Handling Difficult Times: Why you should be in crisis mode

“I originally wrote this blog post at a very different space and time for all of us. A time when "crisis mode" likely seemed far more episodic and certainly far less universal. But times have made this old post more germane now than ever. As we navigate the comings and goings of every day, I hope these reflections offer you a chance to reframe how you approach managing uniquely challenging times as well as to seek new ways of approaching how you're able to lean on those around you for support and guidance knowing that the pressures you're feeling are very much real.”

You Actually Might Need More Meetings

Before you reach through your screen and punch me in the face, hear me out for a second. Let’s do some simple math.

There are roughly eight months left this school year. Many of the teacher/administration leadership teams we work with meet monthly for an hour. If we take that data, here’s what you’re looking at:

8 more meetings this year.

480 total minutes of meeting time.

Assuming that 30-40 minutes of many of these meetings skew toward “sit and get” administrative tasks and agenda items, that leaves you a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes of scheduled time between now and May for collaboration, problem solving, ideation, and community building with faculty leaders. 

2 hours and 40 minutes. 

What we’re finding with school leadership teams with which we’re working is that once the meetings are well run, faculty focused, and collaborative, educators opt into meeting MORE not LESS. 

Please note however: the act of professional generosity of increasing meeting time hinges on the mechanics of the purpose of the team itself. When school leadership team meetings are exceptionally executed with a profound focus on teacher voice and input, there is vast enthusiasm to meet more regularly to make things better for everyone. 

That’s why the last six months of our work has focused squarely on “team development boot camps” where we go deeply and quickly in moving teams from being “pretty good” to being “totally spot on” as rapidly as possible. The reduction in administrative stress, faculty confusion, and general ennui has been amazing to witness. 

From a strictly clinical level, I just can’t overstate the importance of this work enough. It’s a complete lifeline and can change the experience you’re having quickly and in ways you maybe can’t even imagine. Maybe all the way to the point you enthusiastically schedule more meetings.

Want to think more about this? Email me at nathan@eklundconsulting.com and let’s put our heads together. 

We're Doing It!!

By Todd Bataglia

Well, we’re doing it! We made it through the first week of classes in the 2020-21 school year here in my kids’ districts. Some of you have been back to school already for a few weeks and some are still in prep mode. Wherever you are in this process, it probably feels a little different. So let’s say WE’RE DOING IT!

Whether you are an administrator or a teacher, you should be celebrating the successes you are having, the large ones and the small ones. After talking to many educators this week, I have some thoughts/suggestions moving forward.

Hopefully, your district, however it chose to return to learning, is having some success. I have heard that there are appreciative emails flowing into some schools. Do not rest on these laurels. Use this goodwill to ask what can be tweaked and improved. It is much better to hear from parents, students, and staff who are feeling great than waiting for something to come up that turns those stakeholder groups a little sour. Ask what can be improved – of all stakeholders. Take that information to leadership teams, make great decisions.

If your district is not off to as successful of a start as the group included above, take the time to re-evaluate the situation. Use your leadership teams and their communication loops to staff, parents, and students to gather information about what is not working. Be sure to talk to all stakeholders, gather information, and lean on your leadership groups for decision-making and problem-solving. The time for district-wide decisions and initiatives was to start learning back up. Use the building leaders and leadership teams to make it work for your building, your staff, and your students. The best problem solvers and creative thinkers are right there around you!

You are smart; you might have noticed that those two paragraphs offer similar ideas. You got me. I will also say that I spent most of the last few years giving the same advice. Use your leaders and leadership teams, gather relevant information from all stakeholders, make effective decisions, communicate those decisions to all stakeholders, check in on the effects of those decisions on all stakeholders down the road, communicate those findings, and basically roll through the most incredulous school year ever. If your school or school district is not set up for this or does not do this effectively, that is what needs to change.

We’re doing this!!!


The Lunch Break Sessions

Over the past month, Eklund Consulting was thrilled to host a three part series called “The Lunch Break Sessions” for school administrators across the country and across the network of schools with which we work.

This post is a recap of the discussions and thoughts that were shared by educational leaders from across the country.