Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

The Principal Coaching Clinic #8

Is it in your DNA?

Last week I laid out my hypothesis to you that at some point in our career we all face the call of the “dark side.”  I argued that there comes a confluence of events in one’s personal life and one’s professional life that acts like that perfect storm and before we know it, we are thriving in this “dark side.” And I am confident that this “dark side” exists in every school or organization.

But let’s think for a moment about this; what if it has nothing to do with any confluence of events?  We behave and perform as a result of our DNA.  I am not suggesting that there is a gene or a chromosome for a hard worker like the color of one’s hair or eyes, but perhaps this trait is engrained in us early in life and it serves as the foundation for our demeanor later in life.  So instead of it being a confluence of events that molds us, perhaps it is a confluence of nature and nurture that makes us who we are as workers.

Personally, I am still developing this theory of mine, but what are the implications for you as a principal / leader in your school or organization if this DNA theory I propose is accurate?

The first thing that jumps out at me is that you better do a good job in the hiring  process because if you hire someone that has the propensity to bring a bad attitude to the job or is not the hardest of workers, there will be very little or anything you can do to change them.  Now isn’t that a depressing thought. As I say that, I reflect back over my almost four decades in administration and can see that in many cases my efforts to change an attitude or work ethic was for naught.  If this DNA theory is correct, I wasted a great deal of time.

The second thing that jumps out at me is that you better do a god job of cutting your losses early or you will be stuck with a person on the “dark side” for life.  Not only your life, but the life of the school. 

I also must advise the new principal to watch your “favors.”  I mean those people you hire as a favor to someone.  Take my word for it, most times these hires will come back to bite you right in the behind.  You will be stuck with a lemon for your career.  These lemons will do enough to get by but never enough to excel and really contribute.  These lemons will also be forever obstacles as you work to build and cultivate a healthy climate and culture.  Be careful of the board member coming to you with a resume to consider.  Be careful when your athletic director comes to you because he or she needs assistant coaches.  And do not fall for that notion that coaches are great teachers.  Some are and some are not.  Be careful of family hires.  Run away from these. Be careful of that councilman who has an entirely different agenda than you.  Just be careful.  It is your job to hire the best and brightest teachers for your school.

I know that at times, I sadly must admit to you that I cut corners in the hiring process.  Maybe I was just too busy. What a lame excise! Maybe I just did not get the importance of this.    But for the young leaders that read this blog, the young educators that aspire to leadership roles, you must treat the hiring and retention process as the most important thing that you do.  Do not cut corners here.  Reorganize your priorities.  This is your most important task in your career.  And as Jim Collins wrote about in Good to Great, you must get the right people on the bus.  You have time to get them in the right seats.  Likewise, you must get the wrong people off of the bus.  If you do not, you will never have the ride to the land of excellence.  Take my word for that.