A Reader Asks... Judgment

A LYS reader asks:

“Today I helped finish up an investigation of an employee. The employee’s actions could have very easily put students in harm’s way. Fortunately though, no harm was done in this instance. During the investigation it became clear that none of the students and few of the parents had any problem with the employee’s actions. As a result, at the end of the day, the other campus administrators asked me, “Who are we to judge?”

I thought this would be a good question for the LYS Nation. So, SC, as school leaders, who are we to judge?”

SC Response
We are teachers and leaders. That predisposes the responsibility of “judgment.” There is “right” and “wrong” in the world. Just because someone didn’t get hurt is immaterial. Part of our job as a teacher is to teach and model moral, ethical and appropriate behaviors in our classrooms.

As leaders, we have a duty to ensure that our teams and organizations model and maintain moral, ethical and appropriate behaviors and practices. When this does not occur we must step up and “judge.” It is up to us to hold the offending party accountable, to correct the situation, and to ensure that lapse is not repeated.

As a leader, I’ve been asked many times how is it that I feel comfortable imposing my “judgment” or “beliefs” on someone or something. To which I reply, “When I volunteered for the job, I accepted the responsibility. They don’t pay me to do the easy things, the pay me to do the hard things.”

However, here is the caveat. If your morality, beliefs and judgment are dramatically out of line with that of the community you serve, you have two choices.


1 – Compromise yourself; or


2 – Face possible repercussions for your stance.


Choice number 2 makes your career a lot more exciting and a lot less secure. The old school LYS crew live and die by the second choice.

Think. Work. Achieve.


Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Staff Urgency - Part 2)

In response to the posts on “Staff Urgency,” a reader writes:

“SC is right on. I am an experienced principal, but currently find myself in a unique position. I have little power, officially. So instead, I have learned to use the power of influence. I have had both, power and influence, in the course of my career. Guess which one is more powerful? Hint: it is NOT power.

The right teacher with the right philosophy with the right student results can be a powerful force in a school. In the long run, weak principals do not stand a chance against such a person.”

SC Response
The exercise of raw force, though in many cases is effective in the short run, quickly loses its effectiveness over time. Influence and a sense of purpose are the currency of both the successful informal and formal leader.

When I was responsible for multiple campuses, I had informal leaders spread throughout the system who had as much credibility and influence as I did. It was imperative to both my success and the success of the organization that we remain on the same page. So instead of fighting or ignoring these leaders, I included them in my information, feedback and decision making loops. Not because they had a “formal” vote (they didn’t, you can’t abdicate your responsibility), but because if they weren’t aware of the direction the organization was moving, they could quickly shift from being an asset to a liability, without meaning to do so.

First by happy accident and then by purposeful action, I began to lead with the council of the exceptional teacher leader. Did we always agree? Of course not. But with honest dialogue and a focus on student needs, we solved more problems than we created.

My advice to school leaders is to not be afraid to use power, but don’t overuse it. When you have to draw a line in the sand, do so with both confidence and zealous energy. But in most other cases, your mission is to point the organization in the right direction, provide the necessary tools and support, and free up your people to do their jobs.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (A Problem with a Co-Worker)

In response to the post, “A Problem with a Co-Worker,” a reader writes:

“Or there is scenario 5. The principal leader knows, understands and shares your frustration. She has addressed the issues not only numerous times with the person in question but also with Central Office. Central Office has "tied her hands" and in so many words has said “live with it.” The principal has no choice but to keep the person and work to minimize the negative impact to the campus.”

SC Response:
You are correct. I ignored that scenario because it boarders on negligence. I’m going to draw a line in the sand. Retaining marginal staff has nothing to do with teacher contracts. It has everything to do with subjective systems and weak and/or inept leadership. Let me explain,

1. I am not an advocate for firing people based on subjective measures. It is the job of leadership to set forth objective performance measures, coach staff to be successful and hold those who prove to be “uncoachable” accountable. To not have such a system in place is a failure of leadership.

2. If someone proves to be “uncoachable,” then that employee should be removed. To not do so is a failure of leadership.

So where is this leadership failure? The reader hit the nail on the head. The failure is generally at the central office level or higher. As I have explained to more than one school board, the inability to remove toxic staff members is due to either poor documentation policies (leadership failure), lack of will (leadership failure), or retaining a weak lawyer (leadership failure). To remedy the situation, pick the relevant area of failure and correct it. To not do so places the needs of weak leaders and marginal staff ahead of the needs of student and hard working, dedicated educators. If you find yourself working in a setting such as this, I would seriously consider moving to a different district.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Why You - Part 3)

In response to the posts on “Why You,” a reader writes:

“Obsessed with work? You, no way! Just joking.

I always admired your work ethic and that you held us accountable. Even though there were a few things that I disagreed with, they were never the really important things. I always felt backed by you, but most of all, I felt that you valued my judgment and my commitment to doing what was right for kids. When you left it was a very sad day of us who cared about our schools. You’re first replacement did a wonderful job for as long as he could, but now the system is broken. The critical leaders have left. Ethics and values are a thing of the past. Decisions are no longer made in the best interest of kids.

If I were not so close to pulling the plug, I would be out of there. I continue because I care about these kids, this campus, and this staff. When I leave, it will be sad for me, but I can hold my head up and will leave with no regrets.

Just had to let you know how I feel! I know the Cain Train has lots of passengers! I was fortunate to have been on that train with you.”

SC Response:
I can tell you that you are one of the last assets in a morally bankrupt system. And you (as always) have diagnosed it correctly. Once the focus moves from students to adult convenience and kingdom building, the sense of greater purpose simply evaporates. You also exemplify what Brezina and Brown constantly remind us, that the two most important positions in the system are Superintendent and Principal. The Superintendent because he or she sets the tone and focus for the organization as a whole. The Principal because he or she is the only pure advocate for students. In addition, you are living what we preach, that without support, the Principal can keep the campus student centered only until the organization wakes up or the principal burns out.

Working with you was always a learning experience for me and was instrumental in my leadership development. I learned the importance of creating systems and scripts for the novice and marginal staff and then to coach them up to improve performance. More importantly, I learned that when you occupy a central office position that if you do not collaborate with and support your expert and the driven campus leaders, you are actually subtracting value. You taught me when you let your superstars be superstars, the whole organization benefits. For one brief moment in time, we were “World Class.” My regret is that we didn’t know it until after the ride was over.

I leave you with this, Brezina once told me that a good principal was difficult to manage and a great principal is almost impossible to manage. Keep being impossible.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Sunday Advice - Gant Wisdom

My grandfather, who is retired military and was a top executive in two large companies, shared this with me early in my development. He said, “Son, they don’t have to like you, they just have to work for you.” This piece of advice has always kept me focused on what is truly important in leadership, that the mission of the organization trumps your need for feeling good.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Comment

"SC,

I want you to know that I look forward each day to all the LYS comments and your replies. All the discussion is quite motivating, and I am fortunate to teach in a school where my principal does do what is best for students. It is very refreshing after working in the Texas education system for 29 years. I had another principal a number of years ago who was quite similar.

The point of my e-mail is to let you know that all your comments are very motivating to me and get me excited about being a teacher, even when times are tough! You may think it's odd, but I look forward to opening the LYS e-mail each day. It is just like looking forward to one of my favorite TV shows or the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper!

Thank you!"

SC Response
You just rocketed into the Top 10 for the best comment ever. Seriously, thank you very much. Writing the blog has been a very rewarding experience. What started out as a way to keep the old school LYS crew in the loop on what problems we were facing and the solutions that we were trying to implement has turned into a vibrant network of forward thinking educators that may not always agree, but do run at full speed.

You say that you look forward to the e-mails, well so do I. As the early readers have sensed, I lost control of the topics a couple of months ago. The topics are now driven by the LYS nation. Now I get up wondering, “What are we going to talk about today?”

I don’t know where we are going, but it has already been one heck of a ride. Maybe, as Collins writes, this is a simple a case of “getting the right people on the bus and let them tell you where you are going,” in the digital age.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...