Each chapter identifies and unpacks one small habit. The habit is surfaced and examples provided to bring it to life. Then, different strategies are presented to course-correct on this habit. Each chapter is short in nature and easily digestible. This book can be read cover-to-cover or picked through chapter by chapter in any order desired. It is also designed to be read once all the way through with leaders identifying habits that speak to them and returning to those chapters as needed.
Larry Dake is a district-level administrator in upstate New York who, over the last dozen years, has served as a curriculum coordinator, building principal, and assistant superintendent. Prior to that, he was a high school social studies teacher. Additionally, he has taught in the Binghamton University Educational Leadership program since 2017.
Preface Introduction: Even Effective Leaders Have Blinds Spots and Bad Habits Chapter 1: Being Inconsistent Chapter 2: Relying Too Much on Email Chapter 3: Talking About How Busy You Are Chapter 4: Failing to Give Gratitude Chapter 5: Inappropriate Social Media Use Chapter 6: Making Hiring Decisions Based on Implicit Bias Chapter 7: Conflating Authority with Influence Chapter 8: Neglecting Mental and Physical Self-Care Chapter 9: Avoiding Difficult Conversations Chapter 10: Engaging in Subtle Favoritism Chapter 11: Trying to Always Win an Argument Chapter 12: Devaluing Support Staff and their Impact Chapter 13: Not Holding People Accountable Chapter 14: Having an Overwhelming Need to be "Me" Chapter 15: Not Being Solid with your Family Chapter 16: Talking Way Too Much Chapter 17: Managing Too Much Minutiae Chapter 18: Unprofessional Dress Habits Chapter 19: Accepting Silence as Agreement Chapter 20: Being Consistently Late to Meetings Chapter 21: Transferring Ownership for Poor Outcomes Chapter 22: Not Adapting Language to Fit your Audience Chapter 23: Getting on the Wrong Side of Important Gatekeepers Chapter 24: Associating Mistakes with Failure Rather than Opportunity Chapter 25: Not Intentionally Planning and Scheduling Chapter 26: Tolerating Poor Organizational Culture Chapter 27: Throwing Others Under the Bus Chapter 28: Failing to Focus on Continuous Improvement Chapter 29: Delegating Up Chapter 30: Misreading Reality Chapter 31: Being a Bad Communicator Chapter 32: Lack of Patience with Outcomes Chapter 33: Rating Employees by One's Own Personal Measuring Stick Chapter 34: Seeking Comfort over Discomfort Chapter 35: Tolerating Subpar Performance Chapter 36: Focusing on how Things "Should Be" Rather than How they Are Chapter 37: Overthinking How to Move Forward Chapter 38: Confusing Others' Interests with Your Own About the Author
