Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea
Message from the Lead Dog Principal
Nonchalance—Does it matter?
I hope you noticed the subject line change. I periodically change this to help keep us all fresh. Yup, you are the lead dog. So, get out there and lead. You set the course, direction and speed of the group, just like the lead sled dog. Embrace it.
Nonchalance is readily defined as a degree of coolness, calmness, a lack of concern, indifferent or complacent. One could probably argue that at times being nonchalant is a good quality. Not me. When I think of nonchalance, I think of that noncaring and indifferent person.
I abhor watching that major league baseball player stride to the plate in a crucial situation and his body language shouts out at me nonchalance. Then this same player weakly swings at three pitches and saunters back to the dugout leaving the winning run at third base. I want to jump through the television and confront him. That’s just me. I can’t help myself.
I think what really troubles me, be it at that player at the plate, or the teacher in my school is that lack of a sense of urgency. To me, in the public schools we are running out of tomorrows. We need to get out of our comfort zones and act with a sense of passion, and yes, perhaps painful caring. Yes, I want you to care about results. I want you to care about what happens. I want you to care if the children do not achieve. I just want you to work hard and care.
To me there are three type of ballplayers and the same three types of teachers or fellow administrators. Namely:
- The superstar with all of the talent that works incredibly hard.
- The superstar with all of the talent that does not work. The dog of the team.
- The person with limited talent but works his or her butt off.
Of course, I would love to see that superstar talent that works incredibly hard and really cares abut results. Then, I would readily take that person from category three, with perhaps limited talent that works like hell with a good attitude. At the end of the day, you can ship off that superstar that doesn’t work and has a poor lackadaisical attitude. Yes, that nonchalant.
To save our public schools, we need that sense of urgency. I am sure that you can apply the same principle to your organization. Let’s all commit to winning now and if we don’t it has to hurt.
Carry yourself and work like you care. I believe that if you do, the results will start to take care of themselves.
