Tomorrow the pre-conference seminars at PoCC begin in Indianapolis. CalWest is excited to be sponsoring the seminar,
VISION, ALIGNMENT, EXECUTION:
The PoCC Leadership Seminar for People of Color and Women
Stay tuned for more details as the seminar gets underway. I'm boarding a plane right now and heading for Indianapolis!
Fleisch
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
School visits bring it all to life
There’s something magical about seeing a school through the eyes of its head of school, a senior administrator, or a member of the faculty. It’s abundantly clear that the people I meet love their jobs and the ability to impact others.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to see school environments first-hand. Time is the most valuable commodity a person has, even more than money. All people are given only 168 hours in a week, and time spent with me during a school visit is time not spent in the classroom, calling a prospective donor, mentoring a faculty member or another aspect of their work.
You can learn a lot about a head of school, and her/his priorities based on their office layout, the photos and artwork on the walls. I appreciate each school for what makes it a great place to learn (for students), to work (for faculty, staff and administration), and to belong (for families, alumni, and other other constituent groups). The photo above is a slogan outside a classroom at the Gateway School in Santa Cruz. The photo below is the view that Pre-K students now enjoy from a new building at St. Matthew's Episcopal School in San Mateo.
Thanks for the trust that you’ve placed in me, and in my colleagues at CalWest. We take the relationship very seriously and look forward to strengthening our connections with you in the months ahead.
Warmly,
Fleisch
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Take steps to accelerate your career path with our Emerging Leaders Program on Oct 22nd
We’re now 3 weeks away from CalWest’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) on October 22nd in Los Angeles. There are still a few spots left if you feel this could be a good professional development opportunity for yourself, or someone on your team.
This year’s program is geared towards teacher who, over the next 1-3 years, want to move into administration, or junior administrators who want to seek out other leadership opportunities within the next 2-4 years. Interested? You can register here.
The faculty brings with them expertise as former and current heads, assistant heads and division heads. There will be case studies, a leadership assessment model (Strengths Finder) and lots of nuggets of wisdom you can take back to your school and begin to implement.
Want more details? You can learn more here. Alternatively, please email or call me or contact my colleague Jui Joshi (jjoshi@calwesteducators.com).
Thanks,
Fleisch
This year’s program is geared towards teacher who, over the next 1-3 years, want to move into administration, or junior administrators who want to seek out other leadership opportunities within the next 2-4 years. Interested? You can register here.
The faculty brings with them expertise as former and current heads, assistant heads and division heads. There will be case studies, a leadership assessment model (Strengths Finder) and lots of nuggets of wisdom you can take back to your school and begin to implement.
Want more details? You can learn more here. Alternatively, please email or call me or contact my colleague Jui Joshi (jjoshi@calwesteducators.com).
Thanks,
Fleisch
Thursday, August 28, 2014
The power to move boulders
There was a great article I found online today. Scientists revealed the process by which rocks, some weighing up to 700 pounds, seemingly moved of their own accord and slid across a flat stretch of desert in Death Valley National Park. I don't want to spoil the science behind how the rocks move. Take a look at the article to learn more.
Racetrack Playa researcher Richard Norris standing by a trail likely formed more than a decade before this December 16, 2012 photo. Trails can last for years or decades between events. Photo from Richard Norris courtesy of Scripps Oceanography (original caption that accompanied the photograph on GrindTV.com)
What I'd like to highlight in this week's post, though, is the patience that the scientists brought to this experiment. They were prepared for it to take a decade or more to gather conclusive evidence. Luckily for them it took only a few years.
Most educators who come to CalWest are seeking a position immediately, or for the coming school year. We make a concerted effort to help everyone who becomes a candidate, and often times we are successful in placing them within a span of weeks or months. Sometimes it takes longer, though, for any number of reasons. In those situations, we often counsel people to be patient. They may need to stay in their current job for another year or two before switching, or take a job outside of teaching if they are not currently in a school.
Easier said than done, perhaps, but often there are factors beyond a person's control that impact the job search. What is within a person's control, however, is what they do to develop themselves professionally and personally. Every day it's worth spending a few minutes (or more) reading, thinking, planning, networking and making progress towards goals you set for yourself.
At some point an exciting career opportunity will present itself, and you will be ready. What are you reading right now in terms of books, blogs, newspapers, or other media to grow your potential?
Fleisch
PS If you are currently working at an independent school, please consider attending CalWest's Emerging Leaders Program on October 22nd. School administrators can nominate 1 or 2 people from their school, so if you are interested please share the website information with them.
What I'd like to highlight in this week's post, though, is the patience that the scientists brought to this experiment. They were prepared for it to take a decade or more to gather conclusive evidence. Luckily for them it took only a few years.
Most educators who come to CalWest are seeking a position immediately, or for the coming school year. We make a concerted effort to help everyone who becomes a candidate, and often times we are successful in placing them within a span of weeks or months. Sometimes it takes longer, though, for any number of reasons. In those situations, we often counsel people to be patient. They may need to stay in their current job for another year or two before switching, or take a job outside of teaching if they are not currently in a school.
Easier said than done, perhaps, but often there are factors beyond a person's control that impact the job search. What is within a person's control, however, is what they do to develop themselves professionally and personally. Every day it's worth spending a few minutes (or more) reading, thinking, planning, networking and making progress towards goals you set for yourself.
At some point an exciting career opportunity will present itself, and you will be ready. What are you reading right now in terms of books, blogs, newspapers, or other media to grow your potential?
Fleisch
PS If you are currently working at an independent school, please consider attending CalWest's Emerging Leaders Program on October 22nd. School administrators can nominate 1 or 2 people from their school, so if you are interested please share the website information with them.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Road Trip - Check out Indianapolis!
Recently I drove across the country with my daughter and our dog. One
of her favorite books in recent months has been John Green's The Fault in Our Stars or TFIOS,
as the movie/book is referred to by its many fans. I had heard about
the book but never read it. When it became clear our road trip would
take us right through Indianapolis, where TFIOS is set, I needed to get
up to speed quickly. We downloaded the audiobook on iTunes. Its nearly 8
hour length sped by as we covered parts of Kansas, Missouri and
Illinois.
Here’s a picture of my daughter enjoying the Funky Bones sculpture, the scene of a picnic in the book. Funky Bones is located at the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Here's an aerial view of Funky Bones plus some other angles.
And when you visit, please check out Kim Beck's Notice: Flock of Signs.
Both works of art are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
This December NAIS is hosting the annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) in Indianapolis. If you’ll be attending please make sure to find time to pop over and visit these outdoor sculptures!!
Fleisch
Here’s a picture of my daughter enjoying the Funky Bones sculpture, the scene of a picnic in the book. Funky Bones is located at the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
And when you visit, please check out Kim Beck's Notice: Flock of Signs.
Both works of art are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
This December NAIS is hosting the annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) in Indianapolis. If you’ll be attending please make sure to find time to pop over and visit these outdoor sculptures!!
Fleisch
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
The power of a Venn Diagram (mission + alignment = success)
Yesterday marked the 180th birthday of John Venn. Google did a fantastic animated doodle to celebrate and illustrate the concept. See it here. Peter Gow a few weeks ago wrote an interesting blog piece about mission statements at independent schools in which he used a Venn Diagram. You can click here to see Peter's post. Playing around with the Venn Diagram illustration that Google created and reading Peter Gow's post got me thinking about some of the work that CalWest does matching candidates.
The beauty of independent schools is that they adhere to a mission and vision that is particular to that school and its constituents. For example, a teacher who excels in a project-based learning environment of one school might flounder in another context. Part of our work at CalWest is to help candidates understand the nuances of different schools' mission statements, and to support candidates as they identify elements they desire from a school's mission. Figuring out the qualities that a school wants, and that a candidate offers, offers similarities to constructing a Venn Diagram.
Sometimes it is obvious to educators that they are a good fit, or not. But often times it's not clear because the teacher may feel that he/she is able to easily adapt to any setting. The missing ingredient is often alignment with the school's mission. While a teacher can undoubtedly teach in a variety of settings, it takes alignment with the school's mission to increase the odds of being successful. Getting excited to come to work everyday, pouring oneself into the job and knowing that you are making a difference is so much easier when you identify with what the school is doing, and why it's doing it. As you look at school websites, please pay close attention to their mission statements. They contain valuable clues as to whether you could be happy working there.
Seen any compelling school mission statements recently? What drew you to them? How does your life look like as a Venn Diagram when you think about the degree of alignment between your personal goals and the mission/purpose of your current employer?
Fleisch
P.S. Looking to grow professionally in your current position? Currently working at an independent school? If you answered yes to both, please check out the CalWest Emerging Leaders program. We're accepting nominations from independent schools now. We hope you'll consider it!
The beauty of independent schools is that they adhere to a mission and vision that is particular to that school and its constituents. For example, a teacher who excels in a project-based learning environment of one school might flounder in another context. Part of our work at CalWest is to help candidates understand the nuances of different schools' mission statements, and to support candidates as they identify elements they desire from a school's mission. Figuring out the qualities that a school wants, and that a candidate offers, offers similarities to constructing a Venn Diagram.
Sometimes it is obvious to educators that they are a good fit, or not. But often times it's not clear because the teacher may feel that he/she is able to easily adapt to any setting. The missing ingredient is often alignment with the school's mission. While a teacher can undoubtedly teach in a variety of settings, it takes alignment with the school's mission to increase the odds of being successful. Getting excited to come to work everyday, pouring oneself into the job and knowing that you are making a difference is so much easier when you identify with what the school is doing, and why it's doing it. As you look at school websites, please pay close attention to their mission statements. They contain valuable clues as to whether you could be happy working there.
Seen any compelling school mission statements recently? What drew you to them? How does your life look like as a Venn Diagram when you think about the degree of alignment between your personal goals and the mission/purpose of your current employer?
Fleisch
P.S. Looking to grow professionally in your current position? Currently working at an independent school? If you answered yes to both, please check out the CalWest Emerging Leaders program. We're accepting nominations from independent schools now. We hope you'll consider it!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Time to start my New Year's Resolutions
This summer I started several of my New Year's Resolutions. Yes, that's 6 months later than intended, but I rationalized it as being perfectly timed with the start of the fiscal year for schools. Exercise more and stretch my knowledge by listening to podcasts.
My family has a golden retriever. Summer has been the perfect time for extra long morning walks with her before everyone else is awake. Sprinkle in podcasts, and I've been able to stretch my mind, too.
My current favorite podcasts series are Read to Lead by Jeff Brown and The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry. Read to Lead podcasts are interviews with authors on topics related to business leadership and other valuable topics. They usually run 30+ minutes and offer a compelling summary of a book as well as interesting insights when Jeff interviews each author. Accidental Creative podcasts tend to run between 10 and 15 minutes and contain nuggets of wisdom drawn from Todd's own experiences, both as a creative professional and as an author (and I recommend both of Todd's books highly - The Accidental Creative and Die Empty).
For a great meeting of the minds, check out the Read to Lead podcast where Jeff interviewed Todd Henry when Die Empty was published - find the episode here.
Do you like listening to podcasts - if so, which ones do you recommend?
Are there any New Year's Resolutions you didn't get to earlier this year? Schools just started their new year on July 1st - what would it take to get started on one of your Resolutions today?
Fleisch
My family has a golden retriever. Summer has been the perfect time for extra long morning walks with her before everyone else is awake. Sprinkle in podcasts, and I've been able to stretch my mind, too.
My current favorite podcasts series are Read to Lead by Jeff Brown and The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry. Read to Lead podcasts are interviews with authors on topics related to business leadership and other valuable topics. They usually run 30+ minutes and offer a compelling summary of a book as well as interesting insights when Jeff interviews each author. Accidental Creative podcasts tend to run between 10 and 15 minutes and contain nuggets of wisdom drawn from Todd's own experiences, both as a creative professional and as an author (and I recommend both of Todd's books highly - The Accidental Creative and Die Empty).
For a great meeting of the minds, check out the Read to Lead podcast where Jeff interviewed Todd Henry when Die Empty was published - find the episode here.
Do you like listening to podcasts - if so, which ones do you recommend?
Are there any New Year's Resolutions you didn't get to earlier this year? Schools just started their new year on July 1st - what would it take to get started on one of your Resolutions today?
Fleisch
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Dreamworks Animation and the power of relationships
This past weekend, my family and I were at the Hollywood Bowl. The occasion was a 20th anniversary celebration of Dreamworks Films. Clips from classic Dreamworks movies* were splashed across several giant screens while a live orchestra played the film score. At the beginning of the evening there was a montage of all the films with different themes like adventure, discovery, and friendship.
When the conductor, Thomas Wilkins, introduced the evening, he did a marvelous job of framing the importance of relationships as an essential element of the films. Both the relations that existed between characters on screen and the relationship between the animated movies and the film scores played by live musicians.
It got me thinking about the role of a placement firm like CalWest. At our best, I hope we're an inspirational soundtrack that is playing behind the scenes as candidates and schools connect, interview and start a professional working relationship.
How do you see (hear?) a placement firm when you think about their function in the recruiting and hiring process? What role should a placement firm play? And if a soundtrack was playing in the background right now of your mind, how would it sound and what would you be hearing?
Until next week,
Fleisch
* I must confess that my favorite Dreamworks movie made it into a few montages but didn't get the prominence I felt it deserved. Monsters vs Aliens is a classic - at least in the Fleischner household.
When the conductor, Thomas Wilkins, introduced the evening, he did a marvelous job of framing the importance of relationships as an essential element of the films. Both the relations that existed between characters on screen and the relationship between the animated movies and the film scores played by live musicians.
It got me thinking about the role of a placement firm like CalWest. At our best, I hope we're an inspirational soundtrack that is playing behind the scenes as candidates and schools connect, interview and start a professional working relationship.
How do you see (hear?) a placement firm when you think about their function in the recruiting and hiring process? What role should a placement firm play? And if a soundtrack was playing in the background right now of your mind, how would it sound and what would you be hearing?
Until next week,
Fleisch
* I must confess that my favorite Dreamworks movie made it into a few montages but didn't get the prominence I felt it deserved. Monsters vs Aliens is a classic - at least in the Fleischner household.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Want to know more about the Emerging Leaders Program for independent school educators?
Earlier today we opened up registration in the Emerging Leaders Program, a one-day professional development event on October 22nd, 2014 with followup this winter. Curious? Click here to jump to the invitation.
Emerging Leaders sprang out of feedback several years ago from the CalWest Advisory Board. It serves as a step along the leadership path for independent school educators. This year’s curriculum is both deeper and broader than any past events we’ve had. The audience has been narrowed while the content and contact has been expanded.
Should you attend? We’ve geared the event to teachers who want to move into an administrative position within the next few years, as well as to current administrators who want to learn some skills and perspective to move into a more senior leadership position within the next 2-4 years.
Who should not attend? Teachers who want to be leaders from within their classrooms. We have enormous respect for this type of leadership, and a future version of Emerging Leaders will serve that audience.
We’re limiting the number of participants to 40, with each school being able to send 1 or 2 participants. Nominations from a head of school, division head, or other senior leader get the ball rolling - here is the registration form.
Care to know more? Contact my colleague Jui Joshi (jjoshi@calwesteducators.com) who is leading this initiative. Or you can reach me at fleisch@calwesteducators.com.
More details to come in the next few weeks. Have a terrific Tuesday!
Fleisch
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
What happens over the summer?
Wow, it's now early July and I realized that there has been no posting since an initial blog post last November when we first launched our new website. Time for some updated content!
This is a quiet(er) time of year in the educator placement industry. The peak hiring months have already passed but there are still schools every day with teacher or administrator openings. Some are part-time, for maternity, medical or other leaves. Others are full-time.
If you are thinking about making a move into an independent school setting and you are currently employed, it's best to take a long-term perspective and be aiming for a fall 2015 opening. If you find yourself currently looking for a position, although the odds are getting long, there are definitely openings available. And on the plus side, when a school has a vacancy to fill at this time of year they move very quickly to fill it.
If you are not yet a CalWest candidate please submit a copy of your resume to resume@calwesteducators.com and include a brief cover letter. When my colleagues review your materials if we have one or more potential openings we will encourage you to complete our online application. If we don't have relevant positions for you right now, please consider contacting us again in the late fall or early winter (November to January) when we being to ramp up the search efforts for the next hiring season.
All the best,
Fleisch
P.S. I'd welcome your thoughts and comments. Please email me at chris@calwesteducators.com
This is a quiet(er) time of year in the educator placement industry. The peak hiring months have already passed but there are still schools every day with teacher or administrator openings. Some are part-time, for maternity, medical or other leaves. Others are full-time.
If you are thinking about making a move into an independent school setting and you are currently employed, it's best to take a long-term perspective and be aiming for a fall 2015 opening. If you find yourself currently looking for a position, although the odds are getting long, there are definitely openings available. And on the plus side, when a school has a vacancy to fill at this time of year they move very quickly to fill it.
If you are not yet a CalWest candidate please submit a copy of your resume to resume@calwesteducators.com and include a brief cover letter. When my colleagues review your materials if we have one or more potential openings we will encourage you to complete our online application. If we don't have relevant positions for you right now, please consider contacting us again in the late fall or early winter (November to January) when we being to ramp up the search efforts for the next hiring season.
All the best,
Fleisch
P.S. I'd welcome your thoughts and comments. Please email me at chris@calwesteducators.com
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