Getting Unstuck #143: Staying Grounded on What Matters

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Today on Getting Unstuck

Dr. Michael Hynes is a public school superintendent for the Port Washington School District in NY and an Associate Professor in Educational Leadership at Long Island University. Michael is a Fulbright Specialist, TEDx speaker and author of the best-selling book Staying Grounded: 12 Principles to Transform School Leader Effectiveness.

Michael Hynes on why this conversation matters

“If you’re an aspiring leader, and you want to make a difference, you need to have Rhino skin. Not, you know, little baby skin; not teenage skin. You need to have Rhino skin because you're going to get everything thrown at you. And you need to be very centered and have defined your own core values: what are the two or three hills that you are willing to die on. Don't make it ten, don't make it twenty. Don't even make it 7. Make it 3. And you’ll want everybody to know what those three things are:

- This is what gets me up in the morning.

- This is my North Star.

- These are non negotiable things for me as an educator, that I am not wavering from just telling you, right?

You also need to take care of yourself in every which way – not just in a physical way. But certainly in a in a mental way to learn how to take care of yourself. And to know that the time that you take to take care of yourself is an investment that you will have significant return on. Because when you serve others, you become very depleted very quickly. And you need to take the time to do that.”

How you can put this podcast to work

  1. How much does your school or district work with kids to figure out their personal North Star, their passions?

  2. Mike speaks of the critical need for students to engage in recess and mindful activities. What, if anything, is your school or district doing along these lines?

  3. We make the point in the conversation that the focus on Language Arts and Math has negatively impacted students’ historical and media literacy. What is your school or district doing to counteract that loss?

Referenced

The Element by Sir Kenneth Robinson

Mike’s TEDx Talk

Connect with Michael

LinkedIn

Twitter:

@PortSupt

@MikeHynes5

@bookstaying

Instagram:

michael_hynes7

staying_grounded_book

Jeff Ikler