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.
ALLOW FOR MISTAKES
One day, when I was an assistant principal, I was sitting in my office with my best friend, who happened to be our school’s other assistant principal, and a young teacher came in. She was visibly upset.
“I’ve lost an entire set of tests,” she said.
She was close to tears or in tears. I do not remember. It has been a very long time.
Without missing a beat, one of us said – and, truly, neither of us remember which it was – “oh, I remember when that happened to me” and proceeded to work the problem with her.
Neither of us had ever lost a set of tests.
People are going to make mistakes. Frankly, leaders who are secure and who are involved in healthy organizations want people to make mistakes. Fail fast and fail often is a great mantra and it was surely in play last year during the height of the pandemic.
Not only do leaders have to make room for people to make mistakes to lead successful schools, they need to create an environment in which it is okay to do so.
In another instance, a teacher I knew lost her keys to the building. She was so fearful of what was going to happen when leadership found out that she never told anyone. I do not remember how she got in and out of the place or what happened when she was supposed to turn her keys in when she left the school’s employ. I do remember thinking, “wow, we aren’t very secure right now.” She was so afraid of making a mistake that she could not face talking to administration about it.
Allowing for mistakes allows for people to be human. Celebrating mistakes that push the school forward fosters a terrific spirit in a school. Mistakes can be fixed and much can be learned from them if the leader’s mindset is correct.