You tell the interview panel you’ll spend your first term listening. You mean it. Then you get the job, spend your days talking to people, and start wondering whether they’re waiting for you to do something.
Academic Principal, Andrew Miller, described this in our conversation this week. Even while he was being useful in his new role, he found himself questioning whether he was doing enough of what he’d been appointed to do.
I think a lot of us get into leadership because we like getting things done. It’s satisfying to make a decision and let people get on with it. Spending an afternoon understanding why something hasn’t worked before can leave you with a longer list of questions than you started with.
That can be hard to account for when someone asks how your day went.
In Change Starts Here, Efraim and I ask: “When was the last time you felt truly heard?” It’s one of the first questions in the book, where we spend time understanding people’s experiences of change.
You have to allow some time for the answer. You may hear something that makes you reconsider a plan you were keen to get started on.
Knowing that listening matters doesn’t take away the urge to hurry it along. Andrew talked about having to remind himself that this work had value, particularly on the days when he felt pressure to act.
His suggestion was to let people know what you’ve learned so far and what you still need to find out. I’d include yourself in that. Before deciding you haven’t done enough today, spend a minute thinking about what those conversations have helped you understand.
What helps you resist the pressure to make a decision before you’re ready? Hit reply. I’d love to hear.
Shane
P.S. Applications for Cohort 3 of the Leadership Intensive open today. We start in January, with four months of working together on the everyday demands of school leadership. Find out more and apply here.
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