Recently, I have been in spaces where people have asked me about my weekly writing and how I maintain a blog while juggling so many other responsibilities. The answer is actually pretty simple. Learning is important to me.Growing is important to me.Thinking is important to me.Writing to think through ideas is important to me. Going …
Continue reading What Kind of Thinking Are We Making Room For?
If you have come to this space to read my writing before, you may already know that my writing process is shaped by the ideas I encounter in books and articles, hear in podcasts, and gather through interactions across my personal and professional life. I have developed a habit of writing down the quotes that …
Continue reading Five Quotes I Keep Returning To and What They Can Mean for Education
I have a routine…Every morning, I read a few pages from a book to spark my thinking and frame my day. Recently, I returned to The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest and paused at this line: “Comfort becomes a vice when what’s familiar becomes the only thing that feels possible.” As a district leader planning …
This week, I read my friend Meghan Lawson’s blog, “A Note About First Days.” Her reflection on the importance of intentionally designing a meaningful first day and her mention of The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath reminded me of how much that book has influenced the way I think about learning, …
This week, I struggled to write. I tried to find inspiration in the usual places. A book. A podcast. An experience. A moment from the week that would spark something. Usually, that works like a charm. I listen to a podcast, read a few pages from a book, think about something that happened in a …
Continue reading I See That You’re Trying: What Writer’s Block Reminded Me About Learning
Have you ever felt like your days are moving from one item to the next? Meeting to meeting. Task to task. Conversation to conversation. I am going to assume that no matter what field you are in, this happens. There are times when I feel fully present, savoring the moments and appreciating what is unfolding …
What do you want your department and faculty meetings to feel like? Have you ever sat in a meeting that felt like a list of updates? Are those updates important? Yes. And sometimes there is no choice but to deliver information in that format. But it’s not always as impactful long term. I’ve never fully …
What anchors your learning? If you read my writing regularly, you may notice that I appreciate books, podcasts, articles, videos, and other mediums to learn, expand, and grow my thinking. You may also notice that I believe deeply in the power of mentorship. In my book, The Leader Inside, I write about mentorship as the …
Who recognized a gift in you that you could not yet see in yourself? Not the accomplished version of you.Not the leader you have grown into.Not the title you hold today. But the earlier version.The person you were. Take a moment. Really take a moment.Picture that person. Because someone did. There’s a quote by Dr. …
Recently, I was having a conversation with a group of leaders and was asked some of the ways I approach listening, learning, and leading. I love the way the three words were organized in this question. As a leader, many may think that you have to lead first in order to listen and learn. However, …
Empower. Collaborate. Connect. 