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As you know, one of the things we both believe so strongly in as leaders is the power of appreciation. We can never appreciate the people on our team enough for all the amazing things they do to make our schools better places for our students and families. That is why we are thrilled to announce our newest Lead Like a PIRATE guide: Lead With Appreciation: Fostering a Culture of Gratitude by two incredible leaders Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller. The book is FULL of easy to implement, wonderful ideas to show YOUR appreciation for the people you lead. Below is the foreword we wrote for the book. Enjoy!
I (Beth) remember it as if it were yesterday: I sat completely overwhelmed in the middle of a packed presentation room at my first principal conference. It was March of my first year as a principal, and I barely had my nose above water. Melinda Miller was front and center, and within one minute of listening to her share, I was completely hooked. Her positive attitude and practical strategies for leading people well inspired me beyond belief. She helped me define the type of principal I wanted to be.
Although it took me a few years to get the hang of social media, I finally caught on in the summer of 2014. Melinda was one of the very first people I followed. And through her I found another powerhouse principal, Amber Teamann. I watched as Amber relentlessly promoted the positive things happening on her campus and with her staff.
From the beginning, Facebook felt like a social media burden for me—so much drama and fakeness. That changed for me in December of 2017 when I joined the Principals Staff Appreciation and Motivation group led by Amber and Melinda. They help build a culture of gratitude within the group, and that culture extended to the schools we each led. We shared freely and often. We supported each other. My faith in Facebook was restored as I felt the power of a strong PLN (personal/professional learning network) at work.
The life of an educational leader can be a lonely road. Your task list multiplies daily, yet time seems diminished. It is essential that you have a strong network of support to celebrate the great things happening as well as get you through the rough moments. We wrote Lead Like a PIRATE to do just that. We wanted to help support educators by sharing our stories and strategies. We wanted to be sure that no one felt as if she or he was alone. Our goal has been to set up systems of support through our PLN to empower leaders to take risks to ensure that school is an amazing place for both students and staff.
Since the book’s release, it has been inspiring to watch our #LeadLAP crew grow. The examples and stories shared daily on our hashtag are so inspiring. What we have come to realize is that we are surrounded by greatness that needs a voice. One evening after our book was published, we started brainstorming how we could continue to support leaders but in a way that wasn’t the norm. One thing we discussed was that leaders sometimes get overwhelmed by the amount of information that is being shared at what seems like lightning speed. How could we offer bite-size expertise for leaders so they could make an even bigger impact on their schools? The Lead Like a PIRATE Guides were born.
We are honored to have Melinda and Amber join our Lead Like a PIRATE Guide family with Lead with Appreciation: Fostering a Culture of Gratitude. This book is jammed packed with ideas to show your appreciation for those whom you serve. Although these are designed through the lens of a building principal, examples can easily be adapted from any role.
As we write in Lead Like a PIRATE, PIRATE leadership is about being the kind of leaders we always wanted to be and creating the kinds of schools we dream of for kids. These leaders relentlessly search for ways to make school an amazing place. These leaders don’t simply believe schools can be better; they know schools can be better and stop at nothing to make it happen. Amber and Melinda model this in all that they do each day.
We are proud to have them as part of the crew!
Bonus: Click here to read Amber’s blog about the book and learn how you can get a fabulous “Book Bonus” specifically created to help you and your staff kick-off Fabulous February. These ideas are designed to make the month of February more fun than exhausting!
To follow more of Amber and Melinda’s leadership journey, connect with them on Twitter @8Amber8 and Melinda @mmiller7571 and on Facebook Amber Gattis Teamann and Melinda Allen Miller. Also, please share our your thoughts of Lead with Appreciation using the hashtag #LeadWithAppreciation! We can’t wait to hear your thoughts! You can also join us each Saturday morning from 9:30-10 am CST on our weekly #LeadLAP Twitter chat!
Click the book image to learn more about fostering a culture of gratitude with Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller!
You can even read the first few chapters absolutely FREE! Just click HERE. Then, scroll down to “preview” and begin reading!
Want to make your campus a place where people want to work?
In Lead with Appreciation, a Lead Like a PIRATE Guide, Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller offer practical and doable strategies to revolutionize your campus culture!