Dear Teachers –
Welcome to a new school year-
Having taught in public high schools for over two decades, I know how important preplanning time is!
You’re excited to get in your rooms and make copies and prepare your lesson plans
Ok, maybe not so excited about lesson plans ; )
But I want you to know how appreciated you are.
I want you to have a fantastic year.
And to make that happen, I want you to focus not on strategy- but on culture
Strategy is all stuff you want to get done…
Culture determines how well you, co-workers, and students will do it.
Culture is behaviors…
which are determined by beliefs…
which are created by experiences.
SO to help you reflect on the culture you want to intentionally build, I want to ask you to close your eyes for a moment…
Now, think back to your best day at work
What made it an awesome day?
What made it a remarkable memory?
Who was involved? Where and when did something special happen?
Remember all details of it
Now I’m guessing the memory you had of your BEST DAY involved the SEC.
And while I AM from the south, and a fan of Georgia Football, the SEC I’m referring to is Service, Encouragement, and Connection.
Pride for serving others…
Sharing encouragement…
Building a deeper connection…
What I have found working with teams over the last many years is that people are happier and more successful when we shift our focus from being blessed (thinking only of ourselves)
to being a blessing (thinking of & serving others)
In one of my books, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates-a couple of traits that I share that I have noticed about great coworkers is they are “aware of and encourage others” and they “do more than expected, with enthusiasm“
That is what makes you special as teachers and school staff…
Yes, a quality curriculum is important.
And beautiful facilities are nice.
But it is a supportive staff Interested in helping others that is ALWAYS responsible for changing the trajectory of people’s lives!!
I learned it first as Basketball coach –
My worst year, I stayed focused on Skills & strategy only
And yes, strategy is important
But the message I’m sharing today is simple-
Service, encouragement and connection are what make your strategy succeed!!
My best years as a coach and teacher, I focused on people instead of plays.
And it will be the same in your class rooms.
Connect with, serve, support others
You greatest wins follow knowing and being a part of improving someone else’s s story!!
And to connect, you have to ASSC!
Always Stay Sincerely Curious.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT STUDENT IS GOING HOME TO EACH DAY?
DO YOU KNOW THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THE HARDSHIPS THAT THE TEACHER NEXT TO YOU HAS EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS?
Want to have more of those awesome days you closed your eyes and remembered?
Want to go home with a smile, happy and proud and grateful?
Want to leave campus knowing you made a difference?
That starts with knowing that Happiness & success are byproducts of SEC.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…
Because as soon as you commit to SEC behaviors, you bump into THAT student
Maybe they’re rude… or difficult…
And everyone here would understand if you did the predictable thing…
We would understand if you assumed the worst, and punished or complained…
But what if you did the remarkable thing?
What if you served, encouraged, and connected with THEM?
What would that look like??
Want more wins?
Serve, encourage, & connect more!
Notice little things and Always Stay Sincerely Curious.
Show up each day asking yourself, “What does my team need?”
Because the truth is that we all enjoy working with people who are great teammates
Your team hopes you’ll be a great teammate
And the wonderful secrets is, if you choose to serve, encourage, & connect with the people around you, YOU get to have more awesome days!!!
Strategy is important…
But Service and encouragement and connection are your most important work!!
The culture you create with your behaviors in your classroom and meeting room and hallways will determine how many awesome days you have!
And I hope you have a lot of them.
Because what you do is important.
And appreciated.
And if EVER I can serve, encourage, or connect with you to improve your team with a teacher team building event or a school district conference keynote, I hope you will reach out and allow me to be a resource for you.
