Move Your Leadership Mountain

What was the speaker’s main message?

Who do you want to be? To move your leadership mountain, leaders must examine their leadership and responses in the various situations they face day in and day out. By discovering “who you want to be” through the lens of communication, actions, priority, and mindset, leaders can use their skills and competencies to move their leadership mountain. Using this framework/matrix, Brad Gustafson encouraged participants to think about the biggest challenges they are facing, the really complex stuff on their leadership radar, hopefully differently with an affirmation of what works and a new perspective on possible solutions.

What was the speaker’s best quote?

“The choice of attention–to pay attention to this and ignore that–is to the inner life what choice of action is in the otter. In both cases, a person is responsible for their choice and must accept the consequences.”

“Leadership is helping others see the things that matter most as a constellation of priorities.”

What were the top ideas from the session?

Leadership can be overwhelming, but making decisions doesn’t have to be. After discussing various leadership skills and competencies, Gustafson encouraged participants to deconstruct their number one priority in order to identify the sub-skills necessary to be successful. Ultimately, the goal is to think about the words, phrases, or guiding philosophies that capture the essence of who you want to be as a leader. 

When discussing who you want to be, there are three options:

1. A leader who is seen as technically competent;
2. A leader who is seen as having strong social skills; and
3. Both.

A leader with technical competence is analytical, motivated to solve problems, and focused on results. A leader with strong social skills is an effective communicator, shows empathy, and is focused on building relationships. Someone who is both is technically competent and has strong social skills. This five part framework can help leaders move their leadership mountain. 

Gustafson offered a series of questions to help leaders assess who they want to be. 

• Who do I want to be when I am experiencing success?
• Who do I want to be when I am feeling overwhelmed?
• Who do I want to be when others are struggling?
• Who do I want to be when I make a mistake?
• Who do I want to be when others make mistakes?

I can’t wait to tell my teachers about this idea:

What’s your one thing? What’s a commitment you want to make to yourself moving forward. We must  avoid a false growth mindset, one that emphasizes the role of effort without teaching the skills, strategies, and habits of thinking needed to ensure learning. 

What is one idea you want to learn more about?

Gustafison shared an infographic he called the invisible triangle. This includes the mindset triad of growth mindset, small and solvable problems, and candy caning (looking back at yourself instead of blaming) and daily aspirations or joy, which creates the invisible triangle that brings all of these concepts together to couple the mindset triad with daily aspiration (Mindset Triad + Daily Aspirations = Mindset Triad with Daily Aspirations).

What are some relevant or surprising stats you learned?

• 50-plus percent of educators are looking to leave the profession. 
• One student drops out of school every 26 seconds–or more than a million students a year. 
• 98 percent of people believe a good teacher can change the trajectory of a student’s life.

Notes by Todd L. Brist, principal of Watertown Middle School in Watertown, South Dakota.