We often talk about finding the good in our students, but do we do the same for the adults? Do we tap into their passions and strengths, or do we continuously focus on what they are not doing just right?
I will give you an example.
I often see leaders pop up their “data” to their staff and highlight “areas for growth” (which sometimes feels like “things we suck at” with a nicer tone) and dig deeper into why and how people need to get better. Yet, they often gloss over the areas where people are crushing it and focus more on what’s wrong instead of analyzing why certain things are going so right.
Can we grow? Of course!
But there will always be areas for growth and the more we are laser-focused on what’s wrong, the more we play games of educational whack-a-mole.
I will give you a little anecdotal story on why focusing on strengths is often beneficial. Going to the gym is a passion of mine, and I do bicep curls like Homer Simpson in the episode where he did constant curls, but with both arms.
When someone says, “Your arms are looking jacked!” (which is rarely heard but always appreciated!) I want to do more arm exercises and keep up with what I am currently doing. But it also gets me into the gym to work on other things.
Nothing builds confidence like acknowledged success.
And confidence in what you are good at can often make you better at what you are not.
In “What Makes a Great Principal,” I discussed the importance of identifying and building on strengths as an educational leader entering a new space.
So if I were to enter a new building as principal and change nothing, what would I do?
This is going to seem a bit technical, but as I was getting to know everyone, I would create a spreadsheet and write every staff member’s name down, and in a column to the right of their name, I would write, What is this person’s passion and/or strength?
Until I can fill out that form in its entirety, and—this is really important—people know I know their strength and or passion, nothing changes in that school.
“But won’t that take forever?”
It won’t be quick.
Do you know what takes longer? Staff pushing back on every initiative and idea because they don’t trust you, and they are wondering how long it will be before the next person comes in to take over the role.
This is such a necessary process because if people think you are there to “fix them,” they will fight you on everything.
If people know they are valued and see that you are trying to bring out the best in them through what is already there, they will be much more willing to explore new ideas.
I shared this in The Innovator’s Mindset and believe it to this day: “To create a culture where innovation flourishes, we have to realize that, in many cases, we already have everything we need; we just need to figure out how to tap into it.”
You don’t always have to rip down the old to build the new.
But you can’t build the new on your own.”
George Couros
If you are an educational administrator reading this, I hope it helps.
If you are a teacher reading this and thinking, “I wish my principal would do this for us!” also consider how you do the equivalent in your classroom. Many of our students’ gifts are sometimes ignored or even suppressed because they do not fit the “box” that we sometimes try to fit every kid into.
Case in point, I do something for a living (talk) that I was often told not to do in school (talk). I am not saying you should allow me to be disrespectful of others as a student, but the classrooms I thrived in were the places where teachers tapped into that and brought out what I was already good at.
The gifts of those we serve are already there, and they are much easier to find if you choose to look.
View this post on Instagram
