Years ago, I was blessed to be in a position to hold seminars with groups of educators designed to discuss and build leadership skills both informally and formally, internally – for the individual and externally for the school. As we discussed leadership skills and qualities, we would talk about new tools being put in our toolboxes as leaders. This year in Teach & Serve, I have decided to talk about many of those tools.
CALM
“In the eye of the hurricane, there is quiet” sings Alexander Hamilton in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Quiet, peacefulness, calm – whatever term we would like to use here, this is a tool leaders must possess to foster stability and trust in those they lead.
Working in education often feels like working in a hurricane. I remember a day in my first year as principal/president of my school when we had an electrical fire in the main breaker box, a toilet explode spraying water as high as the bathroom ceiling and a roof leak that was pouring water through a ceiling fan in an administrative office. I remember a day when I was working from home and was on a Zoom call when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a truck that I knew was supposed to be in park in front of my house rolling down the street. I remember a day last year when we experienced 3 significant positive cases of COVID in the school within 1 hour of each other and had to initiate quarantines back-to-back-to-back. I remember lightning striking right as an outdoor graduation began.
I am sure I do not need to go on.
I do know that, if the leader is not calm in these (and in all kinds of other stressful situations), she gives those being led permission to lose their s#!+. The leader who does not remain peaceful in the face of stress and quiet in the eye of the hurricane loses a modicum of respect from those being led.
Calm is a powerful tool.