After my 200th podcast, I had some great reflection. I went back and looked at many of the guests I’ve met, their leadership stories, and just the collaborative nature of the whole program. Everyone has a story to tell and I was blessed to be around to hear their stories, and share them as well with our audience.
I recently interviewed Michael Carter, my friend from Lakeview, Oregon. Michael is a Superintendent in the area and shared about his district in the beautiful area of Lake County, and of course his leadership as well. One of the practices he shared was his “hold me accountable” question. He meets with his administrators 1-on-1 every other week and ends each meeting with that question. What is something that they need him to be accountable for? Get done? Or take off their plates?
The question is clear, authentic, and purposeful for both parties. The school administrator gets to tell the superintendent to please do something without offending or overburdening him. This in turn gets the superintendent valuable feedback on what his people really need and what he can do for them. Hold me accountable. Such a simple statement, yet I think there is a lot of value and power behind it.
I’m going to work this into my routine with my team at school. I think people are hesitant to point things out to their supervisors or administrators, but I feel like this is a way they can do it in a professional manner. Kudos to Michael for asking the questions, and then taking action upon their accountability requests.
Best to you in your journey as you continue to lead, model, survive, and thrive. If I can help you in any way don’t hesitate to reach out at @andrewmarotta21 on Twitter! Keep rolling!
Quote: “What you stay focused on will grow.”
― Roy T. Bennett
