Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

30 second time-out

Who are your snowball makers?  Who has blinders on?  Who are your double agents?

Today I call a quick thirty second time-out from what Yoda might say to address a nagging concern of mine. I encourage you to take a time out to determine who on your team fits the questions that are posed above.

I recently shared with you a study that asserts that the number one factor in determining the health of your climate and culture in your school is measured by how your staff deals with conflict among themselves.  I get it.  It makes sense.  However, I argue that the number one factor that determines the health of the culture and climate of your school or organization is actually how your staff deals with collegial negativity.

There will always be personal negativity in any organization.  Unfortunately, that is just human nature.  There will always be Eeyores in every organization.  You know Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh’s friend, who is that pessimistic, gloomy, cynical, and depressed donkey.  I am sure that you can close your eyes and see Eeyore’s face on at least one person in your school.  Most schools probably have several, if not many Eeyores.  I do not want to highlight Eeyore today.  Today, I want to take a look at some of Eeyore’s close friends in your building.  Namely:

• The snow ball maker-This is the person that circulates around Eeyore stirring the soup.  He or she is worse than Eeyore because he or she lingers anonymously behind the scenes.  They make the snowballs and then gives them to Eeyore to throw.  Then they retreat and hide under cover.  They are hard to deal with because they practice an effective guerilla warfare campaign against you and your programs.  Dimwitted Eeyore throws the snowball and gets caught doing it.  The snowball makers then distance themselves from Eeyore and do a good job of snickering behind his back. 
• People who wear blinders- I enjoy horse racing.  I enjoy watching the teamwork displayed between the jockey and the horse. The good ones, move as one.  Sometimes, the horse will get easily distracted by his neighbors and the trainers will ultimately put a device called “blinders” on to limit the horse’s ability to see and get distracted by those around him or her.  Too many people in our schools walk around with blinders on.  These people do not see what is happening around them. They do not want to see, nor will they address the negative behavior of their colleagues.   We allow our colleagues and yes, many times our friends, to poison the entire school.  Each person has the ability to disempower the Eeyores; that is if each person wants to disempower them.
• The double agents-These are the folks that want you to think that they are on your team all of the way and yet behind your back they do everything possible to destroy you.  Oh, these people are deadly because you are apt to share your personal thoughts or strategies with them.  They will then take this information along and pass it off to the operatives on the dark side.  This classified information is then used against you.  The dark side can and will start an aggressive campaign to undermine you.  Always remember that information is power.  Do not give it away!

Your job hard enough.  You should not have to worry about the snowball makers, those that walk around oblivious with the blinders on and double agents. But you do have to worry. Let me assure you that if you do not effectively deal with them, they will destroy not only your school but you personally as the leader.

Do not forget that you are the keeper of the light side of the Force.  If you are in a leadership position, I am convinced that you have the skill set to keep the light side of the Force brightly shining.  Because if can’t, the dark side will just consume you.  Don’t let this happen!