Why We Should Exercise Emotion In Our Leadership with Sean Slade Transformative Principal 598

In this episode of Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones engages in a profound discussion with Sean Slade, co-head of North America at BTS Spark, about reevaluating traditional perceptions of leadership, particularly around the management of emotions. Sean challenges the archetype of the stoic, emotionless leader, suggesting that vulnerability, emotion, and personal connection are crucial elements for effective leadership, especially highlighted by observations from the first year of the pandemic. The conversation delves into how leaders who embraced their humanity, admitting uncertainty and fostering relationships, tended to succeed more. Drawing on a study and the insights from the book Embracing MESSY Leadership, Sean emphasizes the critical role of emotions in building trust, cultivating teamwork, and enhancing problem-solving capacities. He argues for a shift from controlling to exercising and utilizing emotions as strategic tools in leadership. The podcast also touches on the practical aspects of having difficult conversations and the importance of authenticity, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness in leadership roles. Sean concludes by underscoring the evolving understanding of leadership as beyond a series of tasks, advocating for emotional adeptness as a key leadership skill.

• Maybe the emotionless leader is not quite correct. 
• MESSY Leadership came out of the pandemic
• The leaders who were able to make personal connections, build relationships and show vulnerability did quite well. 
• Exercise your emotion rather than controlling your emotions.
• Admit uncertainty
• Pose questions back to team
• High level of self-awareness and self-confidence
• Everyone wants to feel like they matter and they want to belong. 
• You are part of this community. 
• Don’t we want to be authentic ourselves?
• Get communication cards.
• Leadership as a series of tasks and duties. 
• Making people feel happy on a surface level. 
• What’s putting you in the box? And how do you get out of it? 
• Leadership is not a series of checklists. 

Links:

• Sean Slade's website: https://www.seanslade.com/ 
• MESSY Leadership
• Jethro’s Communication Cards: https://www.jethrojones.com/communication-cards 

About Sean Slade

Sean is the Co-Head of North America at BTS Spark. He is an education leader, speaker and author, with nearly three decades of experience in education, both in the US and globally. With a strong background in education reform and wellbeing, he has driven policy change, implemented initiatives, and developed educational leaders, to enhance the social impact of education. As Senior Director of Global Outreach at ASCD, Sean launched and grew the ASCD Whole Child Network to 1,800 members, 350 school districts and 56 countries. He is a Social & Emotional Learning expert for NBC Today, advisory member for OECD’s Future of Education & Skills 2030, a founding member of the UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education. He has written for the Washington Post, Huffington Post, EdWeek, and is a frequent keynote speaker.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

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