No Excuses Leadership

Model: A New Approach

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi

We all know this quote.  Learning it is almost a prerequisite to becoming an educator.  It's a call to model character, integrity, action, civility, tolerance, . . . . and on, and on, and on.  We know deep in our hearts that modeling behavior is far more productive than judging behavior.  But the gap between information and implementation is often too great for us to achieve when it comes to working with the naysayers among us.

A "naysayer" is someone in a profession who lacks professionalism.  They are the negative colleagues among us with the uncanny skill to cause dissent through his or her actions.  Often strong in personality, they can be the kinds of individuals we back down from when it comes to sharing our own opinions.  Our default mechanism with them is to practice avoidance.  When we do, we make the problem worse.  This requires a new approach.

Modeling the actions and behaviors we wish to see in our colleagues is the best approach to cracking the code of the naysayer.  This is not to say that we should remain silent or shy away from being candid with them.  Instead it is to place a premium, not on words, but on action.  Developing a deliberate, well thought out approach to modeling alternatives to a naysayer's behavior begins with your own commitment to being the change you wish to see in them.

TAKE ACTION

Who is the biggest naysayer in your life right now? Consider one professional relationship with a naysayer that challenges you the most.   Which specific behaviors do they exhibit that hold your team/school back? 
(Take time to think deeply about this situation as it will be a recurring theme in this part of the app.)

BE BOLD

Button #4 in this app is all about modeling.  Be prepared to have a mindset of modeling and, most importantly, put your learnings into action related to your "naysayer".  Plan on judging your success not by how much you've been able to change them, but instead by how much you've changed in dealing with them.

Take a look at this great story about Ghandi.