Jennifer’s book Having Hard Conversations on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Having-Hard-Conversations-Jennifer-Abrams
Jennifer was an English teacher for years, then spent 16 years as a new teacher coach, and is now an author and consultant, training teachers all over the world (and she loves theatre, and singing country music in her car) (1:55)
Jennifer originally planned to be a psychology major, but she decided she preferred teaching English (3:59)
Why Jennifer loves what she does for a living (7:30)
Change may not be easy for adults, but it certainly is doable (9:07)
We’re all stuck, in different ways, and understanding that is necessary for a person to make real changes that become permanent (10:21)
There’s no time to coast in education (14:53)
Many people think they want to be the world famous bullfighter, but once they’re actually in the ring, they discover that what they really wanted was to wear the fancy outfit and hear the crowd cheering, not face down an angry bull (14:54)
Knowing the difference between advice you should heed, and advice you should ignore (20:05)
If we want to be effective, we have to stretch our style to support people who do not fit in our sandbox, even if doing so doesn’t feel “genuine” (31:00)
It’s imperative to learn how to communicate with people in ways they understand (32:54)
Jennifer discusses the two books she has written – Having Hard Conversations and Hard Conversations Unpacked: The Whos, the Whens, and the What-Ifs, and how she came to write them (36:30)
Jennifer shares some of her best tips for having hard conversations (38:56)
What it means to be generationally savvy and why it matters for good communication (43:20)
Some important tips for working with Millennials (48:40)
Don’t wait for other people; jump in and do it yourself (51:02)
Two of Jennifer’s favorite books for school leaders (52:30)
It’s all about allocentrism when it comes to teachers working with students (53:10)
Adults are adults, but they also have triggers, so admins need to be compassionate and seek to understand where resistance is coming from when dealing with teachers (55:02)
In praise of LearningForward.org (58:28)
If Jennifer had a time machine, here’s the advice she would go back and give her younger self when she was just starting out in administration (1:00:55)
Books mentioned in this episode
Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process by Andy Molinsky
Tell Me So I Can Hear You: A Developmental Approach to Feedback for Educators by Eleanor Drago-Severson and Jessica Blum-DeStefano
Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer B. (Beth) Abrams
Hard Conversations Unpacked: The Whos, the Whens, and the What-Ifs by Jennifer B. (Beth) Abrams
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
The Multigenerational Workplace: Communicate, Collaborate, and Create Community by Jennifer B. (Beth) Abrams and Valerie Von Frank
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock
The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters by Peter Block
Connect with Jennifer Abrams
About EducatorsLead:
Educators Lead is a podcast created to help launch educators into the next level of leadership. This show is for you if you are interested in educational leadership as an assistant principal, principal, superintendent, teacher or someone who hopes to be a school leader one day. Educators Lead offers inspiration and practical advice to help you lead more effectively. Jay Willis interviews school leaders weekly to discuss why and when these educators made the decision to move into school leadership, challenges along the journey, and stories that made it all worthwhile. Educators Lead is a great resource for any educator looking to make a greater impact.
Educate. Inspire. Lead.
