Bonus: Who are you? With Craig Martin

Show Notes, Episode 51: Who are you? With Craig MartinAbout this show:Last spring several of the assistant principals in our APEx group asked if we could work on howAPs can influence school culture without over-stepping their boundaries. One AP noted thatthis could be especially problematic if you and your principal had very different styles. Backthen I approached this as a culture question, but today I’m looking at it differently. Today, I’mthinking about this through two lenses. The first is authenticity: how do I do a job whereeveryone is watching me all the time, and make sure that I am true to myself? The second lensis sociological.If we were in a room together and someone introduced me as “a leader” you would not besurprised because I look the part. I’m a 6-2 white male in my late 50’s, I have a good speakingvoice and I know how to engage with people. And yes, I coached football. In other words, Imeet the societal expectations of what leaders look and sound like in our culture.But what about everyone else? What does it mean to be a leader in schools when you don’tlook like me? How do you maintain your authenticity when the expectations of who can leadand how they should lead are still relatively narrow and rigid?Notable QuotesCraig Martin“To be authentic, in my opinion, means that you recognize in the spaces where you walk, youbreathe, you lead, that you allow the pulses of the young people who are moving about, theteachers who are working with the young people, the custodians, the food service community,the parents, the community partners, you allow those pulses help you center on what you feelled to that important.”“People want to know you’re human, they want to know you care”“Being authentic is about, in my Opinion, being open to sharing parts of who you are in yourhuman experience that connect and resonate with others”“Not all acts of vulnerability are created equal. There is a ladder within yourself that is uniqueto you.”“Sometimes the smallest moments are the actually the most meaningful for people when wetalk about vulnerability”“Our kids know us”Assistant Principal Excelerationhttps://www.frederickbuskey.com/apex-members-page.html“In your ability as a leader, you have the ability to transcend what is most important. You havethe ability to send signals to people on ‘this is what i believe in, this is what i am about.’ andpeople will find harbor with you, they will look to you for council and coaching anddevelopment. they will want to take those walks because they want to be in spaces where theyfeel safe, they feel affirmed, they feel seen, and they know they will be supported and loved.”“Be okay with not being okay, but consistently love on yourself. and thats a thing I have to keepdoing. I have to keep reminding myself “I am loved, I am thriving, I am safe” but I need to keepfilling myself with those kinds of messages and affirmations”Frederick“Authenticity is not about you, it is about how you relate to all of these other people, andauthenticity involves serving, connecting, and supporting other people”“Our authenticity should remind other people of the best parts of us and the best parts ofothers”Links:Craig’s Twitter: @CraigCMartin12Craig’s Website: https://www.craigcmartinleads.comMy email: [email protected] Assistant Principal Podcast website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/appodcast.htmlSign up for the daily leadership email: https://mailchi.mp/c15c68e6df32/specialeditionWebsite: www.frederickbuskey.comBlog: www.frederickbuskey.com/blog (reposts of the daily email)