Dealing with Difficult People with William Parker Transformative Principal 076

This is my second interview with Will Parker. Will wrote a book called Principal Matters: the motivation, courage, action, and teamwork needed for school leadership, and so we talk about his wisdom that is contained therein. Go ahead and buy it.

I interviewed Will in Episode 24 of Transformative Principal.

• A little discussion about technology.
• Some information on his book.
• How to make decisions.
• Write things down when they are still fresh so you know how to do it next time.
• Write processes down now so that you have them next time.
• Make a list and prioritize.
• How to delegate effectively.
• Importance of taking time off to recharge.
• The power of good mentors.
• Writing a letter of resignation.
• How to live without putting out fires all the time!
• Give instruction on the front end to make expectations more effective.
• Great teachers teach with both sides of their brains at once.
• More about KRAs (which we spoke about in Episode 24).

Part 2

• Dealing with difficult people.
  • Make sure you are not the difficult person.
  • Seek to understand before being understood.
  • Be firm but friendly.
  • Change your posture or use humor when appropriate.
  • Agree to disagree.
  • Consider bringing all parties to the table.
  • What can I do to help you?
  • Sometimes it is inevitable to have difficult conversations.
• Communicate privately with staff members when there is a difficulty.
• Big fan of just being honest.
• Talk straight with each other.
• Relationships are so important for every teacher and staff member.
• “It’s not an issue of me and you, it’s an issue of you and you.”
• Buy his book!

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