#CelebrateMonday
October 1, 2018
As our week begins the St. Louis Cardinal season is coming to a close.
Fans throughout the city, state, and country are lamenting that they will not be able to see their favorite team continue to make a run through the month of October - and I am certainly one of them.
For fans like me, the Cardinals gave me something to look forward to as every game mattered on the final stretch of the season, and as I look back on the season now, I realize that there are several things I can learn from the players and the organization.
Relationships Matter in Leadership
When things are out of balance and there is a lack of harmony in the clubhouse, the team is less productive and fails to be successful.
Toward the end of Matheny's tenure with the Cardinals, it was becoming increasingly obvious that things weren't all sunshine and roses within the Cardinal organization. Players and Matheny were not seeing eye-to-eye there appeared to be an increasing lack of respect between the two.
As the relationship between the leader and the team became more and more strained, the less success the team experienced together.
While it is unreasonable to believe that employees will always love their employers, it is important to remember that the relationship between the two matters significantly, and that it is the leader's responsibility to ensure the relationship is healthy.
When we maintain healthy relationships with those we are leading, we are far more likely to experience greater success as an educational organization. By showing that we value our staffs and by working to support them, we indicate that we truly care about them and the work that they do. Even if we aren't the favorite person of some of our staff members, we will still have their respect, and we will continue to see their dedication and hard work.
Play is Important
In the midst of the hard work, we must find moments and time for play and laughter! It gives us balance and it brings us joy!
The Cardinals find time for play amidst their hard work. On the bench, on the field, and in the dugout, the players engage in playful behavior throughout the course of the game. This year, in particular, we witnessed lots of salsa scooping and conga lines. And if you keep an eye out, you will almost always be able to find Adam Wainwright doing something silly in the dugout.
Balancing that hard work with laughter and play helps us to grow as a work/educational community and allows us to not only let off a little steam but also to connect with each other (and also to not take ourselves quite so seriously all the time!).
It's Not Over Until It's Over - and Even Then, We Can Try Again
This year, the Cardinals most certainly demonstrated for us both the impact a good leader can have on a team and the importance of a growth mindset. Instead of listening to the negative rhetoric and rolling over for the season, the Cardinals continued to try new ways to be successful.
In education, we work with a million different variables every single day. The students who cross our thresholds bring with them their individual personalities as well as physical, mental, and emotional needs that are unique to only them. In order for us to successfully move them through a year's worth of skill-building and content acquisition, we have to figure out how to navigate all of those unique and individual traits. That's tricky work - and it can sometimes feel impossible.
And as leaders, the challenge doesn't stop there. The teachers and staff with whom we work also bring with them their own individual and unique needs and personalities. Our job as leaders is to support each one of them as they work to navigate the individuals they attempt to teach each day!
We can't give up! We must continue to encourage them - even when they feel like the Cardinals may have felt back in July like the situation is hopeless. We have to help them see that while they may be striking out today - the homerun is attainable and so is the ultimate win! We can all do this!
And make sure you take time to make this the best Monday of the week!
Baseball season may be over for this year, but I know the Cardinals are already thinking about how they can make next year the best year yet!
But for now: Let's go Blues!
Cheers!