Are You the Problem?

Last weekend, I attended a county-host workshop with Elena Aguilar, a renowned coach and author. She was conducting a coaching simulation with a teacher on special assignment who had been having difficulty connecting with her administrator. They had been working together for four years.

As an administrator, one thing I remember is that we are always on. There is no time to sit back and simply 'be yourself' in whatever mood you happen to be in. Our energy speaks much louder and earlier than we ever can with words. People are always watching, so what do we do about this? Start by looking at our own behavior.

One thing I did to address this was limit hallway conversations. Everyone loves hallway conversations. You know what they are: you're walking somewhere, probably in a hurry, and someone stops you—a parent, a staff member, or someone from the office. They have something really important on their mind and want to tell you right then.

This is a landmine for any administrator. Even worse is the question, ‘Do you have a minute?’ when you’re in the office. My first response would be to listen briefly and then say, ‘I would love to talk further about this. Can we schedule some time to meet?’ Schedule the meeting for the next day, because you need time to research and understand what is coming through your door.