Being “smart” now doesn’t necessarily mean “knowing the answer” as much as it means knowing where to get the answer.  This is not just a “Google” thing, but more of a trait that leaders need to have.  The best leaders tap into the people around them and depend upon their collective intelligence as opposed to the intelligence of one.

1.  Great leaders can say “I don’t know”. 

2.  Great leaders ask for help.  

Parent Communication: TO vs WITH

COMMUNICATING TO – GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT THERE newsletters reports announcements, newspaper articles and ads emails, SMS Website Twitter feed Blogs Facebook Page COMMUNICATING WITH – CREATING DIALOGUE face to face meetings -LISTEN parent phone calls emails that encourage replies website/blogs with comments enabled Twitter that encourages @ replies and dialogue Facebook pages and discussion boards that are open (and moderated) The key with parent communication is clarity of PURPOSE.  We cannot say that we communicate WITH parents effectively if we are not visible in the public and our technology does not encourage feedback and dialogue.  Technology is not a replacement for face-to-face dialogue but can be used in a way to increase the likelihood of these meetings through developing confidence and better school-family relationships.

 National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) as a starting point, what are the absolutely critical skills or abilities that administrators need to be effective technology leaders?

The NETS-A are organized around 5 major themes: Visionary Leadership, Digital Age Learning Culture, Excellence in Professional Practice, Systemic Improvement, and Digital Citizenship

But I think where it begins is with connections. It begins by developing a supportive network of peers that can enhance your comfort and familiarity with the components of these domains. I think where it begins is with no excuses. Try something new. Read about the latest. Communicate in a different way than you did before. You’ll find that you like it. Empower your teachers and students to help you develop in this area professionally, and share what you learn with others.

Experimentation: Try it, play with it, do something with it, and if it helps, do more with it

Enthusiasm! Be an irresistible force of nature:  See a student, teacher, administrator, or parent doing something that you haven’t seen before with a digital device?

Respond with enthusiasm and the school community sees your interest and is grateful for your open-ness.  Respond with hesitation or skepticism, and your body language will speak volumes, and progress at your school will slow considerably.

What do good principals do?

Great communicator

Difference maker:

Everyone's job is different but here are 10 factors that psychologists regularly find are important in how satisfied people are with their jobs.

1. Little hassles

Managers should find out about those little daily hassles and address them—your employees will love you for it.

It is always about the kids

Is the change you are trying to implement worth the results you will see? Change is a big buzzword in education right now; many people know that some things have to change, but are not sure what.  When you are bringing something new into school, it is important to be visionary about what it will actually produce.  

Building a great school means building a great family.

you’ll find that it’s so much easier (and more fun) to sit on the sidelines and nitpick at what current leaders are doing than to actually do something yourself

Remember: you can’t blame your organization for not being _____________ enough if you haven’t stepped up to help lead them forward.