Have You Ever Said to Yourself, “I Could Have Handled That Better?”

Written by Jodee Blanco, The Jodee Blanco Group, Inc., jodee@jodeeblanco.com

Many of the bravest, wisest people I know who define what leadership can and should be are superintendents in the Catholic school system.  I’ve watched them re-ignite the fire in principals who were burnt out, fight for a student who had no one else on their side, successfully take on a school district that was withholding title funding, and countless other acts that inspire the soul.
 
I’ve also witnessed moments when being a good superintendent requires more than courage or knowing what to do. It’s about communication. As a communications and anti-bullying expert who’s worked with hundreds of Catholic schools, I’ve listened to superintendents share how they wish they would have handled a particular moment or situation better, especially during the early days of their leadership when they were still feeling their way.
 
We’ve all been there, the learning curve that accompanies a new role and wanting to knock it out of the park. When I began speaking in schools about bullying—I was the first adult survivor to give the movement a voice—I lost more than one night’s sleep over a conversation I wished would have gone differently, an email that didn’t land the way I intended, or a phone call I should have made sooner.
 
That’s why I’m honored and delighted to be giving a session at this year’s Catholic Leadership Summit (CLS) that focuses on the human component of being an effective communicator. My session title is, How to Handle Tough Conversations and Challenging Situations with Grace: A Communications Tool Kit for Catholic School Superintendents. Designed specifically for new superintendents, I’ll provide a toolbox of simple, intuitive strategies, all informed by core Catholic values, that build trust, facilitate understanding, and help new leaders guide with grace.
 
I’ll talk about how to handle uncomfortable conversations with compassion and confidence, the typical mistakes some administrators make under pressure and how to avoid them, how to express oneself with truth and compassion and other key insights for transforming communication into a gateway to deeper and more meaningful connections with students, parents, staff, diocesan leadership, and the parish family as a whole.
 
As we embrace another school year, my fervent hope is to provide our school leadership with as powerful a communications arsenal as possible and equip them with a fresh skill set for accessing the powerful, emotionally intelligent communicator within.  
 
Some other highlights from my CLS session, How to Handle Tough Conversations and Challenging Situations with Grace: A Communications Tool Kit for Catholic School Superintendents, will include:

• “The Three Tenets of Emotional Credibility in Communication”™  
• How to help a team member un-sabotage themselves
• Documentation and follow-up that make everyone feel respected and valued
• How to facilitate mutual accountability through clear, consistent communication methods
• Scripted verbiage, email templates and other time savers
• The “Disarm and Diffuse” Technique
• Expectation management—what it is and why it’s important.  
• How to be authentically positive when communicating feedback someone may not want to hear
• How to respond to a rambling email or text without getting sucked into the rabbit hole
• A litmus test for knowing if it’s better to meet, call, send an email, or text
• Ascending versus descending conversations
• 3-Step technique for how to respond instead of react

Please, won’t you join me? I can’t wait for CLS and to see everyone! Happy New Year! For those of us in education, that begins now as students return to the classroom and we return to what we love most—serving our mission to deepen their hearts, enrich their minds, and fortify their faith. 

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