It was Field Day 2005 and I was just trying to be helpful. I arrived at the field early and asked Mrs. Ankney if there was anything that I could do. She asked me to use the manual line painter and paint the finish line for the 50 yard dash and the 100 yard dash. She had already set up the cones, I just needed to walk in a straight line, from cone to cone, and squeeze the handle on the line painter. So, I painted the 50 yard dash finish line. I walked slowly and looked ahead of me and behind me and kept checking the line as I walked. When I got to the other cone, I expected to turn around and see a line that looked like something that you would see inside of an Olympic stadium. What I saw was the most crooked, wavy line that I had ever seen and I also saw Mrs. Ankney doubled over with laughter. “You’re doing it wrong!” , she said. “Apparently.” , I said. Before I tried again at the 100 yard cones, she told me the secret to painting a straight line. Mrs. Ankney said, “While you are walking, don’t look down. Pick a tree off in the distance and stare at it. Don’t take your eyes off of that tree and just walk and squeeze the handle.” The result? I painted one of the straightest lines I’ve ever seen… Sometimes we run our schools like the line I painted for the 50 yard dash. Eyes down, head on a swivel, putting out fires, giving attention to what is latest and loudest and 6 inches in front of our face. I get it. I led that way for years But, what our school actually needs is someone who is also looking at the horizon. The leader needs to see things farther away and sooner than everyone else. Unfortunately, the tyranny of the urgent makes this feel impossible. On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, we are going to answer the following question: Are You Running Your School Or Leading Your School? Thank you for taking me along with you when you are walking the dog, driving to school or running errands. I appreciate you and what you are doing for the lucky kids and teachers at your school. Thanks so much for listening and thanks for making a difference! Mark Minkus I want to say thank you for listening to the podcast by giving you a FREE GIFT. It is called The 7 Steps To Having Successful Meetings With Upset Parents . This guide is an 11 page pdf that gives you a step by step plan to have better meetings with the parents at your school. Every good coach has a game plan. Every good teacher has a lesson plan. Too many private school leaders don’t have a plan when they sit down to meet with an upset parent. Well, now you have a PLAN! You can grab this FREE GUIDE at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/meeting Being a private school leader is a VERY difficult job. You have to make hundreds of decisions every day, and you have to keep everyone safe, increase enrollment, keep the parents happy, keep the board happy, motivate the teachers, deal with student discipline, beat last year’s test scores and come in under budget. That can lead to you feeling tired, discouraged and stressed out. I’ve been there. That’s why I created THRIVE Academy just for you. THRIVE Academy is a digital course that will help you get out of survival mode and get back to feeling energized at school. To learn more, go to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/thrive Are any of these statements true about you? The "tyranny of the urgent" controls my day, and I start working on my important tasks when the school gets quiet. I feel discouraged, lonely, exhausted and stressed out. I'm not sure that my job is sustainable. My school invades every part of my professional and personal life. I want to have a long and happy and fulfilling career as a private school leader. I feel called to do this work, but I am not sure how long I can keep doing it if nothing changes. I have felt that way many times during my career. That’s why I created the PSL Pro Membership PSL Pro is a membership community that helps Private School Leaders go from feeling stressed out, discouraged and lonely to feeling energized, fulfilled and supported. You will have access to a thriving community of school leaders who actually "get it" and "get you"! We go LIVE every week for a Masterclass, a Success Path Group Coaching Session, two "We Get It" Roundtable Sessions and a live Q&A about anything and everything related to Private School Leadership. The PSL Pro Success Path is a Step by Step Plan to get you from where you are to where you want to be as a leader. Different Levels: The Overwhelmed Drifter, The Intentional Architect, all the way to The Fulfilled Mentor. After you choose your level, you will be guided, step-by-step, through the content in THRIVE Academy. This content, along with my guidance and the support of other leaders, will take you from where you are all the way to being The Fulfilled Mentor! Learn more about how you can join the PSL Pro community by going to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/membership Is it just me or are the parents at our schools getting more dem
