Are you assuming too much of your people or your organization’s purpose?
Leading an organization is tough work. There are so many ways a person could make mistakes that impact the bottom line or the purpose of the organization. As I said last week, it is important to clear the muddy waters and bring back the decisions of the organization to our main purpose. In a school setting, our purpose is to educate our students. This is an adventure whatever level you are at. Our little babies need so much as do our big kids. One area I see a growing problem is at the high school level, and the adults assume the kids know what is expected of them. When I was a teenager, I thought I knew everything. All you had to do was ask me and I would tell you how it is. My parents were awesome at letting me know how much I really knew, not a damn thing! What I am getting at here is, just because our kids are older does not mean they will have the appropriate thought process as we would like them to. So, what is to be done about this? Of course, we will continue to educate our older students to the best of our abilities. Do we need to change our adult’s minds about student expectations?
Have we ever heard someone say, “They know what they are supposed to do”? If I were to take students out of the picture and use teachers as an example, I can offer an adult view. When we hire new staff, we assume they know the ins and outs of the school and how the adults’ function in groups. This is false. Our people have must be brought along on the journey our organizations are taking. The same is true for our students, yes, they know they must do their work or act a specific way, but guess what? They still need our guidance from time to time. I can recall many students I have had over the years who struggled with something. I had to intentionally engage them in what they need to work on to accomplish their goals and tasks. Our organizational culture is a big part of this undertaking.
The culture of our organizations can help or hinder our purpose. If I hire new staff and assume, they know what they are doing and whether it is appropriate in our organization I have made a mistake. When we plan new initiatives in our organizations, we sometimes leave our people behind because we assume, they know what the expectations are. The same is true for our students, if we assume, they know what the expectations are another mistake has occurred. Billy or Susie knows the assignments are due at a certain time, but they do not always pay attention. When they struggle with assignments, they should know to get help but forget when and how it is appropriate to seek help. In our interactions and as our roles as leaders of our organizations we cannot forget the bring our people along on the journey. Ensure everyone is on the same page and continuously engage them and remind them of the expectations even when we think they should know the way.
Are your expectations clear to everyone in the organization?
How are you communicating the expectations?
What blind spots or assumptions you are making that may hinder your organization’s purpose?
My example of assuming too much is within a school situation. Please make no mistake, assumptions are everywhere, and we need to make sure we are communicating the expectations clearly. I hope you look for potential blind spots and assumptions with your situation. Have a great week and I hope you leave me your thoughts below.
Steven C. Bucks-Leading Conversations
