No One Knew What It Was Supposed to Look Like
In the education business we have this concept which applies not only to education, but to many other walks of life as well. It’s a common sense approach to getting things done. We start with what we want the final product to look like, then we move backwards to...Imagine being tasked with doing someone else’s job
Sometimes it’s hard enough to do your own job, but imagine being tasked with doing someone else’s. That is exactly what happened to someone I know well during his tenure in a large, unnamed public agency. This involved two very large unnamed public agencies in a very...The Ones in the Trenches Know What’s Going On
One can make a great argument stating that since employees who work on the assembly line often know first hand what is happening, they should have a part in making decisions. Perhaps not the final decision, but most certainly a say in what the decision should be....Imagine being told that something is not impossible
It’s funny how perception changes due to a gain in knowledge. Imagine believing that something is impossible, then suddenly discovering that it’s not. What changed? The only thing that really changes is how you now look at that thing that you once thought was...Never Underestimate the Power of Scrounge
Have you ever been in the situation where you did not have all the pieces to complete an important job? Has the situation been so dire that you would do practically anything, short of an immoral or illegal act to get the job done? Most of us have been in that...Own what is yours, but hold everyone to the same standard
It is unbelievable to me that someone would hold themselves to a completely different standard than the ones they hold their underlings to. Unfortunately it’s true too often. This experience happened to me during my time in an unnamed branch of the military where I...I Don’t Do As I Say
“Do as I say, not as I do.” We’ve all heard this quirky expression and perhaps even have said it ourselves. Hopefully we don’t make this a habit as educators, administrators, or supervisors. And if we do, I hope we’re aware of how bad it makes us look. Today’s blog...Can You Hear What You Are Saying?
Returning to the US after 12 years of living abroad was well, an interesting experience. Given that much of what I knew about American culture was what I saw on television, you can imagine that this would create some very interesting situations. Many of those will be...Sometimes You Have to Disobey a Direct Order That You Know is Morally Wrong
Imaging being told NOT to tell your employees about benefits they were already paying for. In my last post I wrote about a really good friend of mine who was essentially told by his supervisor not to do his job. He did it anyway, although he did so in secret and...