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March 2018 | Volume 75 | Number 6 Leading the Energized School Pages 90-91
Thomas R. Hoerr
Is it time for a reality check on how well you communicate?
Ok, principals, raise your hand if you are an above-average leader with superior communication skills. Yes, I thought so! If we look around our metaphorical room, we'll see that just about every hand is raised. Almost all of us see ourselves as strong leaders who communicate well (my hand is up, too). Of course, we're probably wrong.
Effective two-way communication is an integral part of leadership. We all know that, but often we're too busy to make communicating a priority. Or, as evidenced by our raise-your-hand experiment, we think that we're communicating better than we really are. This superiority illusion isn't limited to principals. Leadership writer Derek Murphy1 notes that "96 percent of leaders today believe they have above-average people skills, according to a study by the Stanford University School of Business."
This communication disconnect was evident in comments that groups of high-achieving teachers from around the United States recently made. ASCD convened these teachers to gather their thoughts on the teaching profession and challenges they face. Spontaneously, these super teachers began talking about a lack of communication with their principals, a lack of recognition and appreciation, and a failure to be included in discussions, as these quotes—by three separate participants—reflect:
Mind you, these teachers were gathered because they were award winners and highly skilled professionals. If these kinds of educators feel that way about relationships with their principals, imagine how the rest of the faculty must feel.
I suspect the principals these teachers referenced were unaware that members of their staff experienced their communication style as ineffective or hurtful. Chances are good that your communication skills aren't quite as strong as you think, and that you're not aware of this, So, what to do?
Begin by recognizing the five elements of good communication:
Why not have faculty anonymously give you some feedback about how well you communicate, perhaps having them rate you on a three-level scale (Needs Improvement, Adequate, and Superior) on how successfully you carry out various communication tasks? For instance, you might ask all teachers to rate you on how well they think you listen, communicate, engage them, share your thinking, and make yourself available for in-person meetings.
The responses may disappoint you, but we need to know what others are thinking. And once you learn your teachers' perceptions and your own weak spots, you can address them. Begin by sharing what you learned from this exercise and how you plan to use that information. Doing that will make a powerful statement!
Now, raise your hand if you are going to work to improve your communications.
1 Murphy, D. (2015). "So you think you're an above-average leader" [blog post]. Retrieved from www.leadersbeacon.com/so-you-think-youre-an-above-average-leader
Thomas R. Hoerr is an education consultant, emeritus head of school at the New City School, and a teacher at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is the author of The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs (ASCD, 2016). Follow him on Twitter.
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