Blog | National SAM Innovation Project

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 5/19/25 - A Great “Next Year” Can Start Today.

Jim Mercer
May 19

This week’s tip: A Great “Next Year” Can Start Today.

I read Zach Mercurio’s new book, The Power of Mattering, this weekend. He shared an activity designed to help staff members see that they matter. He asked the teachers and support staff at a school to write down a moment when they felt they and their work mattered:

I noticed a woman named Jeanine sitting in the middle of the auditorium, shaking her head. She looked distressed. I asked her to share what was wrong. “I can’t think of a moment,” she said.

“How long have you been here? I asked.

“Fourteen years,” Jeanine replied. I’m just administrative support; I do the schedules and paperwork processing.”

A teacher raised his hand on the other side of the auditorium. “What? I wouldn’t have a class to teach or students in it if you didn’t do your job,” he explained.

Another raised her hand. “You’re so good at what you do. Always quick, always thorough, and always so kind to us.” She said.

Then another teacher interjected, “Yes! Our kids wouldn’t be able to graduate if you didn’t process the transcripts.” One after another, in front of everyone, people came forward to show Jeanine how she made a difference.

With a big smile, she said, “I guess I do matter.”

What would it be like if you facilitated this activity in a staff meeting or in small groups? Would you feel comfortable helping teachers and support staff identify a moment that made them feel that they matter? Identifying purpose, and how you matter, allows you to see your significance. Feeling significant allows a person to be their better self.

It is budget time in most schools and districts. Be sure to budget for your SAM services for the 2025-26 school year. You can request an invoice now by using this link: https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 5/12/25 - Listening: Easy to Say, Hard to Do.

Jim Mercer
May 12

This week’s tip: Listening: Easy to say, hard to do.

My first rule of school leadership is to make people feel important. This is easy to say, but surprisingly difficult to do.

Kim Marshall, The Marshall Memo, turned my attention recently to an article by Jeffrey Yip and Colin M. Fisher. They provided the clearest and most succinct explanation I’ve seen on why being a good listener is hard:

Why? Because listening is an intentional activity that requires empathy, patience, and the ability to respond to what you hear.

Wow. I believe they hit the proverbial nail on the head. You can’t fake listening. You get caught way too soon as a fraud and damage your ability to be taken seriously by your staff, students and parents.

The authors list five mistakes leaders make when attempting to listen. Two resonated with me:

Defensiveness

“When employees raise concerns or offer critical feedback, defensiveness can be a natural, knee‑jerk reaction. “The lesson is to steel yourself against defensiveness by calming your own emotions and seeking to understand the other parties’ intentions before responding. Before you speak, take stock of yourself. If you feel criticized or threatened, buy yourself time by simply restating what you think the speaker has said or thanking that person for sharing. You can also ask questions to get more information. Those moves will prevent you from counterattacking and show people that you’re hearing them out before voicing your own opinion.”

Exhaustion

“Exhaustion is a silent killer of effective listening. When leaders are physically or emotionally drained, they lose their capacity to focus, process, and engage productively with employees.

The best way to avoid exhausted listening is to establish clear boundaries. That might involve blocking out certain hours when your door or calendar (TimeTrack) is open and others when it’s not, setting time limits on discussions, or taking breaks during extended conversations. Moreover, leaders should acknowledge their personal limits. If you’re feeling weary, it’s both acceptable and beneficial to reschedule for a time when you have more energy. By acknowledging that quality listening requires mental and emotional reserves, you’re demonstrating transparency and respect, which your counterparts will appreciate.”

Would you like to read the short article to see the other three reasons the authors think listening is hard? Click here: “Are You Really a Good Listener?”

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 5/5/25 - Mattering Matters

Jim Mercer
May 5

This week’s tip: Mattering Matters

Is feeling that you belong at a school the same as feeling that you matter?

“Belonging is feeling welcomed and accepted in a group, whereas mattering is feeling significant to the group’s individual members. Mattering is an even more fundamental need than belonging. Mattering—a mainstay concept in the fields of psychology and sociology for more than 40 years—is the experience of feeling significant to those around us because we feel valued and know that we add value. It is a primal need. When people know that they matter at work, they thrive.” Zach Mercurio, The Power of Mattering at Work

SAM teams track time spent with each teacher, and other staff members, to improve their practice. Can you use your TimeTrack data to consider if your work conveys a belief that each person matters? You might start by looking at data showing time spent on celebratory feedback. Did each staff member receive one or more celebratory feedback session this year? Was your feedback, overall for the year, more directive or non-directive? Did you ask a lot of open-ended question or did you make a lot of statements?

Mercurio suggests: “Renew your intention to pay close attention to others. Begin by asking more-meaningful questions. We tend to begin conversations with “How are you?” or “How was your day?” These standard greetings don’t give us any insight into the people we lead. Instead ask questions that are clear, open, and exploratory.

Clear questions have an object and a time frame.

For example, instead of saying, “How are you?” you might ask, “What has your attention today?”Open questions give people the opportunity to share their experiences.
Instead of asking, “Did the meeting go well?” you might ask, “What was the most important insight you heard in the meeting?” Exploratory questions seek to understand, not evaluate.
Instead of “What did you get done today?” you might ask, “Which parts of today’s projects were most challenging for you and why?”

You can access Mercurio’s article by using this link: “The Power of Mattering at Work”

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm