Feedback

Today I sent a survey out to the staff that I work most closely with. I wanted to get a better gauge of how people perceive my interactions with them and help me refine my personal leadership goals for this year. The funny thing to me about this survey is that I really do want honest feedback. I know I cannot be a great school leader if I don't have a good idea of my blind spots and my areas for growth. Knowing all this, though, doesn't keep some of the feedback from stinging a bit. I've been reading responses as they have been coming in and when someone has something less than favorable to say I have to really work hard to keep myself from making excuses. I know I need to take the comments for what they are and think about the actions that I need to modify. The reality is I'm getting a lot of positive feedback. I need to work hard to keep myself from feeling defeated by the areas for continued growth.

Here are some things I know I need to focus on in the next few weeks:
1. Giving positive feedback to all staff members, not just teachers.
2. Reach out to people I haven't gone to yet for input on systems and operations.
3. Be as present in the main building as I am in the annex.

To be successful in these three areas I am going to have to process through my feelings about my place in our school community more. I feel myself wanting to keep a certain distance because my time is *theoretically* limited, but at the same time I really want to be a part of the community. I want to develop long-lasting relationships with staff and families. I wonder what I'm so scared of that I feel like I need to keep this distance - they'll forget about me...the work I do won't be enough...I won't be successful in the future and I'll prove people right...???

I'll continue to reflect on these thoughts and seek feedback. The work isn't easy, but I feel so much more self-aware than I did a few months ago. It's great to feel so much more in tune with myself. Any bad feeling that I may have to stomach for a few hours is worth it.