I recently finished reading School Culture Rewired and there were several pieces of the book that really had me thinking not only about how we do things at Condit, but also about why adults act in certain ways in regards to workplace culture. There was one particular quote, at the beginning of the book, that really set the table for me in terms of what the discussion was going to be about, I’ll paraphrase to make it a more inclusive question that I’d like you to consider:
Why do some people roll up their sleeves, while others simply roll their eyes?
I’ve always been fascinated by the different ways that people react in different situations. Sometimes the smallest challenges will set a person off on a hyper-emotional rant and the next week that same person will respond in a thoughtful, measured way to a serious, significant setback. I’m certain that this fall squarely under Habit 1 Be Proactive, because it is here that we understand that we, ourselves, choose our weather. In this case we are choosing our reaction.
Regarding rolling, I think order matters. In some cases a short, semi-private, emotional reaction is completely understandable as long as it is followed by the real work of finding solutions to a problem. I don’t think choosing your weather means denying the emotional component, but I do believe it means understanding which one needs to be the focal point and the public reaction.
I also believe that which we roll most becomes our default reaction. The context of the entire book is building a positive campus culture and while it certainly begins with leadership, it is sustained by the actions, and reactions, of everyone. When the adults, teachers and parents alike, model desired responses more times than not the results will be young people who act the same way.
I’ll take it one step further; I can assure you that something will not go your way this week. Someone might make a mistake that creates more work for you or you might forget something that puts you in crisis mode. When that happens my hope is that you will choose to roll up your sleeves instead of rolling your eyes and take a proactive view on the situation.
Spring is in the air, testing season rolls on, and end of the year activities loom on the horizon. Embrace the quick pace of these next few weeks and take a moment to soak in the remaining days in our current building before the big move.
You can catch me rolling up my sleeves to make sure the remainder of the year is the best yet.
#conditproud. Dan.
Dan @ Condit 