Educational Equity Newsletter – December 3, 2020
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Try out our best practices for powering down before winter break
Hi friends,
Happy almost-winter-break! If you’re like us, the next few weeks are going to be pretty full for you. You’re working to ensure that your team has what they need to close the year, your students have ample work to keep them thinking over the holidays, and nothing hits the ground. It’s with this in mind that we want you to create the conditions to give yourself as much rest as you can in the month of December to reenter your role fully charged in 2021.
Reprioritize to protect what’s truly important.
If you and your team have more commitments over the next three weeks than is realistic to accomplish, now is the time to determine what you protect and what you delay. Have the conversation directly with those you manage. Invite them to right-size what they’re committed to knocking out before winter break, and align on what they’re deprioritizing, doing to a lesser degree of thoroughness or quality, or delaying until the new year. If you manage managers, ensure they have these conversations with their team members too!
Set and honor your boundaries.
The latter half of SY2019 and the full SY2020 has been a series of sprints for you and your team—and you likely haven’t had the time off that you need. With some of us either already open or thinking of reopening in the new year, it’s hard to excuse shutting down email and turning your brain off for a few days. And yet, if you’re like most leaders in our sector right now, that’s exactly what you need to do.
- Decide how much time off you need, and add that time to your calendar as a full-day meeting. Set out of office messages for when you’ll be offline.
- Create accountability with friends and loved ones to ensure you don’t waffle to work-cation mode.
- If you must, choose one day you’re planning to work and store up tasks for that day. Don’t spread them over 3-4 days.
- Tell your team in advance that you won’t be checking email or phone except once a day for true emergencies—and define what those are. Invite them to do the same.
Avoid taking time from your team.
As leaders, our emails, texts, and calls during off-work hours can add tremendous pressure to our teams. If you want people to take this time to recharge, you’ve got to cease and desist from holiday “when we get back” emails. Instead, you can:
- Keep a list of the open loops you need to close in the body of a meeting invite for the day you return.
- Schedule emails so that they get delivered when your team is back in the office.
- Decide in advance with your team what constitutes an emergency, and only reach out if those criteria are met.
- Offer optional social times after hours if you’d like, but understand not everyone wants to do a holiday Zoom call after hours. To be most inclusive, plan any (virtual) social gatherings during standard work hours.
Now’s the time to create the conditions to ensure you and your team are able to take the space you need. Don’t assume it will happen—create the conditions so that it can.
See you next year!
Speaking of powering down, the TMC Ed Equity team will be taking the next few weeks to recharge and plan for our 2021 newsletters. Expect to hear more from us in the new year!
Warmly,
Mel
Secure your spot in a 2021 training!
Give yourself something to look forward to in 2021 by signing up for some TMC goodness! Whether you’re looking for a training on project management, support with managing remotely during the pandemic, or an overview of the basics of people managing, we have something for you. Check out our newly released training dates for the first half of 2021.
Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) Cohorts
Managers and staff who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) often face unique issues within their organizations while navigating the intersections of race, class, gender, and other identities. These cohorts create space to discuss and offer support around the challenges of being folks of color in progressive and social justice organizations, and to share practices that can help folks of color thrive. We still have space in one more 2020 cohort:
- Wednesday, December 9th (11:00-5:00 PM ET)
- Thursday, December 10th (11:00-5:00 PM ET)
We also have TMC scholarships for our BIPOC Cohorts available upon request that can partially or fully cover the cost of the training, if needed. You can request a scholarship by emailing our BIPOC Cohort Coordinator, Ebony, at ebony@managementcenter.org.
Need more support?
Email us at trainings@managementcenter.org to ask about our coaching and training services for leaders in the education sector. We look forward to hearing from you!