Each quarter I take a deeper dive into my goals. In this post, I will reflect on my Q1 (January-Feb) 2021 results.
Steal my process for goal reflection and use it to boost your leadership.
This post (OKRs are a leader’s secret productivity weapon) will get you started.
If you’d like some one-on-one coaching establishing your OKRs, create a plan to achieve them, and accountability to track results, send me an email ([email protected])
“The simplest, cleanest way to score an objective is by averaging the percentage of completion rates of its associated results.”
John Doerr in Measure What Matters
Google uses the following scale, so I stole like an artist and used it too:
| ? OBJECTIVE 1: HELP MORE SCHOOL LEADERS LEVEL UP [34%] (0.2+0.9+0.6+0.0+0.0 = 1.7/5) |
| KEY RESULTS (Q3 2020) ? Invite 10-20 leaders to a powerful coaching call [0.2] ? Bucket list with mastermind, edupreneur, and one-on-one clients [0.9] ? Teach coaching strategy to mastermind coach team [0.6] ? Run monthly workshops on a theme [0.0] ? Run mastermind tasters [0.0] |
| ? OBJECTIVE 2: CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT [77%] |
| KEY RESULTS (Q3 2020) ? Complete book draft #2 [1.0] ? Launch Season 1 Better Leaders Better Schools archive [1.0] ? Create four videos a month [0.3] |
| ? OBJECTIVE 3: INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS [76%] |
| KEY RESULTS (Q3 2020) ? 50K downloads a month for BLBS by December 31 [0.6] ? 20K downloads a month for SLS by December 31 [0.6] ? 2500K organic visitors a month [1.0] ? Increase domain score to 36 [0.9] ? Increase email list to 3500 [0.7] |
| ? OBJECTIVE 4: LEVEL UP PROFESSIONALLY [56%] |
| ? Watch all Litvin videos [1.0] ? Finish The Goal and Crossing the Chasm [0.7] ? Watch 1-2 WBECS videos [0.0] ? Read and apply 8 profit activators [0.8] ? Create a “pathway” for mastermind members [0.3] |
| ? OBJECTIVE 5: LEVEL UP PERSONALLY [56%] |
| ? Kettlebell, pull-ups, cardio 3x/week [0.3] ? Yoga 3x/week [0.0] ? Alba learns basic commands and potties outside [0.8] ? Weekly postcards [0.5] ? Finish The Way of Zen [0.5] |
In the self-assessment, I give the objective ratings a soul through a qualitative reflection.
| OKR | Progress | Score | Self-assessment |
| Help more leaders level up | 34% | 0.7 | After a great coaching call with the LEGEND Tommy Breedlove, I realized that my focus needs to be narrower. Tommy helped me see that I should put most of my energy (not used on the book) toward building my coaching team. He was right. By focusing on a smaller set of individuals we can serve more school leaders. This is the path toward multiplying myself and living our my just cause “to connect, grow, and mentor every school leader who wants to level up.” The bucket list activity went really well. We didn’t have 100% participation, but for the leaders who did participate, it has opened up opportunities to connect on meaningful goals in their life. |
| Create valuable content | 77% | 1.0 | My second book is done and the hard work paid off. From my editor, “First of all, wow. You took my feedback and ran with it, and what you did WORKED. You’ve written a solid book that is research-based, informative, authoritative, personable, and empowering – with a good bit of humor worked in.” I can’t wait to get this out to the RUCKUS MAKER community. I also created an archive podcast process for my team, so now that runs on automatic in the background and does not need any input from me. We launched this because Apple only keeps your first 300 episodes in the podcast feed. Now all 250 episodes of Season 1, will have a permanent place to live in the podcast universe. I fell short of creating four videos a month. It was more work than I imagined, but we did launch the official BLBS channel and the videos are looking great. I have plenty of content mapped out, so need to create the time and space needed to make more videos consistently. |
| Increase brand awareness | 76% | 0.8 | The podcasts are doing well. I might try ads to introduce school leaders to these shows. I can also experiment emailing principals directly letting them know that show exists and utilize my team to execute this idea. I also have a plan for growing the email list by creating more free valuable resources available for download. Website traffic and authority are all moving in the right direction. |
| Level up professionally | 56% | 0.8 | I find that I’m overly ambitious with goals, even when there are 5 or less per quarter goal. In Q2 I have planned 22 instead of 23. So that is moving in the right direction too and we’ll see if that does anything. The honest truth is to figure out who I can hire to own some of these goals. I will put a name on each new goal that I have established, but haven’t achieved. I think I should also make an impact filter for each of my goals that someone else will own as well. I do need to think more deeply about the mastermind pathway or eliminate it as a goal. |
| Level up personally | 56% | 0.5 | This one is pretty accurate. I was lazy again regarding fitness. I ordered a Peloton which arrived in mid-March. As of writing this (Thursday | April 08, 2021), I have been on the bike 20 days in a row. I am committed to an April challenge to ride every day. Competition and badges motivate me. I relish beating men in their 20s. My postcard project is quite a heavy lift. I have around 30 cards I’ve designed and have been painting. This takes a lot of effort and it’s been a month working on these cards. Weekly is too ambitious a goal or I should only try to do 5 or so a week. The most important thing is to send everyone in my community a card at least once a year. Twice would be better. I’m still reading The Way of Zen. I didn’t anticipate how hard it would be to read with a puppy! Speaking of Alba, she knows her basic commands and rarely has accidents at this point. |
I delivered on 2-of-5 goals this quarter. The valuable content goal was achieved because I kept the KRs focused on just three and most of my energy was devoted to my book. I love to write so my hard work focused on SEO continues to bear fruit for my website.
Objective 1 wasn’t achieved because I had too much on my plate. I coached for the altMBA this quarter so for five weeks I had to prioritize my goals, and that was my book.
Objective 4 wasn’t achieved because I didn’t even try to watch WBECS videos. I was learning from other places — including spaces that elevated my coaching skills. So in reality, this was not a big deal at all.
Objective 5 was not achieved because I was lazy regarding fitness.
I didn’t achieve any goals at a 1.0 or 100% score. You can definitely say I was sufficiently stretched this quarter.
This next quarter I have one less goal. What I learned this time around is getting more focused on what the lead domino is. I think my goals are realistic this time around. I should have adjusted Q1 goals when I knew I was coaching the altMBA.
As a chronically late student, Danny Bauer once told his Chemistry teacher a fib about saving an entire girl scout troop from a burning building to get out of a tardy.
Danny is not sure if it was the very made up story, the very real cookie he offered his teacher, or a combination of both that got him out of a detention that day …
That experience taught him it pays to develop your storytelling skills.
Danny has been telling stories since then, most recently on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts, and via his two bestselling books, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader and Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan.
He also loves telling stories while facilitating in person leadership workshops at national conferences and for school districts.
Danny’s mission is to help Ruckus Makers Do School Different™.
Soniya, hailing from the culturally rich land of India, is a dynamic professional in the field of web services, crafting digital landscapes. Soniya’s journey into the world of technology is a testament to her unwavering passion and commitment to excellence, transforming ideas into impactful online realities.
Since 2022, Soniya has played an important role in supporting BLBS with her comprehensive website services.
She loves to travel and cook new recipes.
Music is an inspiring art form. Sound is conveyed via the air to the ears of living beings, and each being perceives it in its own unique way, eliciting a certain feeling. Dragan feels the same sensation every time he hears music, from infancy to now, as if it were a part of his existence that he couldn’t fathom living without. Dragan opted to deal with sound his entire life despite his formal degree, and today he is one of the most passionate audio producers you can meet and chat to about sound and music all day long. His enthusiasm for audio production, student-like thinking, and curiosity keep him continually mobile in generating new, quality, and enjoyable sound on a regular basis.
Dragan has been producing BLBS audio and video content since 2020.
My passion for both baseball and literature was the initial catalyst that led me into education. Growing up as a softball player and a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs from the North Side of the city, I developed a profound appreciation for the South Side of Chicago, not enough to convert me into a White Sox fan. As a National Board certified teacher, with over 16 years of experience on Chicago’s South Side, my journey as an educator has taken me from my roots in the Windy City to Virginia, as an instructional coach.
From the very beginning, I have been an unwavering believer in the philosophy of BLBS. My journey alongside Danny has been one of daring innovation and audacity, right from the moment he challenged me to say, “boom” and drop the mic during our initial city-wide professional development event. He has cultivated a team capable of winning a World Series, and I am deeply honored to be a part of this community of individuals who consistently push the boundaries and endeavor to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Premaria Mutambudzi is the BLBS Office Administrator, This is her 2nd year, she has served in the administrative field for 5+ years, Prim is originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She has been married for 7 years to her husband Takunda, and is blessed with two children.
Prim loves meditation, creative writing, poetry, and reading. In her spare time, Prim is a talented and creative Makeup Artist.
– Head Coach
Sofía’s lifelong search for a profession that would “leave the world a little better than she found it” led her to study philosophy and comparative religions, become a teacher, lead schools and educational projects, work for the Argentine Ministry of Education, contribute as a volunteer in various NGOs and become personally committed to causes that raised awareness about the world’s challenges and the potential of education to overcome them.
She is a practically-minded idealist, a profound believer in people and their potential for good, committed to collaborative leadership environments, and instinctively and naturally drawn to create order and systems in seemingly chaotic contexts.
After more than 30 years in the classroom and almost 20 as a school leader, Sofía now divides her time as Schools Development Manager for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Executive Secretary for the International Confederation of Principals, Facilitator for the ESSARP Teacher Training Centre in Argentina and BLBS Mastermind Coach.
Each of her current roles allows her to travel near and far while contributing to her own lifelong learning, and that of school leaders across the world, in the slow way she cherishes: one experience, one adventure, one conversation and one relationship at a time.
– Head Coach
Once a roller derby ref, now enjoying “retirement”, Dan’s got some wild tales from the track. Picture this: Dallas, a Division 1 tournament, and Dan’s zipping around as an “outside pack ref” when suddenly, BAM! He gets bulldozed by “Ruthless Red” charging out of the penalty box. But did he stay down? Not a chance! Dan bounced right back up, finished the game like a champ, and jetted off to Barcelona for the World Cup, broken tailbone and all.
Bruises and broken bones couldn’t keep Dan out of the action. Those derby days weren’t just about dodging collisions—they taught him about grit, resilience, and leadership skills that he’s been flexing for 15 years as a school leader. Whether he’s coaching leaders as part of The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ team or dodging freight trains in the fast-paced world of roller derby, Dan is always willing to lean into the next challenge.
– Head Coach
Jason P. Dropik (Babaamii-Bines / Eagle Clan) is the School Administrator for the Indian Community School (ics-edu.org), in Franklin, WI, which serves Native students in the metro Milwaukee area. A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (BadRiver-nsn.gov), Jason is committed to supporting students, families, staff, school/community leaders, and the community both near and far.
Having recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA.org), he advocated for and spoke on the importance of tribal sovereignty, policy, appropriations, and student support across the country. As a Board Member of NIEA, Jason continues with that work, championing training and providing information for schools and community organizations, while creating visibility and understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
His greatest passion is creating welcoming spaces for students to develop their identity, take pride in their language and culture, and to celebrate the rich legacy and the promising future of Indigenous communities.
– Head Coach
First and foremost, I’m a husband, father and son. I’m someone who is driven by my faith. I’m the Principal of A. Russell Knight Elementary in Cherry Hill, NJ. The Parks are animal lovers. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Some things that I’m loving at the moment is playing Pickleball and cooking for my friends and family. I also have the privilege and joy of serving as a BLBS Mastermind coach.
– Head Coach
Back in high school, Jesse used to painstakingly unthread the logos from his clothing and hats so that he wouldn’t be seen as part of the status quo.
He didn’t know it then, but that was the start of his journey as someone who finds unique ways of communicating ideas.
Then when he discovered his connection to youth with disabilities, he realized that he was among experts who’ve been finding ways to do things differently all their lives.
Leaning into these connections has brought him to become the Innovation Lead for a statewide project called I’m Determined – developing and producing animated videos and feature-length movies, facilitating events and building tools and resources for youth, families, and educators – all as ways to help students ink their journeys for the world to see.
As a leadership coach, Jesse is someone whose consistent presence is there to listen and add value and belonging.
– Head Coach
Leadership skills were evident as early as first grade for Paige Kinnaird when the teacher pointed out that “Paige is an eager beaver who completes her own work and then monitors what everyone else is doing.”
This taught Paige the importance of servant leadership. To never expect work from others that she is not fully committed to also putting forth the effort to accomplish.
Paige has used this as the central driving force of her work ever since… a willingness to be part of the work, not just driving the work.
– Head Coach
Karine Veldhoen, M.Ed., is the founder of Learn Forward™ and a creative force in education. While her name may be difficult to pronounce, her mission is simple, to champion extraordinary potential. As an educational leader (15 years) she created the first model Learn Forward™ school while simultaneously founding and serving as Executive Director of Niteo Africa. She’s taught Teacher Candidates at both UBC-O and UNBC and serves as a coach for Better Leaders Better Schools.
In all of her roles, she considers herself a modern-day pilgrim who stands for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Now, she dedicates her professional practice to championing EdLeaders to design thriving schools. When Karine is not carving new paths for education, you’ll find her with her husband and three children, her heart-song.