Rich Babbles

To be useful in supporting others as a leader one must develop an ability to figure out the relevant self-interest of the other person. To be able to do this I must be intimately aware of what drives my own self-interest. For instance, if I challenge myself to find a way to sensitize school leaders to an improved way of working the first thing I ask myself is: what does it mean for me to be sensitive to this goal? In what way am I perceptive? If I knew what it means to be self-aware, maybe I can work better with others.

From my experience I can say I have not encountered very many people who have no sensitivity. I have, however encountered some where there isn’t necessarily the dedication to improving practice. The issue then becomes how to stimulate their interest in improving practice. This is where understanding self-interest comes into play.

People tend to teach or lead others as they were taught or lead themselves. By trying to understand what it is that gets in their way of exploring how to improve their practice: fear of failure, desire to be perfect, (and none of us are ever going to become perfect), worries about lack of time, laziness –all things which are part of who we all are, I can then try to determine what is in their best interest to improve practice.

In each case I will ask myself: what is in their best interest? Do they prefer to be complacent than to improve practice? If that’s the case, I can’t do anything as a leader and I have to become a manager. But if there is a slight anxiety in them: that they are wasting their time, that the children are wasting their time, that they spend too much time on a particular issue, etc. I can make them wonder for a minute, “Maybe there is a different way of looking at this issue.”

When they are in that state they are vulnerable to ideas. Ideas which they are compelled to (and should) test before they adopt. It is in their self-interest to become more efficient, successful, personally engaged. Self-interest is the greatest lever for all people. If you don’t work with the self-interest of people, you won’t get anywhere. This practice is as important for a teacher, school principal or district leader.

Some people may think that to work in this manner is disrespectful to the other individual. Some may perceive it to be manipulative or demeaning. It doesn’t have to be. By being sincerely concerned with the interests, goals and dreams of others much leeway is given in the conversations around improving practice.

In order to maintain the dignity and respect of all involved it is important to fully comprehend the paradoxical statement that as humans, we are complete and incomplete at the same time. If we do not recognize that people are complete as they are, we treat them as a means to an end. This, I believe, is disrespectful. To not engage in purposeful, meaningful discussion treats people as incapable of evolving their practice. This too is disrespectful. The challenge is determining where the line is to direct rather than support and engage in discourse.

My goal is to build the capacity of the principals I work with to be independent, resourceful and competent leaders. Being too directive does the opposite. It undermines their confidence and steals their desire to creatively approach the challenges of their work.
In all cases other than what would be determined as illegal, immoral, or severely embarrassing to the Board, it is important to encourage open and vigorous debate over which action to take, and then grant the principal the prerogative to make the decision. I try to develop a relationship with the principal that if the consequences of their decision are negative, they are confident that I will be there in a non-judgmental way to help determine the next steps.

The biggest personal challenge I have in working this way is to monitor my tendency to want to insert my ego into my practice. As a successful teacher, vice-principal and principal I have a record of finding creative solutions to interesting problems. I enjoy coming up with creative solutions. It is important that I do not jump into a particular school’s issue and come up with their solution. I should not do the work of the principal. It is not about me! To help me monitor this tendency I continually run things by a close group of colleagues to ensure that I do not impose my “enthusiasm” on others.

By imposing my enthusiasm, indignation, or way of thinking about a certain issue onto those I work with, I rob the person of making the effort to truly “own” their own solution. It is my goal, through calm, purposeful and patient interaction to find ways to increase the courage, confidence and optimism of the people with whom I work. It is their courage that gives them the energy to continue to seek positive solutions to the most difficult situations. It is their confidence that allows them to believe that they make a difference. It is their optimism that tells them that the difference they make will eventually turn out for good. If all works according to plan, it is these three attributes maximized in those I supervise that may make my work, at some point, redundant.

I always hesitate to pass judgment on an incident by viewing a piece of video on Youtube.  Take any moment out of context and one can very easily interpret bad intent for good or god intent for bad.  It is difficult, though to not pass judgment on two police officers in UC Davis for using pepper spray on peacefully assembled students.

Always looking for evidence that supports the tags of this blog: courage, confidence, optimism – I look to what was a significant event for me in my grade 8 year.  May 4, 1970 I heard about the shooting deaths of 4 students at Kent State. ALISON KRAUSE, JEFFREY MILLER, SANDRA SCHEUER, WILLIAM SCHROEDER, were shot by National Guardsmen while protesting the Vietnam War.  I remember being frightened and disturbed by the force directed at their own, by our neighbours.

In 1970, students used rocks, the authorities used bullets.  In 2011, the authorities, in a similar abuse of power, used pepper spray.  The students used Mobile devices to record the experience, they used words, calling, “Shame on you!” at the police.  I suppose, in many ways this can be considered progress.

There are other examples, not so positive from either side, that are populating Youtube right now.  I am going to choose to remember the Davis students, standing in silent protest as the chancellor walked to her car.  Their silence was more powerful than any words could say.

There will be many people writing about this incident in far greater depth and understanding than I have here.  For me, for now, I have to say how impressed I was with the students from my wife’s alma mater. UC Davis – please continue to provide the model of respectful, peaceful protest that every democracy must defend!

Chicago Cubs fans will know to whom I am referring in the title of this post.  Steve Bartman is the fan in the outfield bleachers who went to grab the ball in the 2003 World Series, preventing Alou from catching it for the out.  The result, many speculate, was the turn in momentum of the series causing Cubbies to lose once again.

I have recently finished watching a documentary about the event.  People interviewed were identified by their geographical relationship to Bartman – two seats from Bartman, three rows behind Bartman.  Interestingly enough, Bartman himself has never allowed an interview, likely denying himself of tens of thousands of dollars.  He does not want the spotlight.  Which brings me to the point of this post.

We seem so preoccupied as parents and teachers to convince children how unique and special they are.  Friends and colleagues, smart people all, write about how we are all geniuses, there is no one else like you, everyone is gifted in their own way.  It is as if it is not ok to be average.  I can accept that there is only one me, that I am unique on the face of the planet, but there is also comfort in knowing that I am also just like everyone else. At least common in that none of us is perfect.

Driekurs coined the phrase, “Have the courage to be imperfect.”  The happiest, least neurotic people are those who cannot be embarrassed.  When we train our children that they must consider themselves as geniuses, we potentially set them up to try to find ways to justify to themselves the reasons they feel inadequate.

This isn’t to say that being positive is not a good thing. As stated in earlier posts, courage, confidence and optimism will carry the day.  Many children do not want to be seen as geniuses.  They may, in the heat of a moment reach for the ball, but then shun the attention afterward.  Many are content being two seats away watching the event play out before their eyes. Ambition is good; over-ambition is defeating. I wonder sometimes if helping students find the line between the two is made more difficult by trying to convince them that they are geniuses, or stress their uniqueness.  I would like to ask Bartman the question.

The two greatest influences in my thinking about how we interact with one another come from the work of Alfred Adler and James Croake.  Dr. Adler, I got to know through his writing.  James, I count amongst my closest friends, but met him while he was a professor in my M.A. programme.

Both Adler and Croake talk about what acts as the strongest obstacles to an individual developing courage, confidence and optimism.  Other than organic pathology, pampering and neglect are the biggest enemies of developing these traits.  Pampering is defined as doing for them that which they can do for themselves.  Neglect would then be, not doing for them that which they cannot do for themselves. In both cases, the recipient develops an attitude that they are incapable of achieving life’s tasks in a positive, useful way.

In the case of a pampered individual, they grow expecting the world to take care of them.  That feel entitled to expect more than what everyone else gets.  When they do not complete tasks for themselves their confidence is also undermined because they never experience the satisfaction that comes from successfully accomplishing a challenging task.

The neglected individual grows in much the same way.  They feel entitled because they never have had their needs met.  The world is an unfair place so you just have to take what you need without due consideration given to others.  In both circumstances the individual does not develop a complete sense of the benefits of cooperation and consideration of others.  They lack the courage, confidence and optimism to live in a cooperative world.

Clearly every parent, teacher, caregiver at times has both pampered and neglected the ones under their care.  The pampering and neglect that leads to discouragement, over-ambition and pessimism stems from systemic consistency of their application.

In the next few blogs, I will dig deeper into what I mean by courage, confidence and optimism.