Yep, it's a line from a Goo Goo Dolls song that exploded on to the pop-music scene in 1998. It's also a line that I fall back on when I talk to people about building relationships with kids, parents and other community members. You see, we all look the same when we put on a good suit, we all sound the same when we throw around our best education speak, and we all leave the same mark on someone in doing these things. What's that mark? The mark of the unspectacular. A forgettable moment lost amongst so many others in time. The beige of the color spectrum.
People don't remember us for our job titles, for our ability to blend in. They remember us for what makes us us. The things we're passionate about. Things that don't come across as calculated hype or cliche. This week I will have an opportunity that I am always grateful for, one that will allow me to let people into who I am. A teacher at my school (where I am new this year) has given me the opportunity to come and speak to her class. I've done this before. In fact, I approached her about doing it. She teaches a class called Human Growth and Development and one of their units just happens to be on families. To make a long story short I have a unique perspective on families. I was adopted as a child and I have also adopted a child of my own. Adoption is something very near and dear to my heart. I believe that all kids deserve a chance at a quality life. It's why I became an educator. I'm excited to speak to them because I am passionate about the subject, but I am also passionate about people getting to know me, getting to know what drives me, inspires me, makes me smile and makes me cry. I don't want to be just another guy with a button down collar that likes kids. I want kids, teachers, parents, community members and all the other stakeholders to know me. Beyond just getting to know me, my hope is that my own words will be someone else's inspiration, become their why, or be the thing they've been needing to hear. Something that lets them know they're not alone. Brad Meltzer said "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind always." His point is spot on but let me say, you may not know anything about the battle that person is fighting, but you may just hold the right words to deliver them from their struggles just by sharing about what makes you, you. It's in this that we impact lives. We have a chance to do this as educators and I am hoping that my endeavors this week are just the beginning of many moments like that this year.
0 Comments
I've come to realize lately that the people I enjoy working with the most are the one's that don't always share my same opinions, approaches or solutions. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree. As long as we can do it respectfully, disagreement usually works out for the better in the long run. For me, this is particularly true for the people I supervise or do performance reviews with.
I know it's intimidating to most people to think about disagreeing with their supervisor. Honestly, experience tells me it's intimidating for most people to come to ask for a reference so I can't imagine how most people feel the first time they actually voice a difference of opinion, As intimidating as it may seem, experience also tells me it's essential in ensuring the process and performance continue to operate at a top-notch level. Yes, there's a small art-form to it but there's a lot to read on the subject about how to do it like this Harvard Business Journal Article. Henry Ford, maybe unintentionally illustrated my point better than anyone in history when he said "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." This quote is often used when citing innovative practices, and rightfully so, but it also illustrates a simple truth about those innovative practices: we can't innovate if we simply exist as "yes bobbleheads." We might just end up with a bunch of faster horses that have simply been genetically modified, and nobody likes GMO's; at least according to my favorite TV commercials. Go ahead, have some polite and courteous disagreement. We work well together when we truly understand where one another is coming from. We will never fully learn about each other by biting our tongues and withholding our own solutions. Learn how to contribute your thoughts and ideas. Together we'll learn how to approach complex situations and we'll never be afraid to address and correct the elephant in the room. Always being agreeable leads you down the path of least resistance, but that path doesn't ever bring you to the top of the mountain. |
AuthorJeff Lahey Archives
January 2020
Categories
All
|