
Leadership
I have been absent not only because of personal choice to just take some time for myself but also because I have been working full time. I told myself that I would not use that as an excuse but it has taken me longer than I thought to just get into a routine and make sure I don’t overload like before. But recently I have been feeling like where I am at is not the place for me. I have been feeling undervalued and unheard. I also noticed a pattern around me with my coworkers. So it got me thinking “what is the problem?” “Why are we all feeling like this when we are just getting started.”
In case you missed it I have taken a full time job with the school district. I found so much joy working with children. A joy that I did not know I was missing. To see the joy in their faces when they see me, the way they run to me just to give me a hug. And most recently the “I love you’s” I get from them. This has been the highlight of my life the past few months. I prepared over the summer and was ready to tackle the new school year. Until the joy I felt everyday walking into the building was filled with stress.
Now when I start feeling stressed and overwhelmed I know it’s time to move on. A quick update on that, I have accepted a new position. I will still be with the district but now in a different role. I will miss my students so much but this change had to be made not only for me but for my family. As the new role was coming into play I looked around me and noticed that my coworkers were feeling the same way and having to make tough decisions for their careers. I knew then the problem had to be leadership. Champlain College defines an effective leader as someone that creates an inspiring vision of the future. Motivates and inspires the team to engage with that vision. Manages delivery of the vision and coaches and builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision.
Being in a Leadership Role you have to be careful to maintain professionalism but also be friendly enough to where everyone that works for you does not feel intimidated. I understand that there is a fine line and you must always be able to control the situation. But if we take the definition of a Leader given to us by Champlain College, I have to admit I have no clue what the vision for the school is for this year. I was at all the meetings (that I was allowed to attend), development days, and got to know one another and not once do I recall a vision shared. I have no idea what we are working towards. But I do recall every time I have felt unheard, undervalued and the times I was retaliated on for not knowing or doing something wrong. And everyone around me felt the exact same way. It is horrible when you work in a place where half the team is in the loop and the rest just get told “the bits and pieces” of the information someone has decided is all we need to know.
A good team starts with leadership. When leadership fails at this role the entire team fails. Studies show that employees are 94% more likely to stay with a company if it invested in helping them learn. Leaders must value employees, help them learn and allow them to be heard. Three things that my current management is lacking. That is the main reason I believe she has been unable to maintain an effective, loyal team. Since the day she took over she has been unable to effectively lead a team that has her vision in mind. That is because I am unsure if the team knows the vision or are commands just being given with no explanation.
Even though I am moving on from my current role I would like to advise management to take a look at the way they are running things. You will never succeed if you can’t get a loyal team behind you. It starts at the top. I believe this is straightforward across the board. A company must have a vision and a team working towards that vision and an effective leader leading it.
