Leadership Meme Tag Continues On

Kim, while I desperately am craving sleep (especially with a new round of antibiotics roaming my body in search of my crazy cold/flu season enemies), I appreciated reading your latest meme on 7 leadership instincts.  Flattered to be tagged.  Here's what comes to mind immediately:

1. The kids are cooler than the teacher.  I believe this.  Always did. Especially when I was in the classroom daily with 5 or 6 periods of students entering my room.  And it was my job to help them be extraordinary first and foremost on as regular a basis as possible.
2. I want to be the dullest crayon in the box.  Constantly.  Without expectation.  Likewise, I am typically pound-for-pound the most curious.  That means I'm eager to hear what you think.  Even if I have a decent idea, I want -- no, crave -- to hear your ideas.
3. Everything is possible. Not interested in the dozen reasons 'why not' -- instead, I want to hear the dozen reasons 'how we can pull it off."  I'll give you endless room to test your ideas if you start with that mindset.
4. Nothing we can't figure out together.  Especially on-the-fly.  We're blessed to be in this situation.  Being exhausted and let down is no excuse to forget that simple truth.
5. Looking someone in the eye always counts.  Looking them in the eye when you're listening counts even more.  Apologizing when you claimed to be listening, but were just creating a better response instead, is also key.
6. Stealing this directly from Will Richardson, but it felt so spot-on that I am now using it to describe the previous 5:  "Everyone that comes my way is my teacher." 
7. If I bring on single thing to the equation of value, it is an ability to see patterns forming rather than to get bogged down in linear silos.  Especially when ideas, topics, and qeustions seem so to be so far spread apart.  Sometimes this helps when you need to help a group come to consensus.

Okay, sportsfans, here is my quick set of tags in response:  Dan (DY/Dan), the Reflective Teacher, Dr. Scott McLeod (Dangerously Irrelevant), and Karl (Fischbowl).   

Comments

[Rick]

I think Dan has been hit up two or three times now. Hopefully one of us will be able to get to him.

[the reflective teacher]

Oh man. How do I do this wihout parroting what you've already written? This one's gonna take some thinking.