April 6, 2019

Do you know your why? [MLM412]

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I have a very important question for you. If you don’t know the answer to this question, you should spend some serious time in reflection…

So, here’s the question: Do you know your why?

Have you ever stopped to think about why you do what you do? As a leader, you will have good days and not so good days. When the not so good days occur, it will be extremely important to understand your why.

Recently I was reminded of my why. Several years ago, I meet a young lady, who entered high school as a freshman. I would love to tell you we hit it off immediately, however that would not be true. The truth is this student could not stand the sight of me.

During our first encounter, the student’s dislike for me was very evident. When I asked her name, she used several inappropriate words to tell me how much she disliked me. Needless to say, our relationship got off on the wrong foot.

Over the next four years, every encounter with this young lady was less than pleasant. In fact, she would go out of her way to either avoid me or try to upset. No matter what she did I would always address her in a professional manner, which made her more upset.

At the end of her fourth year, she transferred to another school. When she transferred, I had mixed emotions. Part of me was relieved because I would not have to deal with this young lady. However, another part of me was disappointed because I felt like I failed this student.

After the student transferred, I spoke with her new principal to find out how she was doing. When I asked him how she was doing, he shook his head and took a deep breath. As I listened to him, I remembered my first encounter with the student.

As the year came to a close, I was sitting in my office when someone knocked on my window. You guessed it! It was my former student. As I opened the door, the student grabbed me and gave me a big hug.

She was so excited to see me. As we stood in the office talking, she told me I was her favorite principal. I was completely surprised by her statement based on our previous encounters. When I reminded her of our first encounter, she just laughed.

When I finished, she smiled and told me how much she appreciated me. She told me she knew I never gave up on her. The student apologized for her behavior and invited me to her graduation.

She wanted her favorite principal to share in her success.

As I watched her walk across the stage, I was reminded of my “why”. The joy on her face made the journey worthwhile. After the ceremony, she hugged and thanked me! Driving home, I was reminded of the following quote:

“Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.”

Simon Sinek

To expand your influence as a leader, you must understand your why, because it is the key to your success. When you know your why, it will serve as fuel for your what and how.

Do you know your why?

#YourLeadershipGuide
Kim


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Dr. Kim Moore

About the author

I'm Kim, your Educational Leadership Guide. I equip educational leaders with research-based and experientially learned educational leadership principles and best practices to promote student success.


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