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    • Jul 23, 2020

#134



Of all the PD offerings available during the pandemic and the subsequent period of lockdown restrictions being eased, I have - despite the start time being 22.00 KL time - especially appreciated the Pearls of Wisdom offered by the PTC (The Principals’ Training Center) during June and July 2020.


The Pearls of Wisdom, an integral part of the PTC experience, is an opportunity for course participants to share a significant learning and/or strategies pertaining to leadership and more at the start of each day of the seven day course. This year, the Pearls were offered by experienced leaders in international schools who most summers find themselves in Miami, London, or Rome as PTC course facilitators.


The Pearls of Wisdom shared over the last four weeks were excellent in both delivery and content. I certainly had takeaways from each and every one of them and the Pearls of Wisdom which, for various reasons, most resonated with me were as follows:


  • Steve Druggan: Situational Leadership. A timely reminder about Blanchard’s model and an introduction to the platinum role (“treat others as they wish to be treated” in contrast to the golden rule, “treat others as you wish to be treated”). During the question session, he shared interview questions which relate to EQ and more and also shared strategies to keep morale high during a crisis situation and - more importantly - ways to monitor and, as necessary, offer professional support to individuals.


  • Ji Han: Leadership is a Building Endeavor. She started with Linda Fisher Thornton’s quote, "At its best, leadership is not an event, it’s a building endeavor, a process of human growth and development.” Using the acronym of GROWTH (Giving, Reflection, Opportunity, Wonder, Teams, Health), she made analogies between hiking in Switzerland and leadership. I especially appreciated (as part of health) Ji Han highlighting the importance of self-care.

  • Matt Parr: Variety or Alignment? A powerful analogy connecting parenting and teaching with curriculum development and leadership. He also focusses on the importance of aligning one’s leadership approach with the needs of those one is leading and draws on his personal experience and knowledge as a music teacher/conductor.


  • Erin Robinson: Know Yourself as an Interculturally Responsive Leader. Erin focusses on two of the essential questions from the Leadership and Team Dynamics course (Q4: What are the communication skills required for effective leadership? and Q7: How do I know myself as a leader and how can I continuously improve?) which foster awareness, reflection and next steps regarding communication and skill set/knowledge. She reiterates the importance of looking through the cultural lens and being aware of personal and professional intersections on leadership. Regarding cultural awareness, she shares two models (Cultural Proficiency Continuum, Intercultural Development Continuum). As to intercultural communication, she discusses bias and unconscious bias and draws on various research (Ladder of Inference, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, Meyer’s The Culture Map). Her pearl ended with the following: Always ask yourself how your culture, bias, privilege, and experience influence your leadership and communication.


  • Tambi Tyler: Empathy and Leadership. This pearl was based on the question, What experiences have shaped you, and how can you reach others who are different?. Tambi highlights the importance of developing empathy in leadership by being aware of one’s own story, being a teacher, being a student, and being aware of the experiences of those with whom one interacts. This awareness comes through self-reflection and, in part, learning from others including Peter Senge and Brene Brown. She shares Brene Brown’s “anatomy of trust”, BRAVING acronym [Boundaries. Reliability. Accountability. The Vault. Integrity. Non-judgement. And generosity.] and this wonderful visual:




Thanks to Bambi and The PTC team and all the facilitators who, over these last four weeks, delivered Pearls of Wisdom and shared their wisdom, insight and inspiration.



I thoroughly enjoyed the four summers I spent in London taking PTC courses [Creating and Administering an Effective School (2014), Leadership and Team Dynamics (2015), Assessment Leadership in the International School (2016) and Instructional Supervision (2017)]. Each and every day of the PTC courses, a Pearl of Wisdom was a wonderful way to start the day and learn about inspirational practices in schools around the world. In July 2017, I was honoured to share my own Pearl of Wisdom which focussed on an activity to remind all that despite our best intentions, misjudged words and actions can have a huge impact on our relationships and school culture and may have long lasting repercussions.



If you have not seen any of the PTC Pearls of Wisdom, I would certainly encourage you to do so.


References:

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