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Goal Alignment and Awareness

One of the more challenging responsibilities a leader has is connecting the day-to-day tasks of the team with the goals of the organization. This is particularly important in IT departments, where “keeping things running” can sometimes be so time-consuming that there seems to be no time for visionary ideas. If a CTO does not come up for air once in a while, and assess how time is being used, it is easy to slip into putting out fires and forget to focus on the vision of the organization. A key way that a CTO can make sure that the IT team is working towards the goals of the organization is to, first and foremost, have a solid understanding of the goals. Beyond attending meetings that address organizational-wide goals or reviewing goal-setting documents, having cross-departmental relationships can contribute to a CTO’s street-level understanding of goals and objectives to better position the IT department to help meet those goals. After a CTO absorbs all this information, taking time...
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Relationships and Management

Management is inherently about relationships. Management in K-12 organizations is doubly so—K-12 doesn't produce widgets or turn a profit, it's all about the people. Talking with people and building relationships is how a manager plays the "long game" of influence and getting things done. Trust is built through mutual respect that can only be developed over time. This means a lot of meetings, especially one-on-ones with your directs. The hosts of the excellent Manager Tools podcast frequently talk about the effectiveness of consistent one-on-ones as a way to build relationships, keep a feedback loop open, and learn how to tailor management styles for individual employees. Consistent check-ins with employees allow managers to empower but still keep a close eye on and informally measure progress on projects and goals. Managers can learn and match employees up with projects and tasks that meet the individual's interests and aspirations, even from outside of wo...
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Niggles

CTOs need to be extremely focused and organized. With so many demands on time and attention, an effective CTO is one who wisely uses time. To do this, a CTO needs to say "no" to a lot of demands on time and attention, but if there are things we find ourselves constantly saying “no” to, it might be time to step back and reevaluate. Take, for example, the case of the little recurring niggle. A niggle is any little thing that is a small annoyance in your day. It isn't a big enough deal that it forces you to deal with it, and is so small that it is easily worked around and ignored. It can be something as simple as a wireless mouse consistently not connecting when a computer wakes up from sleep, or the hinge on a door that squeaks every time someone comes into the office. Over time, these niggles chip away at happiness, attention, and ultimately our effectiveness. Make time and take time to fix recurring niggles where appropriate, and processes will flow more smoothly and yo...
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Making Decisions

I've been interviewing my mentors about decision making to improve my decision making skills. I have noticed a common thread in all these conversations with how they handle decisions. When making decisions, especially under pressure, step back. Take a moment, or sleep on the decision. Observe the context, be aware of the environment—sometimes environment forces a certain decision. Try to understand the pressures on the situation. Be as clear as possible on what is actually happening. Ask for help when making decisions. This is especially important during emergencies, if you have enough time. If you get stuck between options, pick a few that feel better and run it by a mentor or friend. Consider future impact your decision will have. Ask yourself: does this meet our department's vision? Does it fulfill the organization's goals? What impact will this have on us in the future? K-12 organizations are people organizations, and even small decisions can ripple through the o...
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Self-leadership: Getting Started

A form of self-leadership is not knowing all the answers but taking a step forward anyway. Sometimes the best way to get things done is to simply begin them, even with incomplete information or only parts of a plan. This takes courage, especially for people with perfectionist tendencies. People who want to develop self-leadership abilities are, by definition, interested in growing. Growth requires change, and change requires a first step. Perfection is not the goal; growth and meaningful, impactful work to affect positive change is. This doesn’t mean we have permission to break everything to build something new. A balance needs to be struck: things need to add value, but they don’t need to be perfect to achieve the goal. Plans and structure do matter. However, too much time looking at a problem to come up with a plan can result in paralysis. No forward progress is being made, nothing is changed—which means there is no growth and no impact.
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