It’s time for “The Pulse”, a collection of things that I have found interesting lately and that are keeping me going.
Stemming back to the blog I posted last week, you will notice a theme to what I have been reading, thinking about, and discussing lately: the link between psychological safety and collaboration.
Red text are clickable links. Check them out!
Fostering Psychological Safety Among Staff, One Hour at a Time by Zak Cohen (Blog Post)
After writing in my own blog last week about psychological safety in teams, this title caught my eye and many of the ideas resonated. Psychological safety is a necessary ingredient for high functioning teams and creating it is a shared endeavor.
Leaders can’t go it alone, but they must be willing to “go first” when it comes to modeling the kinds of behaviors that help develop trust in teams. I don’t know that I’m going to work to initiate the specific “Power Hour” strategy as described here, but I do know that an important idea is that it’s not enough for psychological safety to exist only amongst small groups or teams within a school or organization. That is the phenomenon of psychological safety existing “in pockets”. What I am continuing to ponder after reading this piece is, “What are a variety of ways that I can help faculty and staff members from across our divisions and departments connect with each other in meaningful ways?” If you have great ideas of things in your school or organization, share them in the comments!
Unhinged Collaboration with Tricia Friedman and Kathleen Naglee (Podcast)
A great new podcast began airing last October dedicated to collaboration. It’s co-hosted by experienced international educators Tricia Friedman and Kathleen Naglee with the goal to “‘unhinge’ ourselves from outdated collaborative practices.” I find that I listen to this podcast differently than others. I consume this one slowly (at a time when I can truly listen without distraction) and with intention. I think it’s because I know I will hear a mix of frontline stories, research synthesis, valuable insights, and interesting guests. I also like that most episodes are approximately 30-40 minutes, making them really manageable for a start-to-finish listen. Unhinged Collaboration is collaboration for the modern world.
Today’s heart health information and tips comes from Cleveland Clinic and The American Heart Association.
Heart Health Fact:
The more education you have, the lower your risk of heart disease.
Heart Health Tip: I’m going to be the first to say that higher levels of education are NO guarantee of protection from heart disease. Both my aunt and uncle were well educated people. I will also say, though, that education about heart health is essential. So, talk with your friends, your family, your colleagues about heart healthy habits. And if you know someone who is a heart patient, check on them regularly to make sure they are communicating with their doctor, following recommendations, and taking medication as prescribed.