Important Questions for Educators

I've had a lot of time to reflect over the past few months about leadership and how I have grown as a leader. I have pondered my successes and failures with a keen eye on what I could have done better for the people that I lead. This reflection has been tough because it has forced me to be very intentional at looking at the circumstances that led to specific decisions that were made. Hindsight is always 20/20 and you sometimes wonder what the heck you were thinking when faced with an important decision. This is a trap though because when you are constantly thinking about the aftermath of a decision, you tend to get tentative and indecisive and can't focus on the road ahead. 

I read once that you will never be able to start a new chapter in your life unless you stop re-reading the last one and that is a defining characteristic of those who subscribe to the belief of owning their epic. This is difficult to do when our brains get in the way and we are continually second guessing the decisions that we need to make in the moment based on the best information we have. What further complicates matters is other people who second guess you also even though they don't have all the information and don't have to live with the ramifications of making a decision. Truth be told, we are sometimes placed in impossible situations where we are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

In order to counter this vicious cycle of dealing with the our own inner critic as well as working through other people's opinions about our effectiveness, I would contend that it is better to look through a different lens by asking ourselves a variety of questions that force us to go deep into reflection and enable us to make better decisions. By asking ourselves the questions below we may be able to not only live with the decisions we make, but also be sensitive to how we approach others who need to make decisions that impact us.

AM I THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT I WOULD WANT TO WORK WITH?

When we ask ourselves this question, we are putting ourselves in the position of someone else by inquiring whether our actions are actually making a situation better or worse. If you dislike people always questioning your decisions or telling you how to do your job, but are the first person to do that to others, you might want to reconsider if you are the type of person you would want to work with. If you are the type of person who is a problem solver, but when you are working with others just point out problems with no solutions, are you really being the type of colleague you want others to be with you?

AM I THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT I WOULD WANT TO WORK FOR?

In a previous blog entitled What Kind of Principal/Leader Do You Recognize, I wrote about the different leadership styles that I have observed during my educational career. I ultimately surmise that it is interesting how Hollywood portrays educational leaders and that too often, they are shown in a negative light, even though there is a ton of research that correlates good schools to strong and effective principals. Ultimately, I think every leader could benefit from reflecting and asking themselves if they are the type of person they wouldn't want to work for. This doesn't involve lowering expectations, but rather, understanding that there is a difference between leadership and management. I contend that people crave leadership. They want a clear vision and a road map for how to get there. What they don't want is to be micromanaged and told how to do every little thing. They don't need a Lumburgh from Office Space who walks around acting the part of a leader. Instead, they need the real thing. I'll admit, I've fallen short in my leadership experience, but I refuse to give up. I have a lot to learn and some habits to break, but I am committed to becoming the best I can be and it starts with asking myself if I would actually want to work for myself. If I can answer this honestly, I feel that there is still hope for me.

AM I THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT I WOULD WANT MY OWN CHILD TO HAVE AS A TEACHER?

We all have those teachers in our lives that inspired us to do more than we ever thought we were capable of doing. More times than not, these teachers are the reason we got into education in the first place. For me, it was my high school English teacher, football coach, and basketball coach. He was the person who pushed me, made me think, cared for me as human being, and helped shape me into the individual I am today. I did not always see eye to eye with him and at points in my high school career, I actually resented him because I felt he was being unreasonable. He wasn't my favorite teacher, but rather, he was my most influential teacher and I am a better person because I learned from him. I like to think that I am modeling many of his characteristics in my own career. For me, I would not have any problem at all placing my own children in his classes because I know exactly what they are going to get. This personal experience is the exact reason why we need to ask ourselves if we are the type of person we would want our own children to have as a teacher? Do we build relationships with our kids that go beyond the superficial? Do we communicate with parents the way that we would want to be communicated with? Do we understand that there is more to school than the content we are teaching? These are all very difficult questions to ask ourselves because we may not like the answers we come up with. The really cool thing is that we can make a choice to pivot and make changes to how we do things so we can feel more comfortable with the answer to this question. 

AM I THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT EXPECTS MORE FROM OTHERS THAN I DO OF MYSELF?

When making any type of decision, the decision-maker needs to ask themselves if they are expecting others to do things they wouldn't do themselves. Whether you're a teacher, coach, parent, or administrator, this is a very important question to ask yourself. Do not confuse this question with, "Is it reasonable?" There are a lot of things that are reasonable, but you wouldn't do them if you were asked to. Making a decision that is reasonable is a big portion of the equation, however, even more important is to ask yourself if you would do it if you were on the receiving end of the decision. If the answer is no, then don't go there because you won't be able to defend your position. At the end of the day, you need to be able to tell yourself that the decision you made is not only reasonable, but also that you are willing to take on your fair share of the load if the same thing was being asked of you.

There really is no science behind these questions, just anecdotal evidence from years in the field. They are questions for all of us regardless of our position, that when we devote time to reflect on them, will lead to more positive outcomes and a better organizational culture. If we neglect the opportunity to reflect on our actions before we come to a conclusion, we are committing to setting ourselves up for failure because we are refusing to take into consideration the ones that we are charged to lead. Let that sink in a little and then choose to do the right thing.

#ONWARD