No Excuses Leadership

What's Your Specialty?

I have four kids.  Like those of you who are parents, I can’t count the number of hours I’ve spent taking them to see the newest animated movie in the theatre. (Not to mention the $$$) My kids joke and call it “Daddy Nap Time” because I always fall asleep.  Kidding aside, they’re right.  In fact, the only movie I’ve ever made it all the way through is Ratatouille.  It’s by far my favorite.  From the storyline, to the celebrity voices, to the details in the animation, so much about the movie grabbed my attention.  I think my favorite part was how they explained the roles that each cook played in making sure the kitchen functioned at the highest capacity.  From the Head Chef who leads the entire staff and sets the menu, to the Sous Chef who is second in command, to the Saucier who makes all of the sauces, everyone has a role.  Everyone has a specialty.

TAKE ACTION

Knowing your specialty is key to performing at your peak.  All too often school leaders don’t:

. . . hire people based on the needs that require a specialty.

. . . cultivate that specialty in order to maximize a school's potential.

Instead, we get swept up in the chaos of our days, find a way to function as best we can, and seek out anyone and everyone to complete tasks and serve on committees that don't capitalize on their strenghts, but instead take them away from their specialty.  Schools are filled with staff members who have been deemed to be and expected to perform as “Jack’s of all trades”.  In some respects, that what makes us a special group of professionals.  However, in an ever-changing world focused on individual strengths, it’s time that we know our own.  And, as leaders, it’s time to foster those specialties in the colleagues and students we serve.

BE BOLD

Excellence is all around you.  Find it!  Cultivate it! Lead it!