For many of us in international education the new school year is already upon us. \u00a0 For some of you diehard holiday lovers this might come with a little dread, but hopefully as an educator you feel at least a little excitement at the beginning of a new school year.\u00a0 Like most summers I planned to do much more then I ever accomplished, which was compounded this year as it was my first time chasing after a 1-year old all day.\u00a0 It really is amazing how little one gets done in a day when it’s spent chasing after a small child.<\/p>\n
So now that I’ve taken a little break from the blog and the Leadership Project, I thought it might be nice to reflect on what I’ve learned from the many great leaders I’ve had a chance to connect with this year.\u00a0 So I’ve compiled a few of my favorite quotes and words of advice below.\u00a0 Click on the name of the person to go directly to their interview.<\/p>\n
Advice:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re interested in leadership, then raise your hand for anything that would constitute leadership, even if [it\u2019s not your specialty]\u2026[and] make yourself indispensable.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Tim Carr, Jakarta International School<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTrust takes a long time to develop and can be lost in a sentence, so be scrupulously honest with people.\u201d<\/em> Bill Gerritz, International School Bangkok<\/a><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s important to always focus on excellence and to never be satisfied with the status quo.\u00a0 Similar to Philippians 4:8 which says, \u201cFinally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2014if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> Jim Koerschen, Concordia Shanghai<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cKeep challenging yourself to learn something new all the time\u2026[and] learn from those that you respect, and\u2026those that are different from you.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Kerry Jacobson, Shanghai American School<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c[Avoid] shared endarkenment.\u201d\u00a0 I use this term to describe what I see happening at a lot of schools\u2026\u201dleaders that pay too much attention to what\u2019s going on in their own school,\u201d rather then looking at what other schools are doing. <\/em>Bill Gerritz, International School Bangkok<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHave at least one other passion apart from the job\u2026it also leads to the transfer of good ideas across disciplines.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Kevin Bartlett, International School Brussels<\/a><\/p>\n Focus on 21st century skills and curriculum.\u00a0 Know the research on best teaching and learning strategies, brain theory and focus on strategic thinking, especially around the ability to create and lead change.\u00a0<\/em> Mark Ulfers, American School of Paris<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMake missions and strategic plans\u2026alive, viable and dynamic.\u201d<\/em> Monica Greeley, Academia Cotopaxi<\/a><\/p>\n Keep building connections with people.\u00a0 Especially peers at other schools who can help guide you in decisions you\u2019re considering at your own school.<\/em>\u00a0 Stephen Dare, Hong Kong Academy<\/a><\/p>\n Lessons<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cI try to keep it real simple–I work as hard as I can, I focus on the student learning getting better, and that a student\u2019s time at the school is positive.\u201d<\/em> Bill Gerritz, International School Bangkok<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTeachers respect administrators who know their trade and can teach\u2026it gives you credibility with the faculty.\u201d<\/em> David Toze, International School Manila<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s deeper then skills, to be an effective school leader or manager you need to have a very high level of social and emotional intelligence and a very high verbal kind of intelligence. [In fact] people that [don\u2019t have these skills] won\u2019t be successful administrators.\u00a0 [Also] you need to be really good at critical thinking and problem solving.\u201d<\/em> Bill Gertritz, International School Bangkok<\/a><\/p>\n I find my inspiration like any other person, through books, speakers, conferences, etc.\u00a0 In particular, I find conferences valuable because they give you time to think. \u2026\u201dEven if the conference is crap, the fact that you have two or three days where you have thinking time, away from the school, I find that really useful and a lot of my better ideas have happened because I\u2019ve just had time to think\u2026I used to go to conferences expecting to learn something, and be really frustrated by them\u2026until I realized I didn\u2019t have to go there and grab something tangible\u2026. The most significant decisions I\u2019ve made at this school have happened while I\u2019ve been at conferences and been away to think.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 David Toze, International School Manila<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne of my favorite sayings is, have a clear sense of purpose that gives rise to complex intelligent behaviors, not complicated rules and regulations that give rise to stupid, simplistic behaviors.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Kevin Bartlett, International School Brussels<\/a><\/p>\n On Mentorship:<\/strong><\/p>\n “One of the key factors I had going for me early on was having people that believed in me, and gave me opportunities to do things that I wasn\u2019t qualified to do.\u201d\u00a0 Many of those people have inspired the way I work today, and demonstrated different styles of leadership.\u00a0 \u201c[I] learned more about myself as a leader by watching them\u2026[and having] those key mentors in my life was absolutely essential.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> TIm Carr, Jakarta International School<\/a><\/p>\n “I think leaders who are talented at developing others share a common philosophy, to give people responsibility and mentor them.\u00a0 Certainly that\u2019s what I tried to do.<\/em>\u00a0 Harlan Lyso, Seoul Foreign School<\/a><\/p>\n Why Lead?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLeadership is so hard\u2026but it seems like a passion that you\u2019re just called to [and] that you can\u2019t deny, and it starts early in life.\u201d\u00a0 For me, even as early as high school I had leadership roles that I never had aspired to, but felt called to be in that position.\u00a0 As that\u2019s developed, I\u2019ve just been pulled towards those positions.\u00a0 Not for the authority or position, but because my skills have developed me to be effective in that way.<\/em>\u00a0 Jim Koerschen, Concordia Shanghai<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think people need to know for themselves why they lead.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFor me the fun is having the idea and having the power to make it happen…but if you\u2019re not a guy who wants to make things better or doesn\u2019t like the challenge to live up to that, then it\u2019s really not the right job for you.\u201d<\/em> Kevin Bartlett, International School Brussels<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Great Admin Traits:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c[As for administrators,] I think in general I\u2019m looking for people who can manage people.\u00a0 Who can take difficult situations and use the appropriate deft touch to calm those situations down.\u00a0 People who others look at with respect and for wisdom.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> Kevin Dunning, Hong Kong International School<\/a><\/p>\n “I\u2019m looking for the right person\u2026I\u2019m making the assumption that they already have the content knowledge at the point I see their information\u2026[I look for] a person who sees a wide horizon on their job description, sees within and beyond the classroom into the life of school.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> Mark Ulfers, American School of Paris<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI look for love of the job\u2026any teacher that works with me\u2026 will tell you how [tired] they are of hearing me say \u2018come to work with a spring in your step.\u2019 But I really believe that we are in a service profession, we\u2019re serving students, so we have to love what we\u2019re doing, because that contributes to their love of learning.\u201d<\/em> Monica Greeley, Academia Cotopaxi<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c[Great leaders] are able to convey things with simple language, because one of the problems we have in change areas is we over complicate things, use too much jargon and language and we lose people\u2026these leaders are able to put things in very simplistic terms that make people feel good about the change and make it seem achievable.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> Stephen Dare, Hong Kong Academy<\/a><\/p>\n Any thoughts you see that stand out above the others?\u00a0 Any ideas missed that you think should be mentioned?\u00a0 Comment below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many of us in international education the new school year is already upon us. \u00a0 For some of you diehard holiday lovers this might come with a little dread, but hopefully as an educator you feel at least a little excitement at the beginning of a new school year.\u00a0 Like most summers I planned 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