Stand Tall Leadership. Steven A. Bollar

start making excuses for not taking the time. After a month or so, your time is gone, and the pop-ins continue. You are back to what you were doing before. You need to resist the temptation to make excuses. Make sure everyone knows about this time for you to get away and hide. If you need to rotate the time so that you are not alienating the same people every day or week, that is fine. Just schedule the time and stick to it.

       If you need permission to take some personal time, I'm giving it to you now.

       #standtallstatement

1.5. Practice? It's Just Practice!

      When you have time to think things through and practice how you will respond, you come out as a better leader. You are a more polished, prepared, and stronger Stand Tall Leader. It is amazing how on television shows they always say the right thing all the time. Even if they are supposed to say the wrong thing, they say the wrong thing the right way. That is because it is fake, and the actors rehearse what was going to be said and how to say it. Imagine if you as a leader were able to say and do the right thing all the time. You were polished and prepared, especially when things around you were going crazy. That only happens when you properly prepare and rehearse prior to the actual event. When is that practice supposed to take place? Exactly! It usually doesn't.

      I used to be so proud of how I could react on a moment's notice within my position. I thought that the outcomes I produced were best when I was pushed, and I operated on instinct. Boy, was I wrong about that. Within my second year as a principal, I had a faculty meeting after school. One of my teachers challenged me with a question about a building management process within the school. I quickly provided an answer and tried to continue with the meeting. Immediately afterward, she asked another question. I responded to that question as well. Then others asked another and another and another question. As a school leader, I am sure you have experienced this. Eventually, I had to stop everyone, stating that I would figure it out and get back with an answer. I wouldn't have minded playing hide and seek at that moment. The next day, I realized that I needed time for myself to think and prepare how I was going to solve the issue and respond appropriately.

Upon reflection and time, I was able to be better prepared and a stronger leader. Take the time you need to get out of the spotlight and reflect on being a leader. It is okay to do this. Others who work with you will be empowered and you will respond much better to those around you. You will be amazed at how refreshed you will feel after having the time to think and practice how to react and respond. Thinking is a valuable commodity that does not happen as often as you would hope. Most of the time as school leaders we are reactionary and on auto pilot. We even get comfortable with operating that way on a regular basis. The sad part is that when we do have time to think, we get FOMO (fear of missing out). When we are behind closed doors alone, thinking and practicing, we think that we are missing out on something that is happening in the school. It's hard to truly shift our thinking toward what we need to be thinking about. Even though we are in our own thoughts, we have an ear out to the noises in the hallway—especially if it is too quiet. It's like when you go on vacation. It takes a day or two to truly wind down and start to fully immerse yourself in the vacation experience. It takes practice for you to get used to having time to think and practice. Work with your office staff and other leaders to carve out time to make it happen. Put it on your calendar. Then keep that schedule. It will help you become a Stand Tall Leader.

       When you have time to think things through and practice how you will respond, you come out as a better leader.

       #standtallstatement

      Stand Tall Action

      Look at your weekly calendar. Pick at least one date and time a week to go into your office, close the door, and do something to improve yourself as a Stand Tall Leader. Ask or tell someone else to help protect your time. Don't answer phones or email. This is your time to help you become a better leader. Make sure you place it on your calendar. Don't lie to yourself and not do it. Start with once a week and then move it up to at least two times a week.

      Stand Tall Ideas

      Out of the Office Day

One of the challenges for administrators is getting away from paperwork and being stuck in the office. Yes, it is important to get the office work done and there are deadlines that must be met. When administrators get out of the office, it is usually for an observation, walk through, or to solve an issue. Out-of-the-office day is a dedicated day to stay out of the office and to visit classrooms, students, and staff for no reason but to visit. There is never a perfect day to do this, so just pick a day and go for it. It is important to notify your staff ahead of time that this is your official out-of-the-office day. Make sure they know you are around just to enjoy the school. No formal observation. No follow-up conversation. No responding to emails. Have the office secretary be aware to “hold down the fort.” If you are fortunate and have other administrators on staff, have them cover for you for the day. Once you get over the anxiety of being away from the office, you will find it to be one of the most rewarding days of the year.

      Pat on the Back

      Have you ever had a moment in time when you said something or did something amazing, but nobody was around to see it? How about, you worked through a difficult problem with little to no help from anyone else? Better yet, have you ever accomplished a goal that you have set for yourself that nobody else knew you were shooting for?

      If you said yes to any one of the above questions, you are not alone. Actually, you are alone! That is the problem. We all know how important it is to provide recognition to others when they do well. Who is there to recognize you when you have done something great? Often, you are alone. You would like to share with others your triumph, but you feel like you would be bragging or boasting about your accomplishment.

      You need to make sure you take the time to give yourself a pat on the back. I printed the copy of my hand and placed it on the wall. Whenever I do a good job with something, I walk over to my hand on the wall, turn around facing away, and give myself a pat on the back. It only takes a few seconds to push my back against my hand and say good job to myself.

      It is vitally important that you praise yourself when you do a good job. You are your best advocate. You can also be your worst critic. So often, people put themselves down and look at everything they cannot do. I am giving you permission to celebrate you! It is not vain. It is not cocky. It is not arrogant. It is personal time to motivate yourself and keep the fire alive.

      Another option with this idea is to cut out small hands. Share the story of giving someone a pat on the back. Students can purchase a “Pat on the Back” hand as part of a school fundraiser. Write the name of the person who receives it on the back and have them delivered.

      Stand Tall Ideas

      Principal's Webpage

      The focus of the principal's web page is to express your vision for the school and educational philosophy. Additionally, you want the school community to get to know you. Here are some suggestions:

       School mission statement: Hopefully, the mission is not a three-paragraph-long statement that nobody wants to read. As long as it is short and to the point, put it on the page. Also, a few sentences about how you believe in the mission would be beneficial.

       Test scores before you started and test scores now: Consider showcasing test scores that were not as good before you started as principal, and now how much better they are. You can add a few statements about how the staff works hard with the students to get great results. If the scores are not better or the same, I wouldn't suggest posting them.

       Basic demographics: Not the demographics of the school, demographics of you! If you are comfortable, share the town you are from, the number of kids you have, how long you have been married, years of experience. This information will allow the community