There was a saying I would
often
hear growing up, “fake it
till you make
it.” I never knew the origin
of this
saying, however, I found
myself using it
from time to time. One day in
a casual
conversation with a seasoned
educator,
she scorned me for using the
saying. She
emphatically reprimanded me
for using
such a saying in any form or
context as
it related to myself. She
then went on
to remind me of my many
accomplishments
and achievements throughout
the years
she’d known me.
This brief interaction leads us
into our fist confession,
“Don’t fake
the best, be the best!”
Confession- 1
As leader of your building,
it
is necessary that you
demonstrate
the highest level of know how
and the
deepest level of humility.
The know
how you will demonstrate
through task,
obstacles, situations, and as
problems
present themselves. The
humility must
arise when you do not have
the expertise
in situations. It is at that
point you
exercise humility and
acknowledge what
you do not know. Always
remember, “ the
biggest room in the house, is
the room
for improvement.” When you
acknowledge
Confessions of a 1st Year
Principal 19
what you do not know, you
allow yourself
to fill that void with new
information,
thus eliminating areas of
personal
deficiencies.
Additionally, you show your staff
that it is OK for them not to
know
everything. In this ever
evolving/
digital universe, new
information
emerges every millisecond of
the day.
You admitting your areas of
improvement
will aid your staff in
identifying
theirs and place them on a
journey to
improvement.
The opposite of humility is
overt
arrogance. Taking on a
posture of “Know
it all” closes the energies
of growth
amongst any organization.
When the
Principal has this thwarted
demeanor,
an intended place of learning
becomes a
valley of isolated pockets
filled with
disconnected members, afraid
to venture
out into the world of, “ I
don’t know.”
Not knowing is the greatest
experience to educational
conquest. “A
man in search of water will
not stop
until his thirst is quenched.
Likewise,
a man who goes out in search
of knowledge
shall never return.” When you
erroneously
20 Confessions of a 1st Year
Principal
believe you “Know it all”,
you stop
growing and stop searching
for new
knowledge. This destroys your
leadership
and attracting influence to
potential
followers. What right-minded
staff
will follow a decaying
leader. But
a leader who is constantly
training
and conditioning their mind
for an
adventurous educational
diaspora is one
who is not faking the best,
but becoming
the best.
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