Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Here are several ways I strive to put principles before personalities at school:
- during my conversations remember that my focus needs to be on serving the needs of students
- it is okay to disagree without being disagreeable
- not everyone shares the same values as I do, but they are still deserving of respect and dignity
- I am in a position of trust, and need to represent the interests of many diverse parties
- most importantly, treat others how I would like to be treated
Great reminder for us in the many relationships we engage in (father-child, spousal, administration, facilitator-learner).
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest: Listen. Listen for understanding of the real issues. Listen for winning solutions/opportunities. And talk less.
Came across this the other day while doing some research on how principled staff meetings fit into school improvement...
ReplyDeleteNancy: "How can principals shape culture through their daily interactions?"
Peterson: "Principals shape the culture in all of their daily interactions. You know, leaders’ work is characterized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation. And, that is what school leaders work is like as well - a lot in interruptions, enormous number of interactions with people. The daily work is a great time to reinforce the culture. You can spend the school tour, or the district tour, talking with people and communicating your values. Every interaction with a staff member or a student is a chance to reinforce the culture. Every time you step into a classroom, it’s a chance to not talk about the ceiling tiles that need to be replaced, but to talk about student learning, and curriculum and instruction."
from http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/pdfs/culture.pdf