Thought:
What is meaningful work without courage? How can we grow in kindness, truth, mercy, generosity and honesty without the PROOF of courage? It is easy to say we possess these qualities but, until they are tested and met with bravery, they are simply words. There is no honor when courage is absent. Step into your present with the courage to do the hard things. Defend what is right. Stand up for your fellow man. Lean into courage and you will always be able to walk in dignity.
Tip:
Many of us lead people everyday, in some capacity. Whether we are parenting our kids or managing groups of people professionally, we are leading others. Thus, it is important to remember that our followers assess how we respond to stress, resistance and disappointment and tend to emulate our behaviors. Brene Brown, one of the leading social workers/researchers on valuable topics such as shame, vulnerability and courage, explores the behaviors of those exhibiting daring leadership:
- Have difficult conversations: Courageous leaders have the challenging, sometimes emotional conversations, even when they don’t want to.
- Embrace fears and feelings: Courageous leaders understand they need to spend time attending to the fears and feelings of those who follow them or spend a significant amount of time dealing with the impact of these feelings and fears. These leaders understand that they need to embrace what is driving the fears of their people.
- Show people how to re-set: Courageous leaders encourage people to make mistakes, reset, and bounce back. In fact, these leaders would rather hire someone who is not perfect but has the ability to bounce back and learn from mistakes.
- Focus on the root cause: Courageous leaders focus on problem-solving and getting to the root cause of issues. Although it’s easy to find a quick fix, a courageous leader stays in the problem to determine the cause. Once the cause is found, they go into problem-solving mode.
Thanks:
I want to express genuine gratitude for the three years I have spent at Willow Charter Academy. Many amazing relationships were forged in the hallways and classrooms of that building. Things were not perfect but that was not a requirement to keep me coming back, year after year. It was my love for the students and the great work we did as a team. Whether it was working late nights to get a job done, convening and collaborating on best practices to ensure optimal growth in a student or participating in holiday potlucks, we worked as a team. So it is with profound sadness to announce that I was required to resign from my position as school social worker at Willow Charter Academy. It boiled down to doing what was right even though it wasn’t the popular option. Although my goal to find solutions that would allow me to continue to work with the students of WCA was not realized, I am forever thankful for the opportunity to work alongside some wonderful people over the years. I am proud to know I left my position in a significantly better place than I found it. 😊 Willow Charter teachers and staff, remember that you are highly valuable, both as individuals and as a team, and should always be treated with the utmost professional respect. You guys are truly amazing! Just know, this is not goodbye. This is simply “until we meet again”. ♥️