May 1st, Podcast Anniversary for School Leaders

It was one year ago today – May 1st, when Mafost Mashup begin.

If you’re a listener, thank you.

Today, I’d like to share a few of the most popular topics and ideas that have spread since the birth of this little podcast.

Three Communication Missteps

Also on Apple.

Communication has a major impact on the effectiveness of a school. If the culture is the engine of a school’s success and the climate is the grease, then communication is the pipes that allow all the fluids to flow.

Without the pipes, the engine breaks. The grease doesn’t work.

Communication Misstep 1: Assumptions

Unchecked assumptions create conflicts where no conflict exists. Assumptions create tensions, and those tensions create bottlenecks where communication can not flow effectively.

Communication Misstep 2: Unfiltered Messaging

Forwarded emails, information dumps, and the telephone game create a variety of communication problems. They are each a practice that represents unfiltered messaging.

Communication Misstep 3: General Reminders

General reminders are convenient. But like most things convenient, they shortcut an important principal of communication: personalization.

The problem is simple. A general reminder confuses the audience. High performers internalize the reminder and second guess their work. Low performers ignore the reminder and are assured it’s not meant for them.

The end result is lack of clarity.

Five Morale Boosters

Also listen on Apple

When you show passion and have fun, it gives your people permission to do the same.

Morale Booster 1: Engage

Closets and dark spaces are good places to grow mushrooms. But mushrooms don’t make good leaders. Get out and engage frequently.

Morale Booster 2: Leading With Questions

More than an email or simple greeting, engaging in conversation can lift spirits.

Remember stories of the best generals? They always walked the camps and talked to their soldiers. It’s just good leadership, even in schools.

Morale Booster 3: Use First Names

This can be uncomfortable for some principals and school leaders, but it removes one more barrier in the human interaction. Try it. And watch how it impacts people’s responses.

Morale Booster 4: Focus on the Mission

Reiterate and reclarify the mission consistently. But wait, this only works if your campus is a mission-driven organization.

In a mission-driven environment this emphasizes the priority and minimizes the distractors. But that alone won’t boost morale.

Celebrate. Recognize and affirm actions that reinforce or delivery on the school’s mission.

Morale Booster 5: Have Fun

If you enjoy your work, then share that with your team and your staff. You are more than a manager, you are a leader, which implies you set the emotional tone of your school.

When you show passion and have fun, it gives your people permission to do the same.

---

Thanks for an amazing first year at the Mafost Mashup. Your feedback and listening is greatly appreciated. If you haven’t subscribed, rated, or passed it along, I invite you to do so.

Cheers,

Matt.