Leadership when there is no Template What happens

Leadership. . . when there is no Template!!! What happens when you are leading during a time when there is no template. . you roll up your sleeves, and go back to the fundamentals of leadership. . . PEOPLE!!! How COVID helped me tighten my circle of focus, and improve as a leader through a pandemic.

Good Morning, and THANK YOU for starting your day off with ME!

Teaching Experience Teacher for 17 years at the Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Levels (6 school districts 10 schools) Assistant coach in Football, Basketball, Wrestling, Track, and Softball. Head Football Coach for 14 years

Administration Duties Moved from classroom to SM West high school last quarter 2012 Alternative School Assistant Principal 2012 -14 Moved at semester to half time Elementary Assistant Principal and half time Alternative School for 3 rd quarter. Fourth quarter moved full time to Elementary School Assistant Principal 2014 -2015 2014 began as full time Elementary Assistant Principal, moved in start of 2 nd quarter to half time between two Elementary Schools. At semester moved to full time Assistant Principal at Elementary School. 2014 -15 Principal PLE 2016 -Current

What is being a principal like during a pandemic? You gameplan all week and feel great about your plan heading into the game. You kick off and they return it for a touchdown. You fumble the next kickoff and they score on the first play, They kick off and on your first play they return an interception for a TD and you are behind 21 -0 and there is 42 seconds gone in the game! Gameplan goes out the window!

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it. ” -John Wooden “A pandemic does not build your school culture and climate, It reveals it. “ -Aaron Barnett

Apollo 13 https: //youtu. be/Ol. R 17 Ra. MVm. M

Which of these two statements was a representation of your thoughts in March 2020? A. “This could be the worst disaster NASA has ever experienced? ” OR A. “I believe this will be our finest hour? ”

* “It is better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness. ”– W. L. Watkinson * “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. ”–Nelson Mandela * “I ain’t never been nothing but a winner!”–Bear Bryant

What I learned… during a pandemic Put first things first. . PEOPLE!!! In times of crisis… everyone's eyes and ears are on you as a leader. Words matter, body language matters, delivery matters, and COMMUNICATION MATTERS more than ever. BEING REAL MATTERS!

CIRCLE OF CONTROL vs CIRCLE OF CONCERN

What is solid about your leadership will shine. . The holes will be magnified. SELF-REFLECT and GROW! Pressure burst pipes. . This has been 12 months of the most pressure packed events in education history. . .

It takes effort, a plan, and TIME.

Leadership reflects through your building’s Culture and Climate… think of it this way Your Climate is the Temperature Reading on thermometer…. Your Culture is the Thermostat One dictates what the temperature will be, one simply reflects the temperature it is surrounded by. .

This pandemic is like the coldest day of the year… (over and over) no matter what, some rooms were cold, some windows had drafts and some pipes will freeze. You knew this before hand for most… some you may have found out the hard way. Were you able to prep in advance…? Did you/are you making a plan or fix them, or are you buying space heaters and buckets?

There are 8 characteristics that I feel that are the most important in developing to ensure a positive school culture. How were they affected?

● ● ● ● Trust Opportunities to Learn/Improve Ongoing communication Teamwork Responsibility and Accountability Meaning/Purpose Cooperative Decision Making Clear Goals and Strategies

TRUST Do what you say you are going to do. Be honest and open… undersell and overdeliver. Be Yourself. . Don’t be what you think you are supposed to be. How do people spell trust? ? T-I-M-E!!

Reflection from last 12 months… Do you feel that the trust among staff and parents improved, stayed the same, or declined? How did you spend TIME when you were not able to be with students/staff and/ or following constraints?

Provide Opportunities to Learn (Improve) Where is the bar set… where do we go from here? Model the little things… talk about the big things Clear expectations for learning. Everyone knows exactly what it looks like…. because you showed them!

Reflection from last 12 months… Were there opportunities for your staff , students, and YOU to grow… how did you take advantage of those opportunities? DId you miss opportunities. . Can you still draw on them now?

Ongoing Communication The void from lack of communication is quickly filled with negativity! Be consistent with types of communication, there is no wrong communication but make sure people have an opportunity to find past communication. Transparent… If you don’t know, you don’t know! Don’t pretend like you know. . Administrators have between 65 -80 conversations a day, and the average length of those is 18. 5 seconds. .

Reflection from last 12 months… What holes in communication were magnified. . And why? What positives from your communication were noticed and how did you know? What will you do different?

Teamwork Align your players in positions that they can experience success. Build and learn from your peers. . Reach out your hand first. Don’t get caught up in “I am not doing what they are!” Everyone’s in a different place… make sure you take the time to know where they are at.

Reflection from last 12 months… What areas of teamwork within your staff cleary shined during this time? Who stepped up… and how did they? Who disappeared, or went rogue?

Responsibility and Accountability Everyone is always watching how you handle difficult situations, make sure you take your time and get it correct. “Treat every man like a gentleman, not because they, are but because you are. ” Put yourself in positions to notice positives. (Do you set people up for success? ) Follow the A. D. C. template 1, About Conversations (People Conversations) 2, Direct Conversations (Specific Event Conversations) 3, Corrective Conversations (Do better-this is how Conversations)

Reflection from last 12 months… What types of successes did you notice? How did you put yourself in a place to notice? Did you have ADC conversations during this time. . How did you pick and choose?

Meaning/Purpose Always take time to explain your ‘Why” on everything you present to the team. Must always take the time to know each players why… RELATIONSHIPS! Post it, celebrate it, revisit it, communicate it, share it. LEARN FROM IT!

Reflection from last 12 months… How did you recognize and celebrate students and staff? Did you adjust your why?

Cooperative Decision Making Everyone has to feel like they matter Make sure there is a clear process for everything Input helps the leader make decisions Straw polls helps build up everything we have talked about

Reflection from last 12 months… How did your leadership teams react? How did you modify your teams if at all?

Clear Goals and Strategies Everyone runs faster when they know where the finish line is! Communicate the big picture clearly , and often ! Staff and Parents want to know about the short term plan. The Head Shed wants to know about the Long Term Plan! YOU NEED TO KNOW BOTH!

Reflection from last 12 months… How did you create common goals to work towards during this time? DId you re-evaluate the finish line. . If so How?

Questions from the Audience

Thank You!!! Aaron Barnett Twitter @Principal. Aaron. B Pleasant Lea Elementary School 700 SW Persels Road Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64081 aaron. barnett@lsr 7. net 816. 986. 1230