Embracing MESSY Leadership with Alyssa Gallagher — Insights from 20,000 School Leaders

Today we're sharing an episode originally published on Transformative Principal. Over the course of 600 episodes, Jethro Jones has inspired principals and aspiring administrators to stop putting out fires and start leading. Listen and subscribe: https://transformativeprincipal.org

Show Notes:
  • Emotional Connection - Research in MESSY started at the beginning of the pandemic. 
  • There will always be the next crisis. 
  • Leaders establishing themselves as larger than life.
  • Authenticity - personal and professional are more blurred. 
  • Presence triangle - think about the other person and how you’re delivering your message. Self-other-outside
  • Taking a deep breath, thinking about the relationship, moving to the perspective of the other individual. 
  • You matter, you’re not alone. Schools need you. 
  • Coaching creates a confidential space. 
  • Challenges: courage, empowering and coaching others, taken servant leadership too far, influence others to change their practice, lack of confidence, slowing down and not reacting all the time. 
  • Pleaser and Martyr
  • De-implementation
  • Leaders get things done through influence.
  • This is a Choose Your Own Adventure style of book. 
  • Two voices in our heads - Judge and Pessimist

Meaning Making: Create a shared vision and engage others by collaborating more effectively.

Emotional Connection: Build deeper, more trusting relationships to give feedback and hold difficult conversations.

Sensing the Future: Think creatively and tackle entrenched school improvement problems through experimentation and innovation.

Seizing Momentum: Be proactive, gain control of how you prioritize your time, and embrace new ways of working.

Your Presence: Build confidence by identifying the barriers that hold you back and learning how to overcome them.


About Alyssa Gallagher
Alyssa Gallagher is the author of the book Embracing MESSY Leadership: How the Experience of 20,000 School Leaders Can Transform You and Your School. She is also the Co-Head of BTS Spark, North America, for BTS Spark, a not-for profit practice focused on bringing executive level coaching to every school leader.  She has extensive experience leading schools and districts to revolutionize learning for students. Under Alyssa’s guidance Los Altos School District became a nationally recognized leader in education innovation with her work featured in Forbes, Wired, The Economist magazine and on CNN and CBS’ 60 Minutes.  After two decades working within k12 education, Alyssa led the global leadership practice for The Wiseman Group, co-designing executive development strategies to enable leaders to become better ‘multipliers’ of their people’s talent.  Alyssa has worked with a wide spectrum of leaders, ranging from early career professionals in her local school district to seasoned executives in Fortune 500 Companies.  Alyssa enjoys working with leaders to design strategies that leverage the capability, creativity and intelligence of everyone on their team. 

Creators and Guests

Jethro Jones
Host
Jethro Jones
Author of #SchoolX #how2be Co-Founder of @bepodcastNet, the best education podcasts out there.
 Embracing MESSY Leadership with Alyssa Gallagher — Insights from 20,000 School Leaders