93. The B.R.I.D.G.E Principles for Legacy and Leadership

As a school leader, you’re likely a pro at creating systems, processes, and checklists.

You’ve trained your leadership team on them so things run more smoothly at your center—both inside and outside of the classroom.

With these resources in place, you’re prepared for the school year and your team has what they need to handle issues that arise with students, parents, and co-teachers.

Or so you think. But it’s actually more complicated than that.

Yes, systems, processes, and checklists are all important and necessary, but they aren’t the be-all and end-all in your center. They don’t guarantee that things will run smoothly day in and day out.

No matter how detailed your operational resources are—and I’m sure yours are very thorough, {{ subscriber.first_name }}!—there will always be confusing, ambiguous, or uncomfortable moments at your center that weren't covered in your training.

What will your team do then? How will they respond?

In order to handle confusion, ambiguity, and discomfort, you and your leadership team need a special set of 6 meta-skills.

They’re actually SUPER skills to help you lean into uncomfortable situations and make decisions more calmly and with greater confidence.

The 6 meta-skills I’m teaching over the next 6 weeks form an acronym, B.R.I.D.G.E., and they include:

• Boundaries
• Relational Intelligence
• Individual Advocacy
• Discernment
• Generosity
• Emotional Regulation

In many ways, these meta-skills are more important to running a center than technical skills. And, as the school leader, you must develop and practice these skills. They’re required to build and sustain your own school of excellence.

This week on the podcast, you’ll get a special introduction to the 6 meta-skills that make up the B.R.I.D.G.E. They’re the same skills I’m teaching in my members-only Owner’s HQ and Director’s Inner Circle programs.

There’s so much to explore around these meta-skills that I’ve also decided to dedicate an entire podcast episode to each one. I want to help you gain the skills that I believe are absolutely essential for 21st-century school leaders like you.

Join me as I introduce the B.R.I.D.G.E. concept and break down how you can:

• Examine and start to overcome your own all-or-nothing thinking
• Connect more effectively and establish trust with your team (Hint: It’s not the same thing as emotional intelligence)
• Overcome feelings of stress and overwhelm to reach your goals
• Learn to anticipate what’s coming next and make wise decisions
• Resist the temptation to step in and fix things at your center (This one’s the hardest!)
• Respond to stressful events in a rational, regulated way

It’s time to put your systems, processes, and checklists down for a moment and focus on how you can be more intentional about how you show up and approach school leadership. I’ll be here every step of the way to support you on that journey.

 

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic   

 

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

 

Other Resources:

School leadership is always demanding—even more so at the start of the school year. You’re challenged to give extra support to your team, your staff, and your school community. 

Now it’s time that you received the support you need.  We’ve compiled a series of resources to help you as a school leader. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

 

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.