Collaborating with Other Educators

Unclear expectations are a project killer When I first started managing projects, I thought everyone would be on the same page. Alignment on roles, responsibilities, timelines, & deliverables Spoiler alert - they weren't. Fast forward 6 months: → A task was delayed because no one owned it → A stakeholder expected something we never agreed to → The team was frustrated by murky priorities It all came back to unclear expectations. Now, every time I kick off a project, I focus on 3 key things: ☝ Define roles & responsibilities Who owns what? Don't assume people know. Spell it out. RACI charts work wonders. ✌ Clarify deliverables & deadlines What are we delivering and when? Be specific. Confirm alignment with your team/stakeholders. 🤟 Overcommunicate early Repeat key details. Document agreements/decisions. Follow-up to ensure understanding. Clarity by setting expectations prevents future problems. It also establishes trust, teamwork, and successful delivery. When everyone knows what's expected, they can execute instead of guess. PS: what's your go-to strategy for setting clear expectations? 🤙

We’ve all experienced those team meetings that don’t go as planned.  But what if I told you there’s a powerful way to turn things around? That power is respect. I once had a team divided over a project’s direction. Instead of choosing sides, I decided to listen. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 listen. I gave everyone my full attention and showed them that their opinions mattered. What happened next was incredible. The anger melted away. People started building on each other's ideas instead of tearing them down. We found common ground and suddenly, we weren't enemies. We were problem-solvers working towards the same goal. Respect isn’t just about being polite. It’s about truly valuing each other’s viewpoints, even when you disagree. It connects different perspectives and turns conflicts into opportunities for growth. So, the next time tensions rise, try this: 1. Create a safe space for open discussion. 2. Listen without interrupting. 3. Validate feelings, even if you disagree. 4. Look for shared goals. 5. Build on ideas instead of shooting them down. Lead with respect, and watch how it transforms your team. It’s not just about resolving one conflict. It’s about creating a culture where creativity and collaboration thrive.

On attending badly run academic meetings (or come prepared to start the meeting). Every so often I attend a meeting and wonder why I am there. It kicks off with someone rambling a bit about family, the past weekend, and more. About ten minutes in, I start reading email. About 15 minutes in, I stop my video and grab a coffee. About 20 minutes in, we finally get down to business. While the social part of meetings is the lubricant that keeps the social wheels of human systems moving, I have found it far more effective to start a meeting with work and to end a meeting with social chatter. Why? 1. You want people to be fresh. 2. You want people to be engaged. 3. You want people to know why they are present. 4. You want people to know they need to be on time. 5. You want people to be prepared. When meetings start with social chatter, any one or all of these conditions are not met. So what to do? 1. Hold meetings with a purpose - don’t hold them for the sake of having one. 2. Send an agenda in advance - so people know what to expect. 3. Take accountability for delivering some of the content - so people know you are working to. 4. Send documents in advance - some will read them and some won’t - but they will refer to them on the call. 5. Update meeting invites and attach docs - make them easy to find - so people can prepare. 6. Make it clear when business is done - so people can leave OR have the social chatter they desire. 7. Sum up the meeting with a short email - not minutes - with action items - so the next meeting runs more smoothly. If you do these things consistently, you will find meetings run a lot better, a lot faster, and a lot more will get done. Which. Limits the need for more meetings. Best of luck! #academiclife #phd #academia

Trust doesn't come from your accomplishments. It comes from quiet moves like these: For years I thought I needed more experience, achievements, and wins to earn trust. But real trust isn't built through credentials. It's earned in small moments, consistent choices, and subtle behaviors that others notice - even when you think they don't. Here are 15 quiet moves that instantly build trust 👇🏼 1. You close open loops, catching details others miss ↳ Send 3-bullet wrap-ups after meetings. Reliability builds. 2. You name tension before it gets worse ↳ Name what you sense: "The energy feels different today" 3. You speak softly in tense moments ↳ Lower your tone slightly when making key points. Watch others lean in. 4. You stay calm when others panic, leading with stillness ↳ Take three slow breaths before responding. Let your calm spread. 5. You make space for quiet voices ↳ Ask "What perspective haven't we heard yet?", then wait. 6. You remember and reference what others share ↳ Keep a Key Details note for each relationship in your phone. 7. You replace "but" with "and" to keep doors open ↳ Practice "I hear you, and here's what's possible" 8. You show up early with presence and intention ↳ Close laptop, turn phone face down 2 minutes before others arrive. 9. You speak up for absent team members ↳ Start with "X made an important point about this last week" 10. You turn complaints into possibility ↳ Replace "That won't work" with "Let's experiment with..." 11. You build in space for what really matters ↳ Block 10 min buffers between meetings. Others will follow. 12. You keep small promises to build trust bit by bit ↳ Keep a "promises made" note in your phone. Track follow-through. 13. You protect everyone's time, not just your own ↳ End every meeting 5 minutes early. Set the standard. 14. You ask questions before jumping to fixes ↳ Lead with "What have you tried so far?" before suggesting solutions. 15. You share credit for wins and own responsibility for misses ↳ Use "we" for successes, "I" for challenges. Watch trust grow. Your presence speaks louder than your resume. Trust is earned in these quiet moments. Which move will you practice first? Share below 👇🏼 -- ♻️ Repost to help your network build authentic trust without the struggle 🔔 Follow me Dr. Carolyn Frost for more strategies on leading with quiet impact

Running an effective meeting is crucial for maximizing productivity and achieving organizational goals. Maybe not in the plank position, but you want to keep your meetings on point, efficient, and effective. By implementing these key strategies, you can transform your meetings from timewasters to powerful drivers of success. ✅ PURPOSE AND AGENDA Every successful meeting starts with a well-defined purpose and a structured agenda. Before scheduling, ask yourself: "What specific outcome do we want to achieve?" Once you've established the purpose, create a detailed agenda that outlines the topics to be discussed, allocates time for each item, and identifies who will lead each section. Share this agenda with participants in advance, allowing them to prepare and contribute meaningfully. ✅ INVITE THE RIGHT PEOPLE Carefully consider who needs to be present for the meeting to achieve its objectives. Avoid the common pitfall of inviting too many people, which can lead to unfocused discussions and wasted time. Instead, include only those who can contribute directly to the meeting's purpose or who will be impacted by the decisions made. ✅ EFFECTIVE FACILITATION As the meeting leader, guide the discussion, maintain focus, and ensure everyone's voice is heard. Start by clearly communicating the meeting's objective and ground rules. Throughout the meeting, keep the conversation on track by gently redirecting off-topic discussions and encouraging participation from all attendees. ✅ TIME MANAGEMENT Respect everyone's time by starting and ending the meeting promptly. Use the "5-minute rule" to maintain engagement: aim to involve participants in problem-solving or discussion at least every 5 minutes to keep everyone alert. ✅ ACTION ITEMS AND FOLLOW-UP Conclude your meeting by summarizing key decisions, assigning clear action items, and setting deadlines. Designate a note-taker to record these outcomes and distribute them to all participants after the meeting. This practice ensures accountability and provides a clear path forward. ✅ INNOVATIVE APPROACHES To make your meetings even more effective, consider implementing these innovative strategies: A.    Rotate Meeting Leaders: Assign different team members to lead meetings, foster engagement, and develop leadership skills across the organization. B.    Use Technology Wisely: For virtual or hybrid meetings, ensure all participants can fully engage by testing technology in advance and providing equal opportunities for remote attendees to contribute. C.     Incorporate Brief Activities: Engage participants with short, relevant activities or icebreakers that energize the group and promote creative thinking. By implementing these strategies, you can transform your meetings into productive, engaging sessions that drive your organization forward. Remember, the goal is not just to have meetings, but to make every meeting matter. For more strategies >>> https://lnkd.in/gwNw4zVe

I know schools are operating with less—less funding, less staffing, more stress. But the one thing you can control? How you develop your teachers. The hard part? Thinking creatively about that while juggling a million other things. So, let me share two practical and actionable ideas. When I was a high school principal, I didn’t have a curriculum team or a talent development department. But I still needed a team that could execute with clarity and consistency across classrooms. Because here’s the thing: once you’ve taught the basics—your vision, your systems, your expectations—the real work begins. That’s when you need your team to: ✅ Apply what they’ve learned ✅ Pick apart the nuance ✅ Think through what it looks like in practice And that’s exactly where most PD falls short. Here are two low-lift, high-impact strategies that helped us bridge the gap between theory and action in summer PD and beyond (and if you're not a school leader? These 100% translate, with a few alterations) ✅ Lesson Study + Problem-Solving Protocols- Don’t just ask teachers to “collaborate.” Give them routines that help them plan, look at student work, and tackle shared challenges together. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s collective learning. (see link below with a few) ✅ Case Study PDs- Your team won’t master your approach to transitions, discipline, or culture after one session. At the end of every PD, I started asking: “What do you anticipate being hard about doing this?” “Where do you still feel uncertain?” Then I used their responses to create case studies we could workshop together. Real dilemmas. Real conversations. Shared judgment. None of this required a budget. Just time, intention, and a commitment to learning in community. 💬 What’s one move that’s helped your team turn vision into practice?

Use My My 4-Step Process to Setting Clear Expectations with Your Team. Clear Expectations = Success. But too often this crucial step is neglected. How do I know? I missed this piece early on in my journey. And have witnessed the same in New and Experienced Managers. My 4-Step process to Setting Clear Expectations: 1) Initial Conversation - Discuss goals and expectations. 2) Team Member Creates the Draft - NOT the Leader - Goals need measures and timelines (think SMARTER or OKR). 3) Collaborative Review - Review, Refine and finalize the expectations together. 4) Regular Evaluation - Self-Evaluate and Review progress together. The Result? - Better Alignment - Stronger Commitment by both the Team Member and the Leader - Improve Results and Success Want to learn more? Check out the video for a walkthrough and download the template from the comments below! P.S. I shared a link to this video previously and now have learned how to post here. Yay! P.P.S. Great feedback from Tim Bower shared to reverse the order of the Expectations. This way we are discussing the Exceptional first. I Love it and will be following this in the future! The Link to the Template is updated per this feedback. If this was Helpful, please let me know. If Not, tell me why - Feedback is Fuel! And if you need any help with this process, message me!

I once worked with a team that was, quite frankly, toxic. The same two team members routinely derailed meeting agendas. Eye-rolling was a primary form of communication. Side conversations overtook the official discussion. Most members had disengaged, emotionally checking out while physically present. Trust was nonexistent. This wasn't just unpleasant—it was preventing meaningful work from happening. The transformation began with a deceptively simple intervention: establishing clear community agreements. Not generic "respect each other" platitudes, but specific behavioral norms with concrete descriptions of what they looked like in practice. The team agreed to norms like "Listen to understand," "Speak your truth without blame or judgment," and "Be unattached to outcome." For each norm, we articulated exactly what it looked like in action, providing language and behaviors everyone could recognize. More importantly, we implemented structures to uphold these agreements. A "process observer" role was established, rotating among team members, with the explicit responsibility to name when norms were being upheld or broken during meetings. Initially, this felt awkward. When the process observer first said, "I notice we're interrupting each other, which doesn't align with our agreement to listen fully," the room went silent. But within weeks, team members began to self-regulate, sometimes even catching themselves mid-sentence. Trust didn't build overnight. It grew through consistent small actions that demonstrated reliability and integrity—keeping commitments, following through on tasks, acknowledging mistakes. Meeting time was protected and focused on meaningful work rather than administrative tasks that could be handled via email. The team began to practice active listening techniques, learning to paraphrase each other's ideas before responding. This simple practice dramatically shifted the quality of conversation. One team member later told me, "For the first time, I felt like people were actually trying to understand my perspective rather than waiting for their turn to speak." Six months later, the transformation was remarkable. The same team that once couldn't agree on a meeting agenda was collaboratively designing innovative approaches to their work. Conflicts still emerged, but they were about ideas rather than personalities, and they led to better solutions rather than deeper divisions. The lesson was clear: trust doesn't simply happen through team-building exercises or shared experiences. It must be intentionally cultivated through concrete practices, consistently upheld, and regularly reflected upon. Share one trust-building practice that's worked well in your team experience. P.S. If you’re a leader, I recommend checking out my free challenge: The Resilient Leader: 28 Days to Thrive in Uncertainty  https://lnkd.in/gxBnKQ8n

I have participated in a lot of meetings, huddles, and planning sessions over my career. The ones that are most valuable to the team are action oriented or focused on task(s) at hand. Here are some key ways to make your discussions more focused: 1. Set clear objectives and desired outcomes: Clearly define the purpose of the meeting and what you aim to achieve by the end. Establish specific objectives and outcomes that focus on actionable items or decisions. 2. Prepare an agenda with action items: Develop a well-structured agenda that includes specific action items or topics to be addressed during the meeting. Each agenda item should have a clear objective and desired outcome. 3. Assign roles and responsibilities: Designate roles and responsibilities for participants before the meeting. Ensure that key individuals are assigned specific tasks related to the meeting's objectives. This ensures accountability and action after the meeting. 4. Create a conducive environment: Encourage active participation and collaboration during the meeting. Foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas, asking questions, and providing input. This will contribute to generating actionable insights and solutions. 5. Focus on problem-solving and decision-making: Direct discussions towards problem-solving and decision-making. Encourage participants to bring forward challenges, share ideas, and collectively find solutions. Aim to reach decisions that will lead to specific actions or changes. 6. Clarify action items and next steps: Clearly articulate action items and next steps throughout the meeting. Summarize key tasks, decisions, and assignments, ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities. Clarify timelines and expectations for completion. 7. Follow up and track progress: After the meeting, follow up on action items and track progress. Send a meeting summary that includes action items, responsible parties, and deadlines. Regularly check in with participants to provide support, address any roadblocks, and ensure that actions are being taken. 8. Assess and evaluate: Reflect on the effectiveness of the meeting and the action items that were generated. Evaluate whether the objectives were met, if actions were taken as planned, and if desired outcomes were achieved. Use this assessment to improve future meetings and make them even more action-oriented. By implementing these steps, your meetings can become more focused on taking action, driving change, and achieving concrete results. #outcomes #huddles #meetings #hospitaloperations

Team Fundamental #10: GET CLEAR ON EXPECTATIONS. Create clarity and avoid misunderstandings by discussing expectations upfront. Set expectations for others and ask when you need clarification about what someone expects of you. End all meetings with clarity about action items, responsibilities, and due dates. Know who's doing what and when.   For every project we do, we have an SOW with our client that outlines the expectations of all parties, agreed-upon activities, who does which activities, and by when. The better the SOW, the better our chances of delivering on time, on budget, with a happy client. The chances of missed expectations are higher if we have an unclear SOW.    It is too easy to get a request and do the task without being clear on expectations. You can't deliver results if you don't know what the desired outcomes are!   As many of you know, my brother is in the Army, and my Dad was in the Army.  I have been fortunate to have them both as mentors in leadership and have asked them about the process of giving and receiving orders. You would think it's simple: "Do X,Y,Z," and it gets done. It's the Army! Everybody follows orders perfectly, right!? Well, the Army, like every organization, can give bad orders. So they've studied and taught what makes up a good "order," which really means a request that must be done. I learned that every request should include at least the following:  1. What needs to get done 2. When it needs to get done by 3. The level of quality required. These are three very simple things. However, you have to be very clear on the three things. And, if the person receiving the order isn't clear on anything, they need to ask for clarity. They need to confirm the "what," the "when," and the "how good." It is up to the receiver of the request to ensure they understand as much as it is the requestor.   Good orders can be a matter of life and death for the Army, but not for us. At Infinitive, good expectation setting can significantly reduce rework, impress our clients, and increase our satisfaction at work. We should always feel comfortable asking clarifying questions and repeating back the expectations, sometimes in writing, but at a minimum verbally, every time. To be great, you must know what's expected of you. Here's to being crystal clear.