As a practicing principal, I need to be practicing.
And as much as I enjoy writing, speaking or presenting about school leadership, my primary responsibility as a school leader is serving my school.
So this past summer, I was thrilled when Vickie Williams, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Secondary Principals asked me to partner with OASSP to offer a monthly webinar series on school leadership topics.
Webinars offer the best of both worlds: the ability to connect, share, learn and grow with others while doing so from the convenience of your office computer.
Beginning in September 2016, we launched our first episode on Organizational Leadership, and yesterday we presented on Purpose-Driven Leadership and Goal Setting. Over the course of one school year, we will be covering an array of leadership topics:
September: Organizational Management
How do you structure and assign key responsibility areas for your team to streamline the “back-end” of learning? Are you ready for your Accreditation Report. Learn strategies on developing KRA’s and specific steps on how to plan for this year’s Accreditation Report.
Click Here to view the video and download the slides from the presentation.
October: Purpose-Driven Leadership and Goal Setting
What performance goals are you setting for your leadership team and yourself this year? What areas are you marking for your own evaluations? Re-visit ideas on the importance of service-oriented motivation, discuss ways to stay focused without burnout, and learn ways to set BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).
Click Here to view the video and download the slides from the presentation.
November: Dealing with Difficult People
What skills can you practice to manage difficult conversations with students, parents, or peers? Learn steps to follow when encountering stressful moments with others, and discover conflict resolution strategies that de-escalate “fired-up” people. Discover how these same strategies work with your peers or coworkers.
Click Here for more information or to register
December: Communication Strategies that Work
How are you overwhelming your community with the positive happenings at your school? Learn to defeat negativity and combat misperceptions as the chief communicator for your school. Also learn 10 digital tools for enhancing your communication, celebrating your school successes, and turning your stakeholders from critics into raving fans!
Click Here for more information or to register
January: “First Days of School” or Maintaining a Positive Culture
You’re half-way through the school year! How do you recapture the start-of-the-school-year enthusiasm? In this webinar, you will learn ‘first-days-of-school’ strategies that will help you finish the race strong for this second lap of school. Learn the 7 questions every principal must answer for a great start to 2017!
Click Here for more information or to register
February: Teamwork and Collaboration
Tuck in your cape, you are no superman! How do you team with others to reach goals you could never accomplish on your own? Learn ways to effectively strategize and plan for collaboration. Also, strong leadership happens when leaders are growing. Learn ways to connect with others in print, online, or in person for continuous growth and professional development.
Click Here for more information or to register
March: Maintaining Sanity All-Year Long
How do you maintain healthy mindsets and strategize for accomplishing major initiatives (like testing or collaboration) without burning out? Explore the challenges of work-life balance, and learn steps for accomplishing your goals through case-studies. Learn ways reach your school goals–while still liking your team members and yourself!
Click Here for more information or to register
April: RAO Visits and Celebrating the End of School
Spring time can be stressful with RAO visits and closing out the school year. See examples of how to effectively organize your reports. In addition, learn ways to maintain a culture of celebration among your students and staff. Discover ways teachers and school leaders are positively finishing their school year. Trade-in the exhaustion of “crunch-time” for standing ovations!
Click Here for more information or to register
Conclusion
It’s never easy to take time away from serving our schools for ongoing education. Thanks to technology, professional development can come is so many different forms. Whether it is through social media chats, blogging, podcasting, or webinars, the options for online sharing just keep growing.
Now It’s Your Turn
I’d love to hear about other great webinar options for school leaders that you’d recommend. Feel free to comment on this post, email me, or connect via Twitter at my handle @williamdp. Let’s keep sharing, learning, and growing!
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