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.

What Do You Know? Does Anybody Care?

March 30, 2016 by Susan Wing in Leadership

People who influenced my leadership style over the years did so because something they said impacted my thought process significantly and I saw first hand how they lived what they spoke. One such leader was Dr. Mary Bracegirdle. I was a young assistant principal and she was a Director of Middle School Education. Dr. Bracegirdle was passionate about middle school students and the learning that took place for this age group. Often she would say about the students, “They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

No matter your field or area of leadership, that statement will prove itself to be true. You may be an incredibly knowledgeable leader, but if you don’t have relationships with those you lead, they really don’t care what you know or care to implement what you ask. How then as a parent, a teacher, a leader can you create the environment that demonstrates that what you have to share is worth receiving? First…

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.

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:

Say What You Do...Do What You Say

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

What Do You Know? Does Anybody Care?

Admiration is a Funny Thing

When Craziness Makes No Sense

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