What do you do if your mid-career in educational leadership needs a boost for career success?

there are several strategies I can consider to revitalize your career and achieve your goals: 1. Set Clear Career Goals, 2. Continuing Education and Professional Development, 3. Networking and Building Relationships, 4. Seek Leadership Opportunities, 5. Stay Current and Innovative, 6. Seek Feedback and Mentorship, 7. Demonstrate Impact and Results and 8. Stay Resilient and Persistent.

Your personal goals of achievement in life change in your midlife. You may need to look after your child's education, elderly care, and the continued pressure of work. You will be most vulnerable to organizational politics and toxicity. If you are into an institution that is run on predatory profit motives as 70% of the educational institutions in the country you will face severe pressure from the owners who will be willing partners of the politics. Toxicity will run you down and you will examine the choice of leaving and joining other institutions. Take it for granted they are no different from what you already experienced. It is better to insulate yourself from these pressures and probably examination of minimalist philosophy may help you

ACME approach can be used to boost mid-career educational leadership career. ACME - Adjacent areas, Contributions, Mentorship and Execution Excellence. The first is to start identifying the adjacent administrative areas where there is a skill-role fitment. And the second step is to start making small contributions to test the waters and to gain endorsements from the existing colleagues of your ability and expertise to make a difference. Enough care should be taken to see that the existing colleagues are co-opted and they are not feeling insecured. Next step is to seek mentors - the veterans and the most respected in the adjacent areas - and have engaging mentorship sessions. Next is to demonstrate execution excellence in the adjacent area

In my experience most employees, students, or volunteers wait for others to place value on their gifts, talents, and time. I can recall speaking at San Diego University and having professionals share how impacted they were at me sharing how to leverage their unique talents and skillsets. Students came to me after sharing they did not know where to start, and that's when I decided to become a branding and marketing coach. It became evident to me that inspiring wasn't enough to make others dreams come to life in a tangible way. So, I learned logo creation, website creation, and strategic alignment for services in the marketplace. Now, I not only inspire audiences but can bring visions to life in a tangible way. I chose to grow!

As an educator in higher learning, we are dual profession. A teacher as well as a professional having an industry expertise. We have to keep ourselves abreast of both the teaching pedagogy as well as emerging industry trends. For me, learning should never stop in order to be successful in education or to perform a leadership role in the education industry. Leading by example is the way to go.

Seeking constant feedback from everyone you engage with is crucial to your growth. If one is aware of the areas that they need to work on and improve, they can focus their energies to developing a development plan specifically for those areas. In addition to the above, identifying a educational leadership mentor that you can bounce off ideas with is also crucial and useful to one’s growth.

Not everyone is suited to education leadership roles. A brilliant scholar and teacher should relish these roles and pursue them with vigor. Those who believed they were called to leadership and then realize that they have pursued a path less than fruitful should consider returning to scholarship and teaching. If the problem is situational - consider a new role at a new institution. One key point that gets missed, education leadership should be viewed as temporal in nature - there is a fair amount of politics involved in these shared governance roles. Never take a leadership role for title or money - the wrong motivation, you will do damage to yourself and the institution you seek to serve.

Consider seeking out leadership development programs or workshops tailored specifically for mid-career professionals in education. These programs can provide valuable insights, skills, and networking opportunities to propel your career forward. Additionally, don't overlook the importance of building a strong personal brand and online presence. Actively engage in professional communities, share your expertise through blogs or social media, and showcase your achievements to enhance your visibility and credibility in the field. By investing in your professional growth and visibility, you can position yourself for greater career success in educational leadership.

Identify a specific problem that needs to be addressed for the benefit of others and collaborate with key individuals to solve it. Being a problem solver is a solid way to demonstrate your expertise and value to the organization. It also serves as an incredible morale booster for you as you navigate career slumps.