In this episode, principal of Whitcomb Elementary, Betsy Horner, and Matthew Thomas, Dean of instruction at Clear Falls High School talk about focusing on the ability to build capacity in yourself and ultimately others.
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Hello again, Team CCISD. It's time for another episode of our staff podcast series. CCISD Gold Star leaders, a podcast dedicated to sharing our leadership beliefs and inspiring leaders at all levels to embrace their leadership qualities. I'm your host, Lindsey Hunt, and in the studio with me today are two leaders who embody one of our CCISD leadership beliefs that a CCISD leader builds capacity in self and others.
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I want to welcome the principal of Whitcomb Elementary, Betsy Horner, and Matthew Thomas, Dean of instruction at Clear Falls High School. Thank you both for being here. Welcome.
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Thank you for having us.
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Yes. Thank you for the opportunity.
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So let's get started. Today, we're going to focus on the ability to build capacity in yourself and ultimately others. Identified and natural leaders tend to display a growth mindset as we might know, they tend to take responsibility for their own actions, reactions and results, as well as strengthen the structures and systems that enable others to grow. So I'm sure our listeners are thinking, That's great, but how do I even start?
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And another question might be what is a growth mindset? So Betsy, I'm going to start with you. Why don't you share a little bit about the growth mindset and what the benefits of having one might be?
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So the elementary teacher comes out in me and I think about how we teach our kids about a growth mindset and I think about the power of yet.
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So I haven't mastered that skill yet. I haven't met that goal yet,
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but the power really is in the protective struggle.
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So how do I overcome those obstacles to achieve my goals?
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I think sometimes as adults we undervalue the productive struggle,
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and that's where the real leadership emerges. Leadership isn't a result of an easy path. It's about learning how to overcome those challenges and be open and honest about our experiences.
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Really powerful. Matt, do you have anything, to add to that.
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Yeah, I agree. I think that.
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As you get those new experiences and you you get those new opportunities, it allows you to make an impact in a different way that you've never had an opportunity to make that type of impact before.
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And can open doors to other things as well.
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so what does it mean to build capacity of self and what might be the first steps for someone who's interested in doing so?
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I think, actively seeking opportunities to grow and gain perspective or skills.
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For example, asking to be on duty. I know that sounds odd. Who would want to be on duty? But, you know, asking to be on duty or be on a committee.
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You could stare at your phone. You know I'm here. I got the check box. I was on duty. I did this. Or you could make the most of it and talk to the parents. Talk to the students you're with.
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Make it a positive experience for yourself.
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You're there. You might as well do that. You never know who's watching that as well. And so.
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You may learn a lot from the people you talk to and the lives they have as well. Duty is not just duty and discipline as an assistant principal is not just discipline. You're connecting with kids and you're connecting to families and you're getting this other side of the student.
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That allows you to better, better support them as individuals and the school community.
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okay, So, Betsy, do you have anything to add to that.
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I totally agree. Advocating for yourself is incredibly important when you're looking for those leadership opportunities.
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I think it's also important to ask for feedback.
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sometimes out there you may have a plan, you might be going along with that,
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but feedback may give you
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the realization that there's something else out there that could be even more powerful for you to take to tackle and take on.
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So I think that's an important part of advocating for yourself as well.
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Okay. So let's transition to why it might be important to take responsibility for your own actions and how does the ability to do so build capacity in yourself.
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So I'm far from a perfect person. So taking that responsibility of choices and my actions and outcomes
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allows me to learn how to approach situations better in the future.
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This year, for example,
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I had a great idea about adjusting some of our Tier two and Tier three interventions,
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and we implemented it with Fidelity and it didn't get us the results that we wanted
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at all.
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so it's about going back to the drawing board
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getting feedback from those around you and just admitting like that didn't go the way that I thought it was going to go.
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I think when you're building capacity in others, it's really important that they see that perfection isn't an expectation at all.
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That reflection and growth and doing better next time or the the expectations, that's where we want to be.
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Matt, anything to add there?
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I agree. I think any teacher or counselor or anyone who wants to grow, seeing leaders as perfect is not a good thing. And.
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Seeing it as a far reach for them to get there is not a good thing either.
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We need to be vulnerable. We need to own our mistakes.
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I think also we need to watch our nonverbals in our face if we're walking around tired.
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Our staff members are going to see that and they're going to think well.
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Maybe I don't want to do that. I don't want I don't want to be a leader at all. It looks exhausting.
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That doesn't look like the life for me. And so.
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We have to be vulnerable with our staff, though, and admit our mistakes sometimes before.
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Our staff even recognizes their mistakes and say, gosh, we have to do that completely different. We are human.
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so let's talk about we talked about self, but now building capacity of others. And so how do identified and even aspiring leaders, ones that may not have been tapped to be
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an actual titled leader, but have that capacity, How do they start to work with others to help them?
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I think being present is.
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Very important.
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I can't speak to it enough, actually. I think How can you compliment or encourage others if you aren't there to see the great things they're doing and encourage them? I also think there are things and I see it every day in our staff.
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Teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, all of the above.
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And they're not even conscious of the amazing things they're doing. They have this unconscious competence. And so being present allows you to see those things and then give that feedback. So that they can be more intentional about doing those amazing things more often. Because again, sometimes they're doing amazing things and they don't even know it. And so we have to bring that to the surface.
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And being present and being able to identify that. I mean, I'm sure that helps culture too, which is another CCISD leadership belief, the ability to to build culture and create culture. And so that's great.
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I want you all to think back to when you were newbie teachers, newbie professionals, too, when your careers first started. And I want you to both share.
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Betsy I'll start with you. What advice you would share with yourself on building your own capacity?
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I think that you've got to find leaders that you aspire to be like and learn as much as you can from them. I know when I was an administrative intern, I worked with an incredible principal.
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She never had said she had all the answers. She never had the plan ready to go for everybody.
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But she developed incredible leaders because she put so much effort and belief into what we could do.
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She identified our sprint strengths. She supported us through our weaknesses. And she was really our biggest cheerleader.
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She actually I would have never gone down this path had it not been for her. I think I would have taken a very, very different approach to leadership, and she showed me what I was capable of. And so I'll tell you a funny story is a bunch of us ran into each other at a conference a few years ago, all scattered out or not, none of us are at the same district anymore.
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But it was three principals, a director of bilingual education and a director of curriculum. And it was just that we got to take a little picture and send it to her and tell her how much we appreciate the time that we got to spend with her. So I think it's finding those leaders that you can really
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learn from and grow from and you get those opportunities.
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Matt, what about you?
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I couldn't agree more. I got to say, Mr. Mrs. Gail Love was the principal at Springs, Clear Springs High School when I was there,
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and she really taught me to know my impact. You know, know thy impact is a huge statement for me. I never saw myself as a leader. I just did the things I knew my why. I didn't see that as leadership at all, but.
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Mrs. Love really kind of made me conscious of that. And so.
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I think the advice I would give is know thy impact when you look in the mirror. You are a leader. I never saw myself as a leader. And if our teachers and staff and.
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Employees in general across the district can look in the mirror and see those leadership aspects and know the impact.
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There's no limit to where they can go. So having that self-confidence can be huge. And I wish I did as a teacher. I taught for 14 years before going into administration.
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Largely because it took me a long time to really see myself as a leader. I always saw I was around great leaders, but I had to look in the mirror and really see that I could be that.
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As well.
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I think that speaks to someone building capacity in their self and then seeing that in you. And now you're you're giving that to others, too. so That's amazing.
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Well, this concludes our time together. I just want to thank both of you for sharing with our listeners. You are obviously dedicated to consciously working on building your capacity and the capacity of others, and we are grateful for your leadership.
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So as our listeners listened today, I hope you hear the importance of gaining perspective and seeking out opportunities.
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Sometimes they do, but your efforts will likely be seen by others and it furthers your growth as a leader.
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Thank you for listening and we'll be back again soon to discuss our final CCISD leadership belief, how to serve and to support Take care.