Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #14

Just Pick One Thing!

I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and I wish you nothing but the best for a happy, safe and very healthy New Year. I hope that 2018 brings peace to all.

I would also like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my posts every week.  It is hard to believe that I have been at this for 18 months now.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Just pick one thing

I am a regular reader of Excalibur, a blog written by Larry Kirchenbauer and this week our minds were in synch.  He spoke about our annual ritual of resolutions and yearly goal setting and this was the same topic that I wanted to highlight this week.  Every year we set a bevy of new goals and ambitions for the coming year.  By March, we probably could not even name one of these goals or point to any progress we made to achieve these goals.  I recall setting my yearly professional development goals and they were set merely to get them done.  Likewise, when your school had to set yearly goals and objectives, most principals will look to fill enough pages to make it look good without any hope or thought of meeting these objectives. I think we thought we would get a trophy for having the most meaningless activities. Towards the end of my career I started to implore people to forget about making action plans and goals merely to fill sheets of paper.  Pick something and make it meaningful.  Do something worthwhile.

This year I want you to pick one professional goal and stick to it.  Keep it in front of you.  Own it. Live it. And build a plan to accomplish it. You are not allowed to forget it.  You are not allowed to ignore it.  In the past we spoke about possessing a laser like focus.  This focus is something I think all great leaders possess. All great principals that I know possess this focus that I speak about.

So that is your challenge.  Before you close the door on Friday and prepare for your holiday celebration, reflect and come up with that one thing that is really important to you.  One thing that you want to improve upon.  One thing that needs your laser like focus.  One thing six months from now you will be able to sit back with pride and satisfaction and see that you are well on the way to accomplishing that one very special thing.  And I truly believe that in a year from now when you are setting up next year’s “thing” you will have entirely different frame of mind.  I predict your mindset will be one of a “can do” attitude.  The mindset of a champion!!