We hear all the time that words can be hurtful and words can be painful. This statement is often quite true...
But, I'd like to push a little and say that for an organization, sometimes the words that aren't said can be just as damaging to the overall culture and climate.
So we are all on the same page in regard to what 'culture' and 'climate' mean, here are two good working definitions from Todd Whitaker's (@toddwhitaker) and Steve Gruenert's (@stevegruenert) new book 'School Culture Rewired:'
School culture is like your personality... very difficult to change and not easily adjusted. School climate is like your attitude... very easy to change and susceptible to significant swings back and forth.
I'd like to focus more on culture and how the words we don't say often times are much worse than those actually said.
We've all been to that meeting when someone starts to speak and then continues on a path that really isn't beneficial for anyone else in attendance.
This individual continues speaking unchecked and really takes the conversation to a place where salvaging the time becomes nearly impossible.
The words we didn't speak here allowed those on the sidelines to remain on the sidelines... our silence actually emboldened those who agree with the unchecked speaker... and lastly, those in disagreement with the speaker became paralyzed because they now believe they are in the minority.
Silence in this case caused significant cultural damage that will require lots of time and effort to repair. By being silent, we sent a message that what was being said really wasn't that bad or really wasn't that far from the truth.
Sure, sometimes we need to sit and listen and gather as much information as possible before responding or before saying anything. That's perfectly fine and in fact, should be encouraged. We have two ears and only one mouth for a reason, right? :)
But, there are other times when taking action and speaking will trump getting all the information first. Don't allow silence to be your passive agreement and don't allow others to speak for you when they really don't.
This book is a quick read with a lot of practical and relevant advice for anyone in a leadership/management position. I also see great value in reading this book for anyone who works with other people both in your professional and/or personal lives.
The monkeys that Todd refers to in this book are referring to responsibilities and duties. The more monkeys you have, the more responsibilities and duties you have, and as such it's extremely important to keep track of how many monkeys you have, as well as how many monkeys you may be passing along to others...
As a leader or manager you are bound to work with a few employees who are more than willing to share their monkeys with you. Todd argues that when a leader or manager allows weak and under performing employees to "pass off" their monkeys, they will eventually become inundated with the responsibilities of others, thus never being able to do what they were originally hired to do. Additionally, a leader needs to protect his/her best performing employees, who because of their willingness and helpful nature, can get overwhelmed and discouraged when weak employees are allowed to "pass" their monkeys and ultimately get away with doing less.
The business of sharing and shifting monkeys to the backs of others can be quite devastating to any team or organization, and as such the monkeys need to be put in their place!
Though Todd did a great job of addressing many of the questions I had as I read along, I still find the practice of "shifting the monkeys" to be much easier said than done.
I have and continue to struggle with the fine line of being helpful or being too naive and taking on the responsibilities of others. Todd says that you should be helpful, but when you sense that someone is taking advantage of you, it's time to make sure the monkeys stay where they belong. Furthermore, it's in everyone's best interest to make sure the monkeys are evenly distributed. Without an even distribution of monkeys, members of any organization will begin to feel resentment toward each other, and ultimately the wrong kind of competition will emerge.
In your school or organization, how are you ensuring that the monkeys stay where they need to stay? How are you being a supportive leader or manager while also not taking on too much to the point that you can't accomplish any of your own responsibilities?
Final thought: If you take on the monkeys of too many of your weak and under performing employees, you ultimately end up passing along YOUR monkeys to your strongest employees who will eventually feel resentment toward both you and those under performing employees... or you will work 24/7 and forgo any kind of personal life...
Todd Whitaker is a great educational thinker and an experienced Educator. He has written several books, and his thoughts seem to resonate with Educators from all levels in all positions. Here are my book club notes from his book, "What Great Teachers do Differently." Todd is also on Twitter (@toddwhitaker) 1. Why look at great?
- What are the characteristics of “great” teachers?
- Most administrators believe they would be better teachers if they ever returned
to the classroom…why?
- Should we have the opportunity to observe the “great” teachers? -
how do we determine who is “great?”
2. It’s people, not programs
- School districts put a lot of emphasis on new programs and initiatives? Do school districts put the same amount of
emphasis on developing teachers into “great” teachers?
- Can you think of any examples where two identical programs were being led
by two different leaders with two different levels of success? Why was one program more successful than the
other?
3. The power of expectations
- Are student expectations clear in your class?
- Are teacher expectations clear at your school? Do teachers need clear expectations?
- What strategies do you use to make sure there is transparency, as well as
clear expectations in your class?
4. Prevention versus revenge
- What are the most successful
classroom management strategies you use?
Why are they the most successful?
- Do all teachers really have the
same “bag of tricks?”
5. High expectations - for whom?
- Are your expectations higher
for your students than for yourself? (think about the lens and mirror
principles from Maxwell’s Winning with People)
- How do you know if your expectations are too high or too low? Is it possible they can be too high?
6. Who is the variable?
- When something goes wrong in your class (behavior, homework completion,
quiz scores) who do you blame?
- Passing blame also passes power… are you prepared to give your power away?
7. Ten days out of ten
- How can we make sure we treat all students and colleagues with respect and
care?
- How do you cope with a bad day in the classroom? How do you hide your true feelings from the
students?
8. The teacher is the filter
- How do you set the tone in your classroom?
Do you realize how powerful your attitude is?
- “When the teacher sneezes, the whole class catches a cold.” Pg. 56 Do you
agree with this?
- Do you agree with Whitaker’s take on the teacher’s lounge?
9. Don’t need to repair - always do
repair
- Building strong relationships
with staff and students is essential to being a “great” teacher.
- Is the “highway patrol example” applicable in the education setting?
- Do we always reinforce appropriate student behavior in our classrooms?
10. Ability to ignore
- How do you determine which comments or behaviors to ignore, or not to ignore?
- Is it appropriate to ignore one student and recognize the behavior of
other students to teach what behaviors are acceptable?
11. Random or plandom?
- Do you plan to use all 50 minutes of class every single day? Does this require more work on your part?
- What strategies do you use to be proactive instead of reactive in terms of
classroom management?
- What did you think about the faculty meeting example? Do you see this at your school? Positive/negative effect?
12. Base every decision on the best
people
- “Great” teachers worry about
what their best students think. Should
we only worry about our best students? - Are you guilty of using blanket statements
with your students?
- Why do most teachers/students/administrators use blanket statements?
13. In every situation, ask who is
the most comfortable and who is least comfortable?
- When dealing with students and
staff members do you consider the ramifications of your words on others?
- Do you feel comfortable in your current position? Do the “great” teachers at your school feel
comfortable?
- Do your great students feel comfortable when you are addressing an issue
with your class?
14. What about these darn
standardized tests?
- Whitaker sees some value in
standardized testing… how can we use standardized testing as a tool in our
classrooms? - In your particular class, do
you feel that standardized testing is emphasized more than actual learning?
15. Make it cool to care
- “Great” teachers teach all students to care,
and as long as the teachers are acting in the best interests of the students,
they can do no wrong… how can we make this applicable in the classroom setting?
- “The heroes are not the contract negotiating team that got the teachers a
raise, but rather the teachers that had an impact on the lives of their
students.” Pg. 119
16. Clarifying your core
- “Every teacher has an impact. Great teachers make a positive difference.” Pg. 126 - Are you prepared to accept the
responsibility of making your school a “great” school?
“Students care about great teachers because they know great teachers care
about them” Pg. 122
