Jasma Hayes

I would say relationships. I have definitely been blessed to be able to build relationships with people, and through that, just really knowing how to cultivate different skills I see in different people and make it come to life for them. I'm a relationship person - that's my biggest thing. It's about building those connections and then using them to help people grow and reach their potential.

The best career advice I have received is to be kind to people, and that isn't being a yes person - I had to learn that. Being kind isn't just saying yes to everything. Being kind is holding people accountable, setting expectations, and being an overall kind person. I know in this field it can be very stressful sometimes, but I don't let the stress overpower my personality and how I treat others. People will always remember how you treated them versus the work you did for them. I live on that - I live on just being kind to people, still holding expectations, still setting whatever needs to be done, not letting people slack, but being kind with my words when I'm setting expectations and things like that. That has really helped.

My advice would be to remember your why. Why did you want to be an educator, assistant principal, or whatever the job is in leadership and education? Remember your why, because that's what's going to hold you when you have rough days and things like that. Always treat people the way you want to be treated, and think about the legacy that you're leaving behind. What is the legacy you want to leave when you're retired or done with everything? And another piece of advice - it is not about you. Every aspect of it, remember it is not about you. Whatever people could be doing or whatever is happening, it's not about you.

I would say my biggest challenge is when it comes to prioritizing what's most important. Although all the tasks are important, sometimes it is a challenge because we may not be able to do certain things - it's just not time yet, even though you want to be able to do it. For example, you might have a student who needs some extra support, but the student or the family is not being really receptive to the support yet, and that could be a challenge. You see the student and know they're capable of doing whatever you're trying to get them to do, but all we can really do is just keep trying. I just wish all my stories could be success stories, but unfortunately there are not, you know?

My core values are my faith, family, and being purposeful. When I think about being purposeful, it's that everything I do, there's a purpose behind it. I'm really intentional about how I present myself to the community, how I show up for family, and how I show up at work - what is the purpose behind it all? As a leader, it's important to me to create focus, be intentional about what I do, work with conviction, and still see areas for me to grow. I set clear expectations for myself and the people I work with, and building relationships is a big part of that.