them understand how to manage the different beliefs, behaviors, and priorities that exist in their team. Teacher-lead teams that communicate effectively and work interdependently will improve student learning!
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Search Associates HR Training
Anti-Bias in Hiring: Practices and Approaches
March1 | 9:00 AM (HKT) - REGISTER FOR FREE
Join us for an informal and informative dialogue about best practices on designing an equitable hiring model and process, one that is designed to eliminate as much bias as possible. We will share some steps you can take right now as well as considerations for ongoing practice. Learn more about Bias and Hiring.
Speakers: Jacinta Williams & Shelley Paul
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School Leadership Bootcamp 2023
Building Leadership Capacity with STRIDE Mentoring
March 3 | 5:30 PM (HKT) - REGISTER FOR FREE
This virtual leadership conference is FREE and has assembled incredible speakers and workshop leaders. Don't miss this opportunity for some great learning and networking. I will be offering a 2-part masterclass on STRIDE Mentoring, which will be interactive and allow you to share experience with peers.
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World Education Summit
Developing a Professional Network for Professional Growth
March 20-23 - 50% DISCOUNT CODE
I am honored to be invited back to speak at this conference. The best part is I can pass on a great deal to my audience. Use this discount code when registering for a 50% discount on an individual ticket: MIIND23. If you are registering 5 or more people, use this code: MISCHOOL23
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Non-Teaching Staff Conference
A Leader's Main Job is to Develop Leaders
March 13-24 | Virtual Bilingual Conference
The most important role that any leader has is to develop leaders. The most effective way to develop leaders is when senior leaders make their own development transparent and actively mentor aspiring senior leaders to participate in and lead whole-school change initiatives. By involving senior leaders in the development of aspiring senior leaders, they contribute directly to a continuum of growth within their school. When senior leadership is engaged, committed, and involved in professional learning, it translates into a culture of learning that sustains itself.
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Non-Teaching Staff Conference
Managing Priorities
March 13-24 | Virtual Bilingual Conference
Learn to reduce distractions and prioritize tasks based on strategies popularized by Stephen Covey. Participants will identify common challenges they faced in their role during the pandemic, in particular unexpected tasks, and new responsibilities. Michael will introduce how to ‘Manage Yourself’ and why this is the most effective time management tool. By understanding and being able to clearly communicate your priorities you can much more effectively manage the expectations of others.
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Annual EARCOS Teachers' Conference
You Don't Need a Title to Lead
March 23-25 | Malaysia
Changemakers don’t need a title to lead, but they do need to feel empowered to: 1) Identify opportunities for improvement, 2) build consensus amongst peers to pursue transformative change, and 3) influence others without authority.
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Annual EARCOS Teachers' Conference
Let Teachers Choose Who They Learn with
March 23-25 | Malaysia
This presentation presents the evidence for how peer learning contributes to improving teaching and learning, as well as provides guidance on how teachers can harness the power of external networks to receive real time, targeted development.
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Augmenting In-Service Days With Teacher-Led PD - This is one of the greatest ways to raise your leadership profile in and outside your school. Best of all you don't need a title to do this.
The Qualities of Exceptional Mentor Teachers - You don't need a title to do this. The power of peer mentoring will not only increase the confidence of new teachers but broaden the perspective of experienced teachers.
How To Motivate The Unmotivated - Over four decades of research have made a compelling case that relatedness is an essential element of intrinsic motivation. If you feel you are losing some team members, this is a great way to bring them back in.
How To Have A Good Year - Written for CEOs, but incredibly important for Teacher Leaders to read right now.
Imagination Infrastructures - Thousands of International Educators are returning to work in China and are finally able to start imagining a post-covid future. But, there is a lot of PTSD. Imagination Infrastructures seem like a way forward.
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