Leadership Academy Day 1

Today I joined colleagues from around the state in The Leadership Academy, a professional development opportunity ran by the State of Missouri through the Regional Professional Development Centers.  According to the brochure, it is in its 29th year.  Bob went through the Leadership Academy with Doug Miller in the 90s sometime.  I remember how much he loved the experience.  He especially talked nonstop about his Outdoor Experience.  Notice that I capitalized it.  For me, this is one of the meetings I least look forward to doing.

Today we spend a lot of the day getting to know one another.  Our leaders are Ned Miller, (you might remember him from STARR teaching!), Michael Auer, (we worked together as principals at South Callaway) and David Buck (my current assistant superintendent).  We used Inside/Outside Circles, Have You Ever, and Hogsuckers (yep, that's right, Hogsuckers).  Each strategy was dissected for its potential to use in our own buildings.  Love that part.

We spent a good amount of time looking at the results of our Kolbe A Index scores.  The Kolbe A was designed by Kathy Kolbe who believed that the brain had a third factor, conation, that relies on our own instinctive nature.  A simple test of about 36 questions can determine your Kolbe A Index Result.  My results were 5-4-7-4.

There are four basic conations, behaviors driven by your instinct (not personality or IQ):

1. Fact Finder - is how you gather and share information
2. Follow Thru - is how you sort and store information
3. Quick Start - is how you deal with risks and uncertainty
4. Implementor - is how you handle space and tangibles

My red Fact Finder of 5 says that my best way of gathering and sharing information is by explaining, and getting the essential facts.  Those who know me are nodding their heads!  I love to talk and learned to talk early!  I like to use analogies, edit work, add details, and use appropriate vocabulary.

My blue Follow Thru of 4 says that my best way of arranging and designing information is by maintaining, dect discrepancies and adjust procedures.  I will coordinate a schedule, draft a guideline, review lists, record information (I was the secretary in several organizations) and monitor a policy. 

My green Quick Start of 7 says my best way of dealing with risk or uncertainty is by improvising, experiment to see what will happen!  I initiate change.  I experiment, provide lots of alternatives, ad lib, brainstorm lots of options.  This is my strongest conation.

My yellow Implementor of 4 says my best way of handling space and tangibles is by restoring, keep things working the way they should.  I utilize tools, look for body language and interpret it, test ingredients, and make creations of physical space.  When Bob and I moved, he made me little pieces of paper that allowed me to move the furniture around on a diagram of the room.  It sure saved his back from all the extra moving! 

The Index results even tell me to avoid certain stress in my life, things that I have done so much and gets me NO WHERE such as:  trying to prove my point; arguing over facts; working without a plan, trying to conform, sticking to a script, trying to avoid risks, being so literal.  All these things that have been tormenting me!!

My true nature is to race the clock! work with change! experimenting! doing things at the last minute! giving a million and one ideas!! Get things started (like book clubs!!).

No wonder Invent-A-Casserole was so cool to me!!  (the post before this one!!)

I am so looking forward to seeing how I can use my strengths to be creative during this school year.  Working with a school of blues and reds (who usually cannot stand the free-for-all-style of a green!) will present its challenges but I do believe I can learn to use everyone's strengths for the good of the school.  I am certainly eager to try!

For other greens out there, I found this very interesting article on the Kolbe A on Oprah.com.  Go and check it out to learn more!