When The Going Gets Tough…

There are so many aspects of leadership that no one tells you about.  They don’t write about it in a book, it’s not discussed in class, and it is most definitely NOT one of the ridiculous scenarios that you have to write about in class.  We made it through August pretty well considering that Hurricane Harvey dumped a bajillion gallons of water in the greater Houston area and left a monstrous path of destruction in his wake.  And believe it or not, I was semi-prepared to deal with that.  However, I was not prepared the death of a team member the week after the storm hit.

 

During a time when our city is trying to recover and rebuild, a time when so many coworkers are experiencing devastating losses, how do you lead them through the passing of a legend in our field and in our school district?  I have struggled with whether or not I got it right, or if I’m still getting it right.  But one thing is for sure, people are looking for me to lead…whether I wanted to or not.  Standing up in a meeting and basically eulogizing the person who led every meeting in that room in the past…someone who was far too young and taken away from us far too soon…that was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It’s definitely top 3 in my professional life.  In my personal life, I can say that the pains and hurts of the past actually did a great job of equipping me for this task. I’m used to loss. I’m used to remembering the good times and using those memories as fuel to move forward.  It was different to try to lead others through that process.  I’m grateful for the mentors who helped me navigate through this terrain and come out on the other side. I know that this isn’t over, but I’m happy to have survived the beginning of this ride.

 

Now, as I begin to put the pieces back together and attempt to move forward, I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine. I am trying to establish some procedures & policies that will help in the interim.  The position will be filled, and a new person will join our team in January.  I’m looking forward to that for many reasons, but the number one is simply a return to normalcy.  Thank you for bearing with me as I get it back together.

 

~Ashley

 

Leadership Reflections

First – Welcome to my blog! I’m not new to blogging, but this site is new for me.  I have been reading about the importance of leadership reflection, and I decided to create this blog as a way to reflect along my journey.  I normally spend quite a bit of time reflecting and analyzing everything, and this is my attempt to tunnel that focus into this particular area of my life.

 

In June 2017 I was named Digital Learning Coordinator for the school district in which I am employed.  I was simultaneously thrilled, nervous, excited, and scared.  The path that got me here has been filled with quite a few twists and turns, and it has definitely had some unexpected valleys that.  The climb from the bottom of the valley that led me to this position was hard, and at times I wanted to quit.  But I learned quite a few invaluable lessons along the way.  My goal is to use those lessons to help shape me into the leader that I want to be, and the leader that I have always wanted to follow. I hope that you will follow me along this journey.

 

To begin, I have set time aside to blog  about my experiences every other week. I don’t think it’s too much or too little given the hectic nature of my current work pace.  Besides, if we don’t make time to reflect, it usually doesn’t happen. That is why I have added it to my calendar. When the reminder goes off on my phone, I will drop everything and reflect.  It’s the new D.E.A.R. time! 🙂