Taking Time to (Self) Check in
Date postedDecember 8, 2023
What are your three key responsibilities and how do you know you’re keeping them at the forefront of your leadership? A once-a-week meeting with yourself can help you keep focused on what matters most to you.
Aaron Butler, former K-12 administrator and current Director of the Region 9 Comprehensive Center, invites leaders to press pause once a week to reflect on the following questions related to these three leadership responsibilities:
Communication
- In what ways have I reinforced our purpose, mission, and goals this week?
- What type of information or feedback have I gathered, or should I be gathering from my staff?
- What have I done with this information or feedback from previous weeks?
- How can I do a better job of listening or “checking the pulse” of my school or district on a regular basis?
- What stories can I share to help motivate my staff, parents, and students?
Model
- Be visible and engage with different staff members in different locations every day.
- Build relationships by knowing your staff members--their names, and their stories.
- Promote the accomplishments of staff members early and often.
- Let your staff members see your values and priorities through your daily actions.
- Be willing to be vulnerable.
Reflect
- How am I showing my staff that I value them as people?
- How have I added value to my staff this week?
- How have I added value to myself this week?
After reflecting individually on the above, we encourage you to process in your mentoring partnership to gain additional ideas and insight.