“How much greatness are we willing to grant? “
I loved this question posed by the Zanders in their book. In fact I loved this whole chapter. It is sooo true! So many times I feel like leaders come into situations out of touch with the reality of what is going on. They see workers who are tired and listless and instead of figuring out how to encourage their greatness and rekindle their inner spark they write them off and try to find new people. So much of leadership is recognizing that the people under you are your support system. Your role as the leader should be to make them shine, to help them grow and allow them to help you. If you’re people aren’t happy or aren’t exceeding – what aren’t you doing? In the section on give everyone an A – I truly took from that chapter that if you set the bar high for students they can and will achieve more. Instead of watering down information or assuming that students won’t meet expectations keep the demands high and adapt slowly as needed. I believe that people are what you expect them to be – even if they weren’t they conform themselves if you continue to think that way.
It's so good to believe in the potential good in those we work with and endeavor to bring it out in them. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post this week. I happen to agree that leadership means taking responsibility, and not just shifting the blame. So many people do exactly what you talk about. I have only had one boss, my current one actually; who talks to me about my goals and if he is giving me everything I need to achieve them. It makes a big difference.
ReplyDeleteI really wish we had a system set up in education to listen to students and help them find their path a little better. We tend to take the “one size fits all” approach when it comes to education. We make kids learn science even though they may love History. Art students are given math equations. It’s a shame to me that we don’t have a system set up to help a person live the life they would love.