The exact words you
use when talking about your school may seem insignificant, but they can have a
huge effect on motivation.
As an education
leader, you know the importance of maintaining a collaborative culture and
avoiding anything that diminishes your colleague’s motivation. You carefully
offer feedback, think long and hard about decisions and work to ensure that the
culture of your school is sustained on trust. But are you lacking one big,
easily remedied insight that might be draining the motivation out of your
staff?
In his book, Leaders
Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t, Simon Sinek goes
on to say, “the true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs
of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are
privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership
privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.”
Educators have grown
sensitive to an idiosyncrasy used by many education leaders, albeit small, that
has an outsize impact on their teams motivation. We’ve all been in a meeting
where a principal has said “I” over and over again. Then there’s the numerous
times they refer to “my building,” “my teachers,” and “my budget.”
It takes the wind out
of your sails because you know how many people are contributing to the success
of the school. There are so many layers of service--from the bus drivers who
deliver students to school, to the food service workers who feed students, to the
Deans who manage discipline--that work their tails off. The school is a great
learning environment, and the principal is a great leader, but there is a huge
amount of “we” in the effort and it is demotivating to hear “my building” and
“I, I,I.” Schools are teams and every time you speak in public and say “I”
instead of “we” you are sending a signal that neglects sharing credit with the
people who are on the front lines, which unintentionally stunts motivation.
While each person has
their own distinct personalities and behavior, sustaining a successful school
is a team effort, and when you say “I,” your language and actions undermine
this. As an education leader you have to recognize that there is a lot of “we”
that is enabling you to be successful. Rise above the “I” and you will be seen
as a leader who appreciates the hard work and effort of your faculty, staff and
colleagues.
