organizational development - josiahpledl.com

12Dec

By Josiah PledlNo Comments

Growth Mindset-A Blessing or a Curse?

As I have shifted careers, I joined a company with a growth mindset as one of its core values. This company is different from other places I have worked in that the core values are fundamental and mean something. They are practices that the organization hires and fires employees over. The core values are more than a sign in the lobby of the building. They are tangible and fundamental values that you are measured up against daily. "All change doesn't create improvment, but all improvement requires change." In this new culture, I have reflected on my mindset. I have always had a growth mindset and am committed to growing and learning. I am constantly reading or listening to podcasts to learn. Learning is embraced in my current job, and the organization presents me with many opportun...

You Have Been Lied To-Sweat the Small Stuff!

16Nov

By Josiah Pledl1 Comment

You Have Been Lied To-Sweat the Small Stuff!

In the late 90s, there was a popular book that told you to not sweat the small stuff. When it comes to leadership or self help the path to tremendous results includes sweating the small stuff. If you are looking to improve results or yourself there is only one way to drive improvement and growth. The secret to success is to repeatedly do ordinary things that ultimately produce extraordinary results. Discipline is what produces results! Defining discipline and what it really means is challenging. Discipline is doing what you said you were going to do long after the feeling you had when you committed to this task has gone away. In life, it is common to get excited and dive into something when following somebody else’s enthusiasm and passion. It is when that feeling of enthusiasm and passion ...

The Power and the Influence of Love in Leadership

13Nov

By Josiah PledlNo Comments

The Power and the Influence of Love in Leadership

I was talking with a colleague at work and he told me he heard this saying that people will follow fear but they will die for love. We talked about the simplicity and power in that statement, and that statement has captivated my attention and focus in relation to leading others. The more interesting piece is that my colleague told me that it was a Navy SEAL that made the statement. This statement was made by an elite warrior. The Navy SEALS are some of the toughest, most aggressive, and most violent warriors on this planet and this guy is talking about the power of love in relationship to leadership. I needed to learn more! I am fortunate to have grown up with a friend that went on to serve as a Navy SEAL for a number of years. His name is Shane and I often talk to him about leadership ...

Why I Made a Career Change and the Future of this Site

11Nov

By Josiah Pledl2 Comments

Why I Made a Career Change and the Future of this Site

As an educator, I always avoided the teacher’s lounge. The teacher’s lounge was far too negative for me and it was often used as a place to vent. I stopped in the teacher's lounge to grab a snack I heard a teacher make this comment. “I am so sick of getting gaslit by twelve-year-olds.” I grabbed my snack and moved on quickly. Then I reflected on this statement. Since the dawn of education, there has been these type of incidents. A teacher asks a kid why they threw a pencil and the kid denies throwing the pencil. This is not gaslighting this is a kid being a child. This simple experience drove me to reflect on my career as an educator. This was a microcosm of the societal issues that are penetrating schools across the country. I had to make a change. I have recently transitioned fr...

Trust: The Most Vital Piece of Building a High Performing Team

8Mar

By Josiah PledlNo Comments

Trust: The Most Vital Piece of Building a High Performing Team

As I began my journey as a new principal this past year there were many things that were on my radar as essential pieces to leading a team. We were starting off the year in a virtual environment and there were natural barriers to building trust with a new team in the virtual world. Trust is the most important piece of leadership with a team because out of trust comes the confidence to take on challenges, collaborate to overcome challenges and the common desire to achieve results. In any line of work, you and an organization are only as strong as the relationships that make up the organization, and trust is the bedrock of any healthy relationship. I began to research what trust means and as usual I migrated to my resources around leadership and the plethora of content out there on leadershi...

Unleashing the Power of Distributed Leadership

31Aug

By Josiah PledlNo Comments

Unleashing the Power of Distributed Leadership

We are preparing for our journey through the start of the school year during a pandemic. Staff have been back for two weeks, and I officially began my role as a new principal. There have been numerous typical leadership responsibilities, but there are also unique responsibilities that have come through leading during a pandemic. As a staff we have covered expectations for teachers, students and support staff during our virtual start. We have begun our journey around social justice and equity, and we have covered the standard operational expectations to starting the year virtually. It has been a good two weeks and as a new principal there have been some points where I have been overwhelmed and anxious. The feelings of anxiety have been normal and healthy as we approach the start of the year...