We’re into March, which means we’re starting a new theme on the podcast for this month. For the next few weeks, we’re going to be looking at the mindset and execution of the human resources aspect of your job as a principal.
Today’s topic is not a fun one, but it’s definitely something you will have to deal with at some point in your career as a school leader. Being in charge of a school means that, after hiring a new teacher, you don’t have long to decide whether they’re a good fit. You have to make some pretty heartbreaking choices about whether or not to keep them on or let them go.
Next week, we will be working around the idea of creating such an environment that you will never have to fire anyone. However, unfortunately, it is inevitable that you will have to deal with this at some point, so we’re going to work this week on your mindset around dismissing your subordinates, making it less heartbreaking when it is necessary to do so.
Throughout February, we’ve been discussing self-coaching and I really hope you’ve taken some valuable information out of this month’s topic. Today, we’re rounding it off by taking everything I’ve shared this month and working on applying it to the other people in your life.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been covering the process of self-coaching in great detail for all of you. With this knowledge, it can feel a bit like I’m sending you off into the world and that the rest is up to you. Well, to be honest, that would be crazy.
Last week, we looked at the self-coaching strategy of doing a brain drain – transferring all of your present thoughts onto paper as a method of helping you identify where the drama is in your mind around a certain topic. But what happens when we don’t like the thoughts that we identify?
Do you find yourself enduring relationships with people, things, or even jobs for way longer than you should because you believe things “could be worse?” Do you tell yourself every day that it’s not so bad and you can get through it? Well, that was me not all that long ago, and it’s something we all do when we can’t see past something ending.
As a school leader, it’s impossible to get along with everyone all of the time. You have staff, parents, and students that all have opinions on everything you do, and vice versa. We know that molding people and having them behave exactly how we would like is never going to happen, but there must be something we can do, surely?
