It's hiring season.
Recently, I was in-on an interview where the candidate was asked a typical question about what do you do when a colleague, parent, etc. is unhappy with a decision you've made/something that you’ve done?
The candidate started to answer: (Pause…Smile…) “I don't like making people unhappy.” (...Awkward laughter)
Some people might not like this response. This candidate lacks the backbone needed for this job. They've got to be tough. They've got to be able to confront difficult situations. Those are some of the things that they might be thinking.
Maybe, but...maybe not. Who wants to make people unhappy? Do we want to hire someone that enjoys making people unhappy? NO!
There are certain things that must be addressed. Some of these things require fierce conversations, and sometimes they result in making other people unhappy. But that doesn't mean that we have to enjoy that process. In fact, I would be extremely uncomfortable working with someone who took satisfaction from making other people unhappy. That’s not what we should be about as educators, and that’s not what we should be about as people.
These thoughts that I had were further solidified while listening to episode 81 (Adversity is the preparation for greatness) of Daniel Bauer’s Better Leaders Better School podcast, with Morgan Wright.
“Don't mistake my kindness for weakness.” Morgan Wright
So this hiring season (and every hiring season), let’s make sure that we are filling our vacant positions with kind people. Let’s make sure that our schools are filled with kind people. #kidsdeserveit
Great points, but what about when a teacher must make people unhappy -- confiscating a phone, expressing disappointment in a poor choice, entering the failing grade a child earned? Yes, kindness is certainly lacking in schools, but it is folly to give people what they want because not doing so might make them "unhappy."
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