Empower Everyone to be a Leader - Transform Your School

 Fired Up Studentship – Your guide to empower everyone to be a leader.

Transform Your School into a Leadership School

The concepts and stories in this blog have been decades in the making. I have vivid memories of leadership opportunities that were given to me as a seventh and eighth grader. Unfortunately, I had no idea what leadership encompassed. Everything you need to know about leadership you already know. Well, you sort of know but I’ll start to connect the dots.

When I became a middle school principal, the commitment was made to teach every student about leadership. The Leadership Design for Students was created by teaching students and collaborating with educators around North America.  Get Fired Up!  

I keep writing, preaching, and teaching about leadership for a number of reasons. One reason reflects the inability of people to have the opportunity to make the leap into the realm of change. If I can be that conduit to a better life, a purpose, or the right reason, then my leadership ability increases exponentially.

When one student looks in the mirror and sees themselves differently, a shift happens. A tipping point occurs. Not only do they see who they are but they see who they can become. As an educator, that’s what I strived to achieve. If you do not see yourself as a leader, your perception needs to change.

Perception is reality.  

When a colleague or friend goes to a higher level of effort and success, their world becomes brighter. The people around them get better. Our future becomes more optimistic. More positive outcomes will occur. Calculated, creative risks become commonplace. A new image begins to take shape. The dots are connected to paint a picture of success and opportunities. If I can be a part of that inspiration, then that is my obligation to the people I come in contact with.

Most people never had leadership training. That absence may have given false conceptions about their ability to ever become a leader. Some people think you need an authoritative position or you have to be talented in sports or gifted in academics to be viewed as a leader. Other people misinterpret an achievement or overcoming an obstacle as leadership. All these ingredients can be part of your leadership qualities but are not conditional to leadership. Nourish yourself by creating opportunities for yourself and the people around you.

Leadership is not a one-time event. Leadership is not popularity. Leadership is not a position. Leadership is a choice. It’s one you will have to make every day. Once you make that choice, amazing things start to happen. Leaders will rise in many forms and include many traits.  The qualities you already control will be some of your most powerful tools: choice, love, character, and passion. 

When you appreciate what you already know, you begin to add value to your leadership journey. Never forget where you came from or you will not know where you are going. Use a constructivist approach to maximize your ability to lead. Transformational and servant leadership will transcend your results in life.

Even though many of us may have been assigned positions of leadership as young adolescents or teenagers, we only really understood leadership once we became adults or maybe you are still struggling with perception. If you are a pre-adult while you read this, take note. Likewise, abandon your misconceptions about leadership. Shift perception. Dig deeply into your body, mind, heart, and spirit.

Balance and the “whole person” approach are your biggest allies.

MORE TO COME

 

Everyday Leadership

 

Everyday Leadership

During this pandemic, I have been committed to growth. Am I doing it perfectly? No, but I never did anything perfectly. As I get older and really take a look at what’s going on around me, I see this mortality that puts me in a place. This place is the realization that I may not get everything done or experienced in my life especially because periods of time seem shorter. Your legacy must continue in many forms. What do you leave behind?

Find a starting point. As I continue to grow, I also continue to use a part of me that I don’t want to change. That’s OK, too. You combine your knowledge and experiences and use what is best for you and the people around you. Reflection is a key component of growth and leadership.

 Those experiences and opportunities we had when we were growing up will forever be a part of who we are. One thing for me, was making people smile. You can see it in Fired Up Fridays with Frank every Friday on Twitter (@DrFrankRud). I am sending a message but I am also allowing the viewer to lighten up. Leadership and life are not always fun and happy but they certainly are sometimes. They need to be.

Look around. There is leadership everywhere. Don’t forget to look in the mirror. Keep learning.  If you continue to learn, you will continue to lead. Continue following your passion. People allocate time and energy where their fire burns. Even when you think you cannot, you can. That separates a lot of us.

In the end, you are who you want to be.

You are:

Smart, Beautiful, Strong, Kind, & Loved.

inspire-leadership.com

 

 

 

Masked Leadership Five things to help middle school leaders to stay positive and supported By: Frank Rudnesky Share During your career as an educator, you had many discussions with different stakeholders about changing the face of education. You also had multiple sessions about ridding your students of the high-stakes, standardized testing that cause needless anxiety. Numerous times you wanted to explore the endless possibilities of blended learning, remote experiences, and multiple facilitators. Did you think it would happen overnight? The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of unknowns but it has also allowed us the opportunity to do things differently. The people in my circle grasped the moment to fine-tune the quality of what we controlled. How has it changed the conversation? Keep expanding your groups of people that make you feel like what you do matters. As you expand your control, you broaden your positive influence. Many of us have stayed abreast of trends and best practices with a review of the literature and taking the risk of applying it immediately. Because most everyone had to include Zoom as part of our new teaching and learning repertoire, overnight we became semi-pros in that realm of delivery. The new anti-etiquette term “Zoombombing” was invented instantly. I was fortunate to stay in touch and collaborate with my friends and professionals all over North America. We scheduled meetings weekly, created new forums on social media, and supported each other. We are not alone. There is no new normal. Drop that thought immediately. Press forward with what you can control. Abandon what has not worked. During their careers, the truly great teachers were always uncomfortable as they pushed their limits and took calculated, creative risks. This initiated best practices with many failures as well as success stories. Likewise, exemplary administrators need to support these collaborative efforts and examine a new wave of victories. As we move forward with masks on, six feet apart, disinfecting and washing our hands frequently, or working in a remote location while multitasking here are five things to consider: The time has never been better than to consider the whole child model. Fortunately, middle level educators are ahead of the curve on that. AMLE has a plethora of resources on their website. If you are not balanced in body, mind, heart, and spirit, the short term may be survivable, but your long-term success is in jeopardy. Network, network, network! It’s out there. A variety of resources appear on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn to name a few. Find your professional learning network (PLN). Start a PLN of your own in your school and district. Support each other. Even if it’s not face-to-face, do not spend time in isolation or allow your colleagues to feel alone. Our whole child model is just as important to use with adults as it is with the students. Stay balanced. As absurd as it may sound to some people, have fun. There are multiple activities you can do online as well as in person. Make sure the students know what is important, and they feel supported. Stay safe, Stay well.

Team-Building on Opening Day for Staffulty

 

Team-Building on Opening Day for Staffulty

Team-building can be tricky for a number of reasons. There certainly is an abundance of information out there on numerous media sites. A lot of information is free and relevant. Also, understand that a large number of activities can be cliché and overrated. When planning, one of the biggest components will be: “Know your audience.” During the Pandemic of 2020, we are discovering: “Know your delivery point.”

Everything you do will not appeal to your entire audience or every participant but you can gear your activities to appeal to most of the members. Know your goals for the meeting, day, month, and year. What are you trying to accomplish? For the most part, it’s probably trust, collegiality, and fun.

Periodically, plan an offsite destination for team-building to solidify a bonding experience. When they are at your main campus, hundreds of distractions can and will occur, and your team may remain guarded. However, have a backup plan. Accumulate research about what worked during certain situations and fine-tune the process.

Accentuate new beginnings with team-building. For instance, start your new year or new project with a field trip. Create a Renaissance (get it?). Announce a new theme and service-learning platform then dig right in. If you go to an offsite location, have a scavenger hunt or go to a place of service. Food is always good, and you don’t need a hefty budget.

One year, we had inclement weather so we had to do everything onsite but we kept it moving. The guest speaker we scheduled couldn’t make it either. Be prepared. We Skyped in someone we knew from another district. We asked her to tie our theme together and get us Fired Up! She did just that!

This is an example of an onsite retreat: First, we introduced our new theme “School Rocks!” Then we video conferenced in our guest speaker to announce our service learning: renewable energy. We proceeded with a short meeting to do some housekeeping and raise our level of awareness.  This particular year, we created a stimulating video to jumpstart our day, Welcome Forward. We included as many recent pictures of our building and people that we could find. We promoted our goals then tied it to the Olympics that just ended. It was easy to find encouragement in some of the Olympic pictures and connect the visuals to hard work, commitment, and “whatever it takes.”

This may sound cheesy in some arenas, but the video ended with me running in the school with an American flag hoisted. The music was cranked to Chariots of Fire. Our steering committee was going through the crowd and high fiving everyone. During the Pandemic you can air five people.

Later in the day, people were ready to eat. Replenish their bodies as well as spirits. Be sensitive to any allergies or beliefs. We had barbeque and people brought in covered dishes. We let people know in advance what we were making. It was nice to communicate on a level that didn’t involve mostly work-related jargon. The room should be filled with laughter and merriment.

For another team-building activity, we divided our large group into different “rock groups.” Each participant got a “backstage pass” with a number on the back; the number designated their group.  The groups got together for a team photo complete with Rock Star props.

Now we had teams for our competition/team-building. We used a big dry erase board in the front of the room for a visual and to keep score. The first task was to name your “rock group.” It was hilarious and interesting as each group sent a representative on stage to announce the names.

The next task was to brainstorm ideas for our service project. The teams wrote the ideas on big paper and taped it to the wall. We put a time limit on this to keep it moving. After time was called, each group read their ideas.

We then moved to the gymnasium. We had music set up to greet everyone. First up was the “Rock Star Relay.” Each group (band) competed against each other dressing up, running (or walking fast) to midcourt then tagging the next person to do the same. There were many photo opportunities during this one.

We finished the competition with “Name That Tune.” We had several categories. Each team had a representative. The facilitator played a tune until someone guessed it.

We went back to the auditorium and tallied the points. Our closing ceremony was complete with a medal themed ceremony and the national anthem. We debriefed and tied everything together. It’s funny how some people remembered working in a place that wasn’t fun. Granted, I can guarantee you that some people were not as enthusiastic as I was, but for the most part, everyone felt appreciated, connected, and inspired!

There are many approaches you can take to meetings and gatherings. Some approaches need to be direct and the information may not be fun material. However, we were driven to create a place where everyone wanted to be. Flexibility played a big part in the day but we were prepared. It worked. Any activities that you use should be molded to your situation and organization. Some activities you do become traditions. You must fine-tune them every year.

Communication Plays A Pivotal Role in Building Relationships

Communication Plays A Pivotal Role in Building Relationships

As an author and speaker, I pride myself on being a storyteller. The biggest reason is because I have a lot of stories. Pure enjoyment resonates from my memory when I recall stories from my childhood as well as something that happened last week. Recently, I asked one of my friends if any of the sections or leadership attributes in my book connected to her leadership world.

Thank you, Melissa! Keep inspiring and stay amazing! If you haven’t already, friend her on Twitter and Instagram. @melissa_campesi

Here is what she wrote:

Frank Rudnesky's book, "50 Great Things Leaders Do: Let's Get Fired Up!" has resonated with me, but the one that I most connect with is the leadership trait "Communication" described in chapter 42. As an English Language educator and bilingual speaker, I find that positive verbal and non-verbal communication plays a pivotal role in building solid and healthy relationships with those around us.

When we communicate messages with others, our word selection, vocal tone, and innate intentions are critical aspects to keep in mind upon verbal delivery. While engaging in communication, we need to be conscious of the fact of how our message will be perceived and received. Simply put, are we sending out a positive or negative message? Being empathetic to student experiences plays a major part in this. How can I select words to make an impact and difference in a child's life? In what ways can I act to allow a student to feel safe & secure?

As Dr. Rudnesky mentions in this chapter, we need to be aware that our messages are NOT negative. As educators of children, our goal is to grow the whole child socially, emotionally, and academically so they may flourish as productive and well-rounded adults in society. We have the power to support them through verbal and non-verbal communication. Conveying to children words of praise, encouragement, and affirmation are keys to developing their confidence and connection with their teacher.

This is how learning is ignited and gets them Fired UP! Even non-verbal communication such as high-fives, smiles, laughter, and frequent eye-contact will reinforce students are seen, heard, and valued; especially newcomers learning the English language. When we use kind and respectful words & actions, we are modeling this manner of communication for our students to use in the world.

Thank you, Dr. Rudnesky for spotlighting this essential trait of communication as a guide to LEAD with LOVE & LEAVE a LEGACY. It is a wonderful reminder to keep our communication pathways positive and uplifting for the benefit of our children! Our verbal and non-verbal communication can positively change the perception of how a student sees themself and grants them the gift of self-love. As a teacher, what achievement is better than that?

- Melissa Campesi EL Educator, Multicultural Author & Advocate

@melissa_campesi            melissacampesi.com

Author of "I am an English Language Learner" Children's Book

The Human Race

My Friend, Dwight L. Carter, posted something on Facebook two nights ago. It prompted me to blog about the questions he asked. Like a lot of people, I have much to say but didn’t know how to say it in a thought-provoking way. I’ll draw on my life experiences that Dwight fueled.

First, I revere Dwight in many roles that his life brings him.

This is Dwight’s Facebook post in its entirety:

Recent events repeat the same narrative, illicit the same response, and then we settle back into our normal routines. This, though, feels different, but time will tell.

It’s going to take way too long for our institutional systems to change because of the entrenched bias and racism cemented in the foundation, so we have to start with self and influence our circles.

I thought long and hard about the questions below. The purpose of the questions is to spark reflection and then individual action.

To my white friends, I share these with love, respect, and care; not with judgement, commendation, malice, or ill-will.

1. How often and have ever had a black or non-white person in your home as a guest or overnight guest?

2. If all else is equal, would you move into a neighborhood/community where you are the racial/ethnic minority?

3. How comfortable would you be if your child dated and/or married a black or non-white person?

4. When in your life have you been the racial/ethnic minority for longer than a month?

5. When’s the last time you’ve read a book written by a black or non-white author?

6. Examine your personal library: does it include voices from others who don’t look like you?

7. Are you fearful of losing favor with friends and family if you took an anti-racist stance?

#WeMoreThanMatter
#AntiRacism
#StartWithSelf

This is my response on Facebook to his post:

 Great reflections, Dwight. There’s a lot to dig into. Always thinking. I can’t pretend to ever know what it’s like to be in someone else’s skin & no one else can either. Everyone does, however, know what basic human rights are. I have been blessed with some life experiences that have given me hope. One person told me in order to change the world you have to change yourself first. (That person was Anne Frank’s childhood friend, Hannah Goslar-Pick.) Too much to write here. I’m blogging it right now.

Expanded version: Kids aren’t born with prejudice, narrow minds, or unhappy outlooks. We aren’t born with ill intent. Our character development immediately starts when we enter the world and does not stop until we leave.  Murder, racism, and civil rights violations are never OK.

I grew up in a small, diverse town in southern New Jersey called Bridgeton. When I was six, seven, and eight years old, we lived in a low-rise project development. We were one of two white families in the Birch Street projects.

We used to watch my dad walk across the property and hitch hike ten miles to work each day. He worked in an auto parts store that was attached to the biggest department store in our area. My mom worked in a print factory that was within walking distance of our house.

Through grades one to eight, I attended parochial school. My school uniform consisted of a white shirt, blue pants, a blue tie, and black shoes.  It was unvarying just like 25 Birch Street where we lived. The standardization allowed me some normalcy not low socioeconomic status of the projects. 

These experiences from my early childhood, contributed to some of my common sense approaches to leadership choices later on in life. Work ethic, kindness, inspiration, passion, respect, integrity, strength, acceptance, gratitude, fun, and perseverance are some traits I look to today. I was raised to treat everyone as if they were important because they are important.

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s had many advantages for me in the town where we lived. I walked anywhere I needed to go including the park, lakes, and basketball courts. One thing I missed was the conversation with adults about what was going on around me. I wish the conversation started then.

My earliest memory of a tragedy was the assassination of our President, John F. Kennedy. I was five years old. I remember sitting at my grand mom’s watching the funeral and my aunt telling my sisters and me to keep it down. I did not fully understand the nature of the event but I knew it was upsetting to everyone. It felt like a member of our family died.

Over the next five years Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. I cannot say I remember much about the Malcolm X murder but I vividly remember the later two in 1968. I was ten years old.

In the 1960s, The Civil Rights movement was literally exploding with peaceful demonstrations as well as riots across our country. Minorities were treated with promises unfulfilled. It doesn’t feel that much has changed in that respect. Here we are in June, 2020 and it does not feel like we made much progress in fifty years.

I want to make it clear. I do not know how it feels to live in someone else’s skin.  My friends have always included all nationalities. That does not make me an expert in living another person’s life but it has intrinsically motived me to keep moving in a positive direction. I cannot dispute that being a white male has offered me some advantages in many situations but hard work and commitment contributed as well.

My friend Dwight is “spot on” when he says that bias, racism, and barriers are built into a system that does not offer the same opportunity to people of color as it does to white people. In order to change that trajectory, we need to start the change with ourselves.  

Over the years as an educator and a parent, I, I’ve met with our Congressman and police chiefs. I will continue to exercise my rights and walk the talk. Everyone needs to continue their mission. I always encourage my students to step outside their comfort zone. That will be a topic for another post. Today, we are dealing with human rights, leadership issue, character, and love.

Violations of civil rights and racism are never acceptable. The only race we are running is the human race, and we can only win that together.

I hope it is different this time but history has told us it won’t be unless the conversation is built into your everyday life. After 9/11, everything changed. Mainly, we were nicer to one another but that eventually faded. We just can’t allow it to happen as we move forward. Start the conversation. Keep the conversations going. Most importantly, keep this conversation going with your kids at home and your kids at school.

It can change. It has to change. I will continue to bring the heretics, outliers, and disruptors to the leadership table.

Thank you for the opportunity to reflect upon where we are to determine where we need to go. Those questions that Dwight offered should be a topic of conversation for a very long time. Keep your voice and allow your children and students to maintain their opinion. Keep adding to the questions.

The Four Cabins of the LeaderShip

By Frank Rudnesky, Ed.D.

In order to generate understanding and attract nontraditional interest for your school’s leadership, four areas of core competency have been compiled. These cabins of the LeaderShip will give you a starting point to promote positive culture with opportunities for everyone. Eliminate the myth that leadership is just for the popular students or for your administrative colleagues. Make leadership a choice. By creating more leaders, your leadership ability increases exponentially.

Because we are preparing our students for jobs that will be outrageously uncommon, we need the heretics, outliers, and disruptors at the leadership table. Not far in the future, even conventional and traditional careers will look nothing like they do now. Many barriers are being lifted for pathways that are inclusive. The landscape is changing, and we need to fine-tune the process of leadership.

By altering perception, we change the way our students look in the mirror. What if every middle school student had leadership training from the time they walked into your building? Two things would happen: They would not only see who they are but they would see who they can become. Your students will see themselves as smart, strong, beautiful, kind, and loved. Perception will shift and create leadership roles for everyone.

These are the four cabins of the LeaderShip:

1) Self-Management – Organization: Your chances of success increase significantly when you create goals, write them down, and formulate a plan. There is no secret to success; it takes hard work and commitment. By managing your time resources and organizing your priorities, your direction becomes clear.

Spend time creating a personal mission statement. A positive leadership style enables you to spend time with the positive people at your school. Your strengths should eliminate the weaknesses of others in your organization. Likewise, the strengths of others should eliminate your weaknesses. Your mission determines your legacy.

2) Communication – Listening:   Practice all areas of communication. If you want to be a great public speaker, then practice. Even when you think you are proficient at something; you need to keep practicing that growth mindset. Never become complacent in any area of communication. Stay balanced. Always be a self-communicator and a listener. Keep telling yourself what you want to accomplish. Dear You: You are amazing! Now, act accordingly!

 3) Problem Solving and Team Building: Any time you are solving a problem for the greater good of your school, look at it from everyone’s point-of-view. “When you connect the dots in your organization, a leadership picture will appear.” (Rudnesky, 2017) Empower the people around you to become leaders and it will generate multiple ideas and solutions. Great thinkers will emerge. It sounds like common sense but team building is essential for building a team. Keep it exciting and relevant.

4) Character & Service:  There will always be a timeless correlation between leadership and character. Be that person you want around you. Always be grateful by initiating service to the community. What you give will return in a positive light, and it sends a message of transformational leadership. Likewise, never forget to celebrate the success of your organization.

Conclusion: The Four Cabins of the LeaderShip provide a framework to a leadership culture. By offering opportunities, everyone feels like a contributor to school success. Positive attitudes are catchy and become commonplace. Never let anyone tell you, you cannot accomplish something. That is the highest form of identity theft.

Dr. Frank Rudnesky is a former middle school principal and presently an author, speaker, storyteller, and presenter. Email: FrankRudnesky@gmail.com Twitter and Instagram: @DrFrankRud

Rudnesky, F., 50 great things leaders do: let’s get fired up! (2017). Jostens, Minneapolis.