PERSPECTIVE / Executive Director
FROM–THE–OFFICE The Building Blocks of Effective Leadership At Illinois ASBO we have invested a good amount of time, energy and resources into leadership development. We have a Leadership Institute, Leadership Day, a Leadership Conference, a Leadership PDC, a Leadership Blog and a new Emerging Leaders program that launches every summer. We strongly believe that for our members (school district and Service Associate) to be successful and lead their organizations and staff well – leadership knowledge is foundational in their career. In our world today, just leading by your natural instincts can lead to failure of the greatest magnitude.
Micheal A. Jacoby, Ed.D., CAE, SFO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ CEO ILLINOIS ASBO
SIMPLY SAYING
In our world today, just leading by your natural instincts can lead to failure of the greatest magnitude. In this issue of UPDATE, there are some great articles that begin to open up your thinking on being a leader. In addition, I would also encourage you to check out “22 Ways to Become a Better and More Effective Leader” by Matt Mayberry. I posted this on Twitter recently and got a good amount of feedback. If you do not have a lot of time to read and contemplate, this is a brief list that hits the mark (in my opinion) for all leaders: 1. Understand the responsibility 12. Prioritize training 2. Forget the title 13. Engage your team often 3. Be authentic 14. Provide clear expectations 4. Lead from the heart with hope and kindness 15. Practice being vulnerable 5. Lead with a servant mentality 16. Don’t place a strong emphasis on competition 6. Never stop learning 17. Be fanatical about driving alignment 7. Overcommunicate 18. Become more self-aware 8. Focus on purpose 19. Increase the frequency of performance reviews 9. Obsess about culture building 20. Put your people first 10. Become a coaching leader 21. Control what you can control 11. Show your face 22. Take decisive action In the “practice what you preach” arena – here are some of the values or agreements that the Illinois ASBO staff are embracing: Communicate honestly Accept feedback Hold no grudges Set clear expectations
Make clear requests Speak directly with respect Be present Make it safe to share
Be open to new ideas Encourage others Support the end game
There is definitely some congruence here with the “22 Ways” article. What about your staff? What about you? Do you lead by example? Do you look for ways to inspire? Would your team be effective without you? Read this UPDATE cover to cover and begin to make a world of difference as you influence others. www.iasbo.org
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