I was intoduced to Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People about 26 years ago. My copy of the book is well worn but I haven’t returned to it in over ten years. This week I’ve come across a seven week program left by predissesor at the school. After a quick glance I have been re-hooked.

My first assignment has four questions:

1. What results am I responsible for on my job? I need to show a school that helps students succeed. There are few hard measures. A balanced budget is important. Graduation is important. Satisfied students, parents, and staff is important. Getting students to solve personal issues. Achieve academic and occupational success. Having students meet weekly goals in hours and work.

2. How do the following resources help me produce the desired results?

a) physical – I need appropriate books and resources. I need an inviting building

b) financial – this is what allows me to have the right staffing available and also books. It also allows for the staff to improve their own learning.

c) human – this is a core of our school. My staff is really important. It is who the students connect with.

d) technological – seems relatively minor. It allows us to manage parts of the job but it is just a tool.

3. What am I and my school doing to maintain these resources? We spend most of our energy on our students. If they are successful then these other things come. Otherwise we do take time during the year to review each part and address any concerns.

4. How healthy is our P/PC balance at work? I think it is very good. We take time to renew ourselves which is very important. Our daily debriefings allow us to attend to Production Capacity. We value learning and finding support for our students. The golden egg of diploma results are valued only in relation to each student’s situation.