Say What You Do...Do What You Say

May 18, 2016 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

Tervis Tumblers…not a promotion or any kickback for my thoughts, but they impressed me this week with their integrity. Integrity is a key ingredient for sound leadership. Integrity is defined as the adherence to moral and ethical principals; soundness of moral character; honesty. Good leaders cast a vision (they say what they do or are going to do) and they do what they say (with integrity). It’s funny how the day-to-day experiences of life can instruct us if we pause long enough to realize it.

We own a plethora of Tervis Tumblers and use them on a daily basis. While they are not fine crystal, I like that coasters are not needed to protect my furniture and my drinks stay cold longer. We have a small group that gathers at our house on Monday nights and since there are a variety of designs on our glasses, everyone gets their own glass with a different design and it makes it easy to determine which glass is yours. Tervis advertises a lifetime guarantee on their product. While I knew this, I had never put it to the test. As a glass became defective, I set it aside and thought I should send it back. After ten years, I had seven glasses in a pile to return someday. Since I am finally retired, I decided that someday was now, so I went to the Tervis website and easily found the information needed to return the glasses.

Now, leadership and integrity were put to the test.

Life Is Short...Take a Risk and Throw a Mullet

May 03, 2016 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

Whether you are the leader of an organization, the leader of a classroom, a leader in your church or the leader of your children, you will always have the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk. Will you take the risk or play it safe? Recently, I decided to head to the beach with some girl friends of mine. One of them researching the area wanted to know if I had ever been to the Flora-Bama (a bar on the Florida/Alabama line). My comment was, “I have driven by it many times.” She then informed me that we would be in town on the weekend of their annual “mullet toss”. Now I must admit that I had heard and wondered about the mullet toss, but had never been in town during this particular event. While I am not a bar person, the thought of watching people fling a fish across state lines did interest me somewhat.

Follow the Leader

March 02, 2016 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

When I was a little girl, we often played a game called “Follow the Leader”. One of us was chosen to be the leader, becoming the first in the line, and everyone in line behind us had to mimic or do what the leader did. If the leader skipped, we skipped. If the leader raised their hands, the rest of us in the line raised our hands. As a child, everyone wanted to be chosen to be the leader. Pick, me…Pick me! We thought this game was fun! Even in this childhood game, the person being the leader influences the actions of those following them.

As adults, we often shy away from leadership and few of us believe being a leader is fun. We may doubt our ability to lead or prefer to be a follower. We may question our capabilities, temperament and creativity. Whether we believe ourselves to have leadership qualities or not, we are all leaders. Wherever you live and whatever you do, people are following you. They are observing your behavior and following your lead. Are you a parent? Your children are following you. Are you employed? Those you work with are following you. Do you ever leave your house? Those you encounter are following you. Do you post on social media? Someone is following you. Whether you want to be a leader or not, you are.

Admiration is a Funny Thing

January 28, 2016 by Susan Wing in Leadership, Leadership Lessons

We admire things; we admire people; sometimes we admire our leaders. Take a minute to think about the people and leaders that you admire. What qualities do they possess? It is possible as well to admire people that you have never met, based on the qualities you hear about or see represented.

Frequently, I walk a three-mile loop through my neighborhood. One of the houses that I pass on my walk is different from the rest. Although I don’t know the people who live in this particular house, I greatly admire the woman of the household. The inhabitants of the houses I pass remain mostly unseen. I observe the lawns, the gardens and the pets that are racing to the edge of the yard to bark at me. In this particular house, however, the mom is always out in the front yard playing with her children. Today when I passed by she was playing soccer with her daughter and then switching off to shoot free throws in the driveway with the boys. She was not watching them play, or checking Facebook on her phone while they played, she was playing with them. I admire this woman whom I do not know. Good leaders take the journey side by side those they lead. They don’t direct from afar; good leaders are in the game participating in the work that has to be done.

Time to Close the Book

December 29, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons, Points to Ponder, Words of Wisdom

It’s the end of December and it’s time to close the book on the past year. Some of us will have experienced great joy through events such as a wedding, the birth of a child or the start of a new career. Others will have experienced great sorrow and perhaps loss, such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, sorrow from having to leave home and relocate or being faced with an illness that interrupts our life. Finally, we may be ambivalent; nothing really great or terrible seemed to happen to us in the past year.

Whichever category you find yourself in, it is time to close the book and look ahead. The truth is that we cannot change the past; we can only learn from it and seek the treasures that the past leaves.

Remember and Believe the Best

December 08, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons, Points to Ponder

t’s Christmastime and one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time when we re-connect with friends and take the time to visit and share good times with one another. Since Christmas comes at the end of the calendar year, it is also a great time to look back at the year and remember the best. Although for many there will have been sadness and troubles during the year, I believe that while we remember it all, we should try and focus on the good.

As I was preparing our family Christmas cards, I went to my photo files on my computer and began with January searching for good photographs to include on our yearly card. This was a great reminder of the blessings and the best of this year! I looked for the best events, best photos of family members and best unique experiences of this year – those were the things that I wanted to draw from and share with others when they saw our Christmas card. During this busy season of the year, I think it is critical to take time to stop and remember the best…

Lead By Example

November 17, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons, Points to Ponder

"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

How often have we heard that kids will listen to what you say, but will do what they see you do? People that we lead may hear what we say and ask, but will model their actions based on what they see from us. Leaders are often told to lead by example, but what does that really mean? As a parent, teacher and leader, I have always tried to lead by example, but must admit that at times I have been guilty of not taking the time to set up the path to success.

As a parent, I told my children numerous times, “Go clean your room…”
As a teacher, I told my students numerous times, “Study for your test…”
As a principal, I told my teachers numerous times, “Do what is best for your students…”

While all of these are good statements, taking the statement and providing concrete ways to success makes the difference in being an effective leader as opposed to an instruction giver. I happened to see a real life example of leadership in action last week while visiting Disneyworld.

One Word

November 05, 2015 by Susan Wing in Interesting Icebreakers, Leadership Lessons, Words of Wisdom

One word…one sentence…makes more of an impact than you know. Just as a stone ripples the water when thrown into the lake, our words impact all who hear them. Words fling open the door for others to be encouraged and feel confident or words close the door and bring thoughts of inadequacy and failure. What are the words you hear? What are the words you speak? Let’s open the door and think about the power of our words.

November seems to be the time of the year that we stop and consider all that we are thankful for. Gratitude becomes the word of the month and I believe that it is powerful to look around and ponder the things for which we are grateful! Appreciation and gratitude was going to be the focus of this piece, but life happens and the experiences of the day are dictating a slight re-routing of my thoughts.

Traditions

October 28, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

This time of the year is steeped in traditions for my family and me. As I began planning for my fall traditions, I began to ponder their importance. Traditions play a huge role in our families and should also be a part of any organization’s culture. By definition, a tradition is the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice. More than that, traditions become our roots and our anchors helping define and reminding us who we are.

The fall is probably my favorite season of the year. After a hot, humid summer, I welcome the cooler temperatures and seem to be always astounded by the beauty of the changing colors of the leaves on the trees. Fall is also the time in my family where traditions are anticipated and embraced. In late September, there is usually a trip to the North Georgia Mountains to visit Mercier Orchards to purchase apples, apple butter and various syrups and jellies. This trip is often accompanied with a hike on a trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. When my children were teenagers, we would usually take off after church on Sunday and head north. Most years they went happily, other years they wondered why their mother couldn’t just buy apples at the grocery store like other mothers did.

Time to Invest

October 06, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons, Words of Wisdom

As a school principal, I worked hard to have an open door policy with my staff. In addition to keeping my office door open, I set aside time every Monday to make myself available to whoever wanted to drop by and speak with me. Did they have a procedural question? Were clarifications needed about an upcoming event? Perhaps they just wanted to share something exciting or troublesome that was going on in their life.

With all of my intent to be open and available to my staff, it never failed. A huge deadline would be looming and there was much that needed to be done. It was at that exact moment someone would come to my office door and say those dreaded words, “Do you have a minute?”

When Craziness Makes No Sense

September 14, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

I have noticed an upward trend recently and now feel compelled to write about it; there is an increasing lack of common sense in decision-making. I almost wrote about this several weeks ago, but two events in the past two days have convinced me that now is the time.

I firmly believe that the key for success whether a parent, an organization, a teacher, a restaurant, etc.is that there must be the ability to use common sense when making a decision. In an organization, that ability comes from a strong training program with the leader of the organization inspiring the confidence of the worker and the framework for those common sense decisions to be made.

So what were the events and the tipping point to inspire this particular subject? They involve two fast food restaurants, one national park and one teacher conversation. Here you go…names omitted:

Appreciate Who You Are

August 25, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons

With all of the students returning to college, I began to reflect on that amazing time of my life. It was the fall of 1976 and I was seventeen years old when my parents dropped me off at Georgia Southern. I don’t know if they cried or not on the way back home, but I was elated to be off and on my own! As the daughter of a preacher, I had been raised in a fairly strict environment and I loved the new experience of walking out of my dorm and not having to respond to those questions I had become so accustomed to… “Where are you going? Who are you going with? What time will you be back?” Obviously, as I became a parent myself, I learned to appreciate those questions as they were really parental efforts to keep me safe from the dangers of the world, but at the time - not so much.

What I loved most about college was that I began to learn more about myself and began a journey of appreciating who I was without feeling the need to change in order to please someone else. Here are a few of the things that I learned about myself early on:

Find Your Happy Place

August 19, 2015 by Susan Wing in Words of Wisdom, Leadership Lessons

“Just look at that view…look at it closely, really take it all in…now close your eyes and take a breath…can you still see the water, feel the breeze and visualize how beautiful and peaceful this is?”

A little over eleven years ago, while my husband and I were on our honeymoon, this was our view. We had left the cares of the world behind, and were enjoying a time of rest and relaxation. I knew that in just a few short days I would be catapulted back into my work environment - a school of over 1500 students at the end of the school year where I would be facing a chaotic schedule operating at warp speed. It was at that moment that I decided to begin a new tradition, that of finding and remembering my happy place.

Circle Up & Connect

August 13, 2015 by Susan Wing in Interesting Icebreakers, Leadership Lessons, Words of Wisdom

I once attended a retreat where we sat in rows. At the start of the event, we were asked to find out a few things about the person seated next to us and then introduce them to the group. While the activity was a good way to break the ice, the “row” effect minimized the impact of our bonding together. Making one small change – that of changing the seating arrangement from rows to a circle made all the difference in the activity.

As we sat in a circle, we were able to see the person’s face and their expressions as they spoke. We were better able to get a feel for those in the group because we could make eye contact and smile at them as they shared. Taking the time to connect is critical both in the work environment and in life.

Great leaders connect with those that they lead.

You Can Make A Difference

August 07, 2015 by Susan Wing in Words of Wisdom, Leadership Lessons

We have the opportunity to make a difference each and every day. The words – “make a difference” are often overused and often ignored. Since it is such a broad statement, we skim right over it. We think of making a difference in big ways and perceive ourselves to be too inadequate, too busy and too unconnected to be able to make a difference.

For many years, I worked with middle school students. One of the things that I love most about this age group is that they will rally around a cause. When they learn about Africa and wells needed, they want to help. If someone they know is suffering from cancer or another disease, they want to help. I currently know a young man who decided that his homeless friend needed a home, so he has set out to raise the money to buy the man a home! (You can find information about how to help him on his Facebook page – Pickles With A Purpose). Sometimes I feel that we as adults could take a few lessons from the young. I heard Andy Stanley say recently that when someone has an idea, we should in response say, "Wow!" instead of "How?" I am greatly encouraged by Luke and am "Wowed" that he has taken this on and is working toward providing a home for his friend!

Learning From Mistakes

August 04, 2015 by Susan Wing in Leadership Lessons, Words of Wisdom

I was hurting for a local school and school principal yesterday as social media lit up with photographs and comments about the misspelled word on their outdoor announcement board. What should have read, “We are glad you are here” instead said, “We are glad you are hear”. What a travesty and nightmare for the beginning of a new school year! Comments are flying about the quality of public education and how our children are affected. Here is the reality…

We will all make mistakes. Some of them are extremely costly and others cause minimal damage. It is not the mistake itself that defines us, but rather how we handle the mistake that we have made. As a leader, our perception is that if we make a mistake, we will be considered weak and ineffective. Mistakes actually give us the opportunity to take responsibility and to change our direction and behavior as a result of that mistake.

Thankful for “Do-Overs” (New Beginnings)

July 25, 2015 by Susan Wing in Fun, Leadership Lessons, Words of Wisdom

It occurred to me this morning as my brain was busy just before I woke, that for the first time in thirty-five years, I will not be immersed in a school setting at the beginning of the school year. No more welcome back teacher celebrations announcing our theme for the year…no more meet the students and parents to celebrate all that will be in store for them…I will instead be blogging about this celebratory time and attempting to inspire from afar.

Most of my educator colleagues and friends will be beginning their new journey this week. For educators everywhere, the start of a new school year is approaching and it is exciting! There is anticipation as they wonder, “What will the year hold? What type of students will I have?” “Will I have what it takes to meet the expectations of my school, the students and parents that I serve and to meet the highest expectations – those of my own to be great and make a difference. The thoughts of their leader are slightly different, wondering how in the world to inspire them to welcome the challenges that will surely come.