CERRA Book Club discussion

Respond to as many as the prompts as you want. (Please answer #6).
1. Divine outlined four ways to become an offensive leader. They are developing unwavering confidence, sharpening your awareness, doing the unexpected, and leading with rapid execution. Which one most resonates with your leadership style, and which one could be an opportunity for you to grow? Why are these important in our work as Teacher Leaders?
2. What rule(s) do you want to break? How will that serve your leadership?
3. "Trust is the currency of leadership. It must flow both ways." Can you lead without trust in your team or without their trust in you? How do you develop and nurture that trust?
4. During the self-assessment, you answered questions to determine your starting point related to the 5 mountains: physical, mental, emotional, individual, and spiritual. How can you use this to plan your training? Will you?
5. What does it mean to lead with heart? How can the Way of the SEAL stand inform your work as a Teacher Leader? Did anything in the stand really resonate?
6. Are you interested in a virtual meeting to talk about our take-aways of the book? I am thinking no more than an hour on April 26th? If we have enough interest, I will set up a meeting and send you the link.
Thank you all for reading with me and sharing your thoughts!

2) The rule I most want to break is all of them -- In short, I wish I was more of a rule breaker! The daughter of a military officer, I am a rule-follower to a T. However, sometimes I feel like this comes as a detriment to my role as a leader because I'm less likely to stand up to those in positions above me -- even when I feel very strongly that they have wronged me or my colleagues.

I'm an emotional person and, when I get upset, I often have a hard time keeping my composure when faced with conflict. This is also one of the reasons I keep my mouth shut more often than not...

6) I can do a virtual meeting. I do like the Twitter chats... I just think they're a touch too long. An hour is a long time to give up, especially during bedtime with my kiddo (pre-bedtime reading is my favorite!). If we do a virtual meeting, can we make it run 30-45 minutes?

Another idea is that we can do a chat via Flipgrid. We can make video reactions and respond to each other's videos. If we give ourselves 24-48 hours for our video creations and responses, we might get more responses (plus, it would be nice to SEE the faces of book club members). I can get that set up if anyone is interested. But I am game for whatever the group decides. :)

1. I think that leading with rapid execution fits most with my leadership style. When something is decided, I want to get it done. I accomplish tasks as soon as can get them completed well. The opportunity for me to grow comes with unwavering confidence. I do tend to second-guess and doubt myself.

Nicole- I understand where you're coming from. I'm also a highly emotional person. It took me a long time to figure out how to keep my composure during conflict and to stand up for myself.

6) I like the idea of a virtual meeting. I don't have social media, so I haven't been able to be a part of the Twitter chats, but I do think an hour is a big ask. I think a Flipgrid would be a great compromise.

2) I have to admit that struggled with some of the rules Divine wants us to break. Some make sense to me - "three squares a day" is an outdated concept and I am definitely trying to break this rule. I eat when I am hungry, not when the clock tells me I should. I also want to break rule number one as I know that multitasking leads to more mistakes, I've seen this happen in my own work. When I focus on one task and complete it I feel more accomplished. This feeling motivates me to tackle additional challenges. I am still processing through rule number five, which seems to encourage us to be dishonest. That just feels wrong! I understand Divine's reasoning especially since I know that I tend to be too honest and share too much. I am going to break this rule and be more careful about what I share and who I share it with.

6) I am open to either a virtual meeting or a flipgrid discussion.

Thanks for leading us through this book, Suzanne!

2) I am trying to work on breaking rule #3: More is Better - He reminds us again instead of filling our to-do lists with more tasks, committees and projects to apply the KISS principles. This will allow us to focus only on things aligned with your major life or work goals. This a tall orders for educators who have more on their To-Do lists at the end of each day than they had when they started the day. I am working to say no in order to say YES to meaningful and purposeful tasks that will move me forward.

Jenna - love your comments about rule #1 - I wholeheartedly agree that avoiding multi-tasking is something I need to implement more. Recently I found myself trying to multitask and the errors were numerous. It was a teachable moment for sure.

6- I am GAME - I have enjoyed the twitter chat - video is a bit out of my comfort zone but I will GROW for this group! I know Nicole is a master at Flipgrid - her student's work always inspires me.

I am a rule-follower as well. The rule-breaking spoke to me though, especially rule 7. I believe in being authentic, but I also believe in acting the part. One of the District Teachers of the Year commented that we must be extroverts. That could not be further from the truth. I am shy and quiet and much more comfortable curled up on my couch with a book than in public. However, I have learned how to still be me and accomplish things, but I did have to play a role until I learned to incorporate "presentation me" or "public speaking me" into my persona. Nicole wrote: "2) The rule I most want to break is all of them -- In short, I wish I was more of a rule breaker! The daughter of a military officer, I am a rule-follower to a T. However, sometimes I feel like thi..."

Elizabeth,

I think its great that you have identified an aspect of your leadership style. There is no one way to lead, and we certainly all have our different styles and our strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that you lead with rapid execution, you can capitalize on things that need to be implemented quickly and then use your team to support longer roll-outs.

Elizabeth wrote: "1. I think that leading with rapid execution fits most with my leadership style. When something is decided, I want to get it done. I accomplish tasks as soon as can get them completed well. The opp..."

Nicole wrote: "2) The rule I most want to break is all of them -- In short, I wish I was more of a rule breaker! The daughter of a military officer, I am a rule-follower to a T. However, sometimes I feel like thi..."

Jessica wrote: "2) I am trying to work on breaking rule #3: More is Better - He reminds us again instead of filling our to-do lists with more tasks, committees and projects to apply the KISS principles. This will ..."

Jessica,

I agree that we do need to reconsider rule #3. When we fill our time and space with things that aren't relevant, we take away time and space for things that are. You have to say no to some things to say yes to the right things. If you have not read the book The Year of Yes, you should.

I love that you are willing to grow for this group! I am leaning towards a real-time conversation because I feel like we've done the "post and get back to it later" format through this website. We can keep it short though.

Jenna wrote: "2) I have to admit that struggled with some of the rules Divine wants us to break. Some make sense to me - "three squares a day" is an outdated concept and I am definitely trying to break this rule..."

Jenna,
Should I tell on you that yesterday you just couldn't break that rule about honesty? You are very honest, and I do think that is why people see your authenticity. You don't have to break every rule. I agree with you about the need to reduce multi-tasking. Anytime I try to do too much at one time, I find I either make a mistake or shortchange one thing. There is value in completion when it can be accomplished.

Everyone,

Thank you for thoughtful comments. In terms of a follow-up meeting, I am inclined to a Zoom conference rather than a Flip grid, although I appreciate that idea. That may be something we could consider doing next year for one of the meetings. I just feel like I want to hear in real time you guys just share your final take-aways and how this book could impact you moving forward in your leadership path. I will schedule a meeting and send you a link. I hope you will be able to join us. We will keep it brief (I hear you--it is a busy time of year). Let's aim for no more than 20-30 minutes, and honestly when you are finished talking, we will end the meeting. Will 6:45 work for everyone? That gives you time to eat dinner and you'll done before any kids need to be tucked in. I'll plan that unless I get feedback today that there is a better time.

Again, thank you all for being a part of the first book study!