Extreme Ownership Weekly Reflections by Kelsey Buckley

Week 1

buckleyk7 — 2025-08-24 14:40:36 UTC

Thank you all for having some reflective & meaningful conversations last week. I think we are off to a great start & I can't wait to see what we start getting into this week! GO INDIANS

What was your biggest takeaway from this chapter? Accountability taken for the blue on blue (friendly fire). He didn't throw people under the bus.

2025-08-28 12:52:39 UTC

How does this principle apply to your leadership role or department? We shouldn't throw our own co-workers under the bus either. That is the equivalent to a blue-on-blue.

What barriers might prevent you from applying it this week? None

What’s one small action you’ll commit to before our next meeting? Creating SAC weekly lessons for all Bio teachers for Mrs. H.

Chapter 1: Extreme Ownership

Theme: Leaders own everything in their world.

Prompts:

Why is ownership so difficult to practice? Nobody likes to admit failure.

What happens to culture when leaders model blame instead of ownership? You point one finger, you have 3 more pointing right back at you. Those who are busy rowing their boat, don't have time to rock others.

Where do you see blame on campus — and how could ownership change that? People using the word can't when describing abilities. If we add one word...YET...to that sentence, the mindset flips from negative to positive.

2025-08-28 21:18:23 UTC

Leaders lead from the front! Leadership all about mindset. Leaders model what “right” looks like. You are responsible for all that is right and wrong. Leaders are accountable. Leadership is a no excuse zone. Leadership is an action word! Leaders can centralize planning and decentralize execution….delegate and empower subordinates/ peers. Leaders communicate what success looks like. Owe successes and failures. That’s how growth occurs and how organizations grow.

Reflection: How can we get better?

Everyone is not bought in. We need to emphasize buy-in.

Believe in the process

United in effort and purpose

Yield to the outcome (WIG)

Invest time developing systems that work

Now is the time!

Thank you!

buckleyk7 — 2025-09-14 00:45:19 UTC

I wanted to take the time to thank all of you for continuing to be engaged in this process despite having extremely busy schedules. I feel like our discussions have gotten much deeper and I hope you all are truly finding the process to be valuable and help you all grow as leaders! I LOVE the message in chapter 3 and I hope you guys have found something useful you can apply within your leadership roles.

Chp. 3-Action Step

buckleyk7 — 2025-09-14 00:51:30 UTC

My action-step this week is to be very clear about why we need a refined pass during WIN and why it is imperative to follow the guidelines put in place.

Ch. 3 Takeaways

2025-09-14 17:22:38 UTC

1.- 1st bullet- People who understand the why always look for ways to grow the boat instead of rocking it.

2nd bullet- When the WHY isn't understood, then complacency can creep in.

1st bullet- The why has always been my co-captain. We should have all chosen this profession because we have a passion for helping kids.
2nd bullet- Building relationships is the single most important thing an educator can do to effective teach kids. They don't care what you know until they know you care.
1st bullet- Our why is stressed repeatedly during faculty meetings. It is our moral imperative to do everything we can to educate our scholars to the best of our abilities and ensure their academic success.
2nd bullet- Dr. Stephens does a great job reminding educators WHY we do what we do. We will become an A campus this year!!
I think the WHY has been made abundantly clear to all educators. If they don't know the why, then it's because they are choosing not to hear it and believe it.
1. For my/our Biology team, we are a pretty cohesive unit. Scholars ion all courses are receiving quality instruction. One thing I always do with the Bio department is provide positive reinforcement and encouragement through treats (Oreos, candy, fist-bumps, words of affirmation, etc...) as well as asking what I can do to make their job easier on them. They love the fact I make I provide their paper copies needed for them and handle the Bio/Pre-AP lesson plans. We also have added a bonus for the kids...if they reach 80% Meets or 40% Mastery on the Biology STAAR this year, the ones who make those scores get to give me the haircut of their choice at the end of the year.