Alan Feirer

The Group Dynamic Primer. Chapter Zero: Rock-Bottom

by

1996 I was despondent. Poor me. “My people” weren’t engaged.  They didn’t get me; they weren’t loyal, they weren’t receptive, they were leaving me, and it wasn’t my fault.  They just needed to give me more time, to get to know me… Except… My boss, Fred, said “They are fighting you.” My colleague, Jo, said … Read more

Effective Leaders Know When to Ignore the Tone

by

“Samantha, please reinstate the afternoon tea and coffee cart for the residents, starting in November.” Samantha [delivered with sarcastic tone and an eye roll] replies, “Well, sure, why not. Last time we tried it, Beth in 4C took 10 tea bags. AND when I wasn’t looking, some of the staff drained the second pot of … Read more

Effective Leaders Take 3 Seconds to Say…

by

If the two-word definition of leadership is “Meet needs,” then you have frequent opportunities to be very explicit about that mission by taking three seconds to ask some variation of: “Is there anything I can do to help you with that?” This was referred to in a previous post as the “cherry on top” of … Read more

For those who don’t get it…

by

Something that occasionally presents itself in the world of leadership is that there is one person, also a leader, who doesn’t “get it.” Maybe it’s another teacher, a member of administration or your direct supervisor. They see what you are doing, they know that those you lead appreciate what you’re doing, but for one reason … Read more

The Olympics of Dedication

by

The Olympics have a way of shining a new light on the meaning of dedication.

The opening ceremonies were comprised of one spectacular vignette after another, with thousands of performers, musicians and athletes knowing exactly where to go and what to do during every minute of their moment in the spotlight. That’s dedication.

Every commercial that runs during the Olympic Games tells the athlete’s tale of foregoing dessert, not watching TV, not skipping a single day’s workout in order to be the best. That’s dedication.

Then there was the Chinese farmer who spent the last two years traveling to London via rickshaw just to see the Olympic games. A little extreme, but yes – that’s dedication.

Read more

Fear and Vision

by

Fear paralyzes; sometimes we allow it to, calling it “caution”. It’s good to be cautious.  Not so good to be paralyzed. Either by over-analysis OR by fear. (Though, extreme analysis can combat fear; see Freakonomics for the statistics on child restraints…) A good nugget from Tim Ferriss’s Four-Hour Workweek is this (paraphrased): The thought of … Read more

Effective leaders value clarity

by

Few things are more energizing than leaving a productive meeting with your team, set ablaze with fresh ideas that will set the wheels in motion. You’re ready to go. Your team is ready to go. You’ve established MT goals and are ready to tackle the world. It’s a great feeling. Until something, somewhere, gets a … Read more

Be smart about SMART goals (shortcut included)

by

Last week’s blog talked about the value of vision as a leader. With vision, you have a clear destination; a clear destination can aid in motivating your team. But with vision, comes goals. Goals serve as checkpoints on the way to your vision. But how do you know you have a goal worth pursuing? Enter: … Read more