Communication
Three Ways to Draw Positivity Close During the Holiday Season
As we close out 2016, we send to each of you our appreciation and respect for the work that you do on behalf of students everywhere. As you take a break and enjoy time alone and with family and friends, we offer a reminder of three ways to draw states of positivity close to you…
Read MoreTake Three For Successful Conversations
“I need to have a conversation with someone, but for some reason I’m holding off, or I’m not sure of the best approach to take.” That is a statement that we at RCG hear over and over again, even from highly successful leaders. What is it that causes people, including high-flying leaders, to hesitate before…
Read MoreThree Critical Points About Successful Conversations
Leaders have an enormous responsibility to convene and conduct conversations where people involved feel free to speak openly without reprimand. Earlier this month we offered three important points to consider when having conversations. They were to 1) Listen fully. 2) Respond by offering genuine and authentic paraphrases. 3) Maintain a mindset of respect and presume positive intent on…
Read MoreIt’s Time For A Feedback Revolution
In February, Karen Anderson shared the opportunity to review and reconnect to the most essential and required skill in your everyday use. The ability to give skillful reflective feedback influences others to: keep working, reconsider, reflect, see possibilities, study more, give more effort, think about another point of view, desire more learning, be affirmed, get motivated,…
Read MoreStop Giving Feedback – Start Asking for Feedback
Continuing with what the Neuroleadership Institute found in their research on FEEDBACK, here are a lot of common misperceptions: We think we hate feedback. When someone asks if they can give us feedback, we hear, “Can I criticize your work so I can feel good about myself?” It’s best to focus on errors. The brain…
Read MoreFocused Practice Feedback – a Kick Starter!
How do we grow people? How do we build and grow their talent, their knowledge and skills? Use those wonderful conversation skills and ask about the goals they have set, the vision for their work, when it all is celebrated, what will they be celebrating? With highly committed employees they just usually need to reconnect to their vision,…
Read MoreShifting Conceptual Thinking through a Paraphrase
Earlier this month, you practiced how Listening For can be paraphrased by acknowledging or clarifying what the person wants or by summarizing or organizing the thinking of the person. This practice will focus on the third kind of paraphrase – shifting conceptual thinking which has the potential to accelerate and advance the movement of another’s thinking.…
Read MoreThe kids are back!
School is in session for many of us. Now that we have staff in place and classrooms assigned, we are ready to face the always-new experiences that greet us with the diversity of personalities we will encounter on a daily basis. Whether it is our interactions with students or with adults, we are committed to…
Read MoreKeeping The Torch Lit
How does one create a positive coaching culture that is sustainable throughout the toughest of times as well as the best of times? In our work with school leaders, certain patterns and themes emerge that build and sustain this positive, engaging school culture. Begin with yourself. Leaders who fully embrace the mindset of a coach leader identity…
Read MoreIntentional Language
Early in April, a committed group of coaches from the Little Rock, Arkansas school district convened to continue their work in coaching. To reconnect, we asked for each person to share a success story about using the language and skills of coaching. The stories were to be about an action each person took with regard…
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