Sue Dunlop Consulting

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  • Learning from My Mistakes

    Learning from My Mistakes

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    Sue Dunlop

    Leadership is exciting and rewarding. But it isn’t easy. A couple of months ago, I blogged about three essential leadership practices here.  The last one about shining a light on my mistakes so I could learn from them. I’ve made a few mistakes since then, and I’m learning. Here’s my list…so far! 1. Understand the…

  • Three Steps to Better Leadership

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    Sue Dunlop

    I reflect often on my leadership practices.  I want to be as transparent as possible about my values, my thinking and my growth as a leader. I am always conscious of my influence and my impact, which is often where leadership lies.  Here are three things I do to be a better leader: 1)  Listen…

  • Breaking the Silence Barrier

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    Sue Dunlop

    We’ve all the heard the stories: the principal who arrives at 10:00 and leaves by 2:00; no one knows where she is. The superintendent who mentors the men and ignores the women. The teacher who yells at students constantly. The student who bullies other students in the washoom. What do these stories often have in…

  • “We” not “I”

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    Sue Dunlop

    Language is powerful. People hear and listen to what educators say. When a principal or vice principal says “my schools”, what message is inferred? When a teacher says “my students”, what message is implied? Next time you are tempted to use “my” or “I”, try using “our” or “we”  instead. Do you see the difference?…

  • Five Reasons to Smile More

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    Sue Dunlop

    I’ve been thinking a lot about smiling lately. I read Sue Stephenson’s new book, Kidding Around: Connecting Kids to Happiness, Laughter and Humour.  She talks about helping the children and teens in your life find happiness. Being mindful about all that is good is an important component. Smiling and laughing is just as important. Children tend…

  • Do You Do the Countdown?

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    Sue Dunlop

    This June, Amber Teamann wrote a blog post called What Can You Do in 16 Days?  It was followed up by a letter from a district colleague, Stacy, that Amber posted on the Connected Principals blog called The Final Countdown.  Both posts emphasized that the final days of school are just as important as the…