Sunday, October 16, 2011
Leadership Connectors, Trust
The big TRUST word.....the foundation to any kind of relationship. I've always said, "if you want to get rid if me, lie to me or destroy my trust in you, and I'm gone". That's how serious I take trust- and I am assuming others as well. When I was a teacher in the classroom, my friends and I watched many colleagues move up into administrative positions. We would then place bets on how long it would take before each person would forget what it's like in the classroom- and now that I think back, maybe we really wondering was how long would it take before we lost trust in that person?? As part of the administrative team at my site, it is top priority that I establish and maintain trust. I need them to know that when they need me, I'll be there and as a result, when I need them they will be there. Before opening our doors to our brand new school, our staff sat together and had a great conversation about how we wanted to feel when we walked onto campus. We listed all input...bottom line: trusted, supported, heard, safe...everything we've been reading about. One teacher even changed the Golden Rule: "treat others the way THEY want to be treated." - a little more to think about in how we treat each others.
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That's great that your administrative team sat down with the teachers to discuss the culture your wanted to establish when Oraze first opened it's doors. Each staff member involved had input and a voice in creating that culture. Perhaps you could re-visit school culture in January or February and see how the staff, students, parents, and community sense the culture.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, it is definitely something that we don't want to ignore. We will revisit several times throughout the year to ensure that we are on track with what we want our school to be.
ReplyDeleteEstablishing norms and expectations is a great way to establish the culture and environment of the work place. You are absolutely right, once trust is lost it is very difficult to gain back. Trust is definitely working below the green line in building relationships. :)
ReplyDeleteI had the similar, "you're there for me, so I can be there for you" conversation with my principal today. It was such a relief to hear her say that to me, not only because it helps my problem, but because I know she trusts that I am doing the right thing. That just makes me want to trust her more!
ReplyDeleteTrust is all. Without it you've got nothing. With it you can do anything.
ReplyDeleteI see Doc in your blog name and Roger Oraze in your school name. Talk about two people you can trust!