Communication
Nurturing Gratitude in Ourselves
Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of our favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. Joseph B. Wirthlin Continuing this month’s focus on the importance of practicing gratitude in our lives, we return to the definition offered in…
Read MoreShowing Gratitude to Others
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward So far this month, we have moved from the “Musings of a Grandmother” to nurturing gratitude in ourselves. Our focus this time is how we promote or show gratitude to others. We know from our study of…
Read MoreOne Order of Gratitude, Please
There are several reasons I have chosen to share a writing with you this month. First, Karen Anderson gave us pause to think about GRATITUDE in her writing in October. Second, last year our RCG book study on INSIGHT by Tasha Eurich was so impactful many of us still speak of our learning from her…
Read MoreCreating Insight via Moments
Moments of insight offer the opportunity for realizations and transformations. In coaching, paraphrases that reframe or questions that challenge offer moments of potential realization and transformation. In addition, coach leaders may create experiences or situations that cause others to “trip over the truth” (Chip and Dan Heath, 2017). Here is an example of a created…
Read MoreFrom “I Don’t Want Your Feedback” to “Please Give Me Feedback” – A Shift in Mindset
Let’s begin with a recent conversation with Jasper ISD Superintendent, Gerald Hudson. It’s late on a Friday afternoon, long after the work day is over and the phone rings. Gerald, who has been in his position less than 6 months, says, “My folks want coaching!” Having known Gerald for many years, I respond with surprise, “Really. You haven’t…
Read More“Thanks, My Instructional Targets are Crystal Clear” – Clearly Articulated Standards and Expectations
Earlier this month we shared how a change in mindset from “gotcha” to growth, along with reflective feedback that’s focused on what’s working, can change the results one gets. This conversation is about how adding clear standards and expectations can magnify the impact of coaching. This continues one district’s story . . . In Garland…
Read MoreWe Did It! – Measuring Impact
Congratulations! This month’s three-part focus has been on celebrating the impact of coaching from one district’s perspective. Now, we will celebrate one school’s success in a year’s time. Jackson Middle School is a technology magnet school in Garland ISD. In 2014, the school was struggling with Index 2 on the state accountability system. This index is the Student Growth…
Read MoreWays to Blab Less
Summer Reading Connections – Part III The last author, Dan, from Saturday Solutions offered a catchy title: Clarity without Blabbing. It caught my eye for the very reason that a reflective leader was working on self-assessment and decided he wanted to blab less and so he wrote Dan requesting some strategies. He was very wise…
Read MoreWant to Increase Your Self-Awareness? Ask for Feedback.
In our earlier articles this month, the focus has been on ways to increase self-awareness through considering how your ways of thinking and responding to situations aligns with the big picture of who you are at your best, as defined by your identified values and principles and who you are in the activities of each…
Read MorePositivity: Don’t Just Put a Happy Face On It
The concept of positivity has nothing to do with putting a happy face on something! This seems a bit counterintuitive, as we hear messages through songs, poetry, literature and other popular culture venues that encourage such behavior. Simply putting a happy face on something is a way of temporarily dealing with sadness or disappointment or even masking…
Read More