Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #2

 “Is your secretary from the black lagoon?”

When called upon to read for an elementary class I especially enjoyed reading the book by Mike Thayer entitled The Principal from the Black Lagoon which he published in 1993.  It is part of his Black Lagoon series (Yes, there is a Secretary book).  In this book and his other works in this series, his main character Hubie, a student in the school, takes a trip around the school to confront his fears about every person or job category in the school.  At the end of each book, Hubie finds that the person was not so scary and his fears about each individual were imagined. You can have a great deal of fun with these books.

However, the question I pose to you today, is your secretary from the black lagoon, is a very serious concern and I am afraid unlike Hubie, I have found that many secretaries might be from that scary place.  Perhaps as Will Smith found out in the popular Men in Black movie series, that like his third-grade teacher, your secretary is really an alien.

First of all, let me say that I have had the wonderful experience of working with and meeting many lovely and highly competent school secretaries. And maybe a few can spoil the good work of others.  But I remain stunned when I encounter so many that must be from the Black Lagoon.  And I blame each principal or leader for allowing this to happen, fester, grow and contaminate others.

For the sake of brevity let’s take a look at the following questions:

• Is your secretary always angry and frustrated?
• Does your secretary usually share this anger and frustration with anyone who will listen?
• Does you secretary realize that he /she is the first person a visitor usually encounters in your school?
• Do you enter the school in the morning, knowing that how your day goes will depend upon the mood of your secretary?
• Is your secretary’s desk used as the convocation center for every complainer and disgruntled teacher or staff person? Remember, misery loves company.
• Does your secretary dislike children? Does your secretary globally dislike people?
• When you ask your secretary to do something is somewhere in the back of your mind a worry about his / her response?
• Does your secretary hold you hostage with information?
• Does your secretary realize he /she should not ignore people that seek information or assistance?
• Is your secretary nosey and intrusive?
• Does the body language and the “eye rolls” of your secretary make you want to scream? What about the tone of his /her voice?
• Does your secretary want to be the boss?

I could go on and on.  Perhaps there is a book hidden here for me to write.  One time I wrote a small work entitled, “Now That You Are Hired…” dealing with many of the subtle and not so subtle nuances of working in a school environment.  I attempted to use it as a primer for new employees. I think it is time for me to dust it off and re-write it and publish it because as I visit many schools, I found that most schools need it.  I remain convinced that most principals run away from dealing with it.

The person that sits right outside of your office is the most important ambassador for your school.  Many people will form their first and lasting opinion of your school and of you based upon their encounters with this person.  Your performance to a large degree will be predicated on how this person functions.  He /she is the gate-keeper for you filtering both people and information.

I ask you to take a moment and reflect upon how your secretary performs.  Be realistic!  Some secretaries can mask their attitudes.  They can be great to your face and miserable to everyone else.  YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO SOMEITHNG ABOUT IT!