Personnel Leadership

After being away with the boys on the basketball trip in Illinois, I've been thinking a lot about team, and being a good teammate. And I contrast that with how I've been in our building. I remember having a meeting in Brooklyn in my last year with the principal (Kathy) and 2 APs (Kentia and Roberta) and I had to sign a letter where I was referred to as "toxic". I was shocked. How could they think I was toxic? I was trying to bring about change in the school, more relevancy to the advisory program, and a legitimate aim for attendance, grade, and behavior data in the school.

But it was a singular effort. Then, as now, I was not able to recruit others to my cause. I still fault that leadership team at WCHS for not bringing me in the fold, so to speak, but perhaps they had given up on me by then. They recognized that I was not going to be a good fit in that team, and gave me reason to set sail. I find myself in a similar pattern now. I find myself isolated, feeling that folks don't like me, wanting to keep their distance, not trusting my leadership.

My wife has told me that if I don't make changes, these things are going to follow me everywhere I go. And it's true. I do have to make changes. I'm just not sure how.

It's probably a good time to do a values assessment. I probably have some misplaced values, or some down right wrong ones. In these next months and years, I'm really going to have to dig deeper to find a higher realm to battle from. The fights I find myself fighting are personal, my way or the highway kind of thing. That's no good at all. I need a platform that rests much more upon the good of others. Otherwise, I should give up on leadership of all kinds and pursue a solo career.

Heavenly Father, I'm trying to find traction at work. I'm trying to see the problems, the solutions, the in roads. But as so many have said to me before, am I trying to do "too much"? Help me to be patient and wait on Your timing. To not try to force something that doesn't need to be forced. I'm eager and I'm jumpy. And I want to lay the foundation for all we have to do right now. But is that how a master builder approaches their work? Before laying the foundation, don't you first have to assess the land? And then don't you have to consider the location? And when those are right, don't you have to consider what the foundation will hold? Help me to connect the pieces, Lord, from big to small. And what I can't see, help me trust that You do.

In Jesus Name,

Amen