Model the Way: Like We Have Ice Water in Our Veins

     As this week comes to a close, we are within 48 hours of teachers and staff being back on campus to open schools for the 2020-21 school year.  As I reflect on the preparation for opening and the upcoming uncertainties we face in education, I’m reminded of Kouzes and Posner’s “The Leadership Challenge” and the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.  The first exemplary practice is to “Model the Way”, which includes clarifying and setting the example for the rest of the organization.  As we go back next week, it’s important that staff and students see leadership as confident, competent, and calm.  Staff follow the example of leadership, which is basic Social Learning Theory from Bandura.  If leadership goes back and seems anxious or on-edge or quick to react to small things, it will create an unsettledness and possible panic, which will filter down to the students.  This could actually exacerbate the situation and intensify the stress people are feeling and the fear that they have in returning.  If staff see us as calm, competent, confident, and collected there’s a much higher probably of reducing anxiety, which will already be high.  I’m reminded of Tom Osborne, head football coach at Nebraska, and his demeanor on the sidelines in the most stressful situations.  Players and coaches believed in him and had confidence he would lead them in the right direction partly because of how calm and collected he was under pressure. He was described as having the demeanor of an old farmer, who never gets rattled because they’ve weathered plenty of storms and are confident they can weather the next one as well.  

     Next week and the weeks to come will be stressful, staff and students coming back will have much anxiety and stress in returning, parents will be worried and stressed about their children returning, administrators will be worried and probably even fearful to a point.  All these are givens in the uncertainty of the situation we are about to face.  We also need to remember that administrators are both tired and stressed at this point from all the work they’ve done the past few weeks to prepare, which often makes our tempers a little shorter and our reactions a little quicker or sharper.  Patience and seeking understanding will be critical to our success.  Sometimes when we know we are about to say or do something that is uncharacteristic of our leadership or evidences the stress we are under, it’s a great time to take a pause and catch our breath before we speak or act.  The reactions of leadership that succumb to stress or pressure can damage or destroy relationships and/or confidence/trust, can disempower people,  weaken instead of strengthening others, create divides or friction, and hinder our progress.   

      When it’s 4^th down and 1 yard to go with no time left on the clock and you’re going for the win on the last play of the game, players and coaches want a quarterback that steps into the huddle and leads with ice water in his veins because he’s so cool and collected and confident in the most stressful situations .  The last thing the team needs is a quarterback or coach that’s rattled or shows signs of cracking under pressure or creates more fear and anxiety because this will spread to the rest of the team.  I think about Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” of the 1930s and Winston Churchill’s speeches in World War II and how they brought calm, collectedness, and resolve to a tremendously stressful and challenging situation.  It’s also important to realize the impact of leadership around you and their influence on you.  Do they create a calm confidence, exude competence, deliver with honesty that builds trust, and treat others like they would want to be treated?  Do they handle things that take stress off of you or do they shift the monkey to create more stress and pressure on you?  Depending on the things they do and their attitudes/actions, you might not have the right people on the bus with you that can help you win.  Stress and pressure isn't necessarily a bad thing, they're often required to help us find the weak link in the chain or magnify a weakness or crack in the armor.  Even in the medical field of cardiology, stress tests are required to show where there's a blockage or weakness.  We need to be that quarterback and coach that steps in and gives the play call with confidence and tells our team we are going to find a way to win.  Whether you like it or not, modeling the way is part of leadership and you are the person the rest of the team will look to and follow.  Remember that while stress and pressure can break some people, they can also create a diamond that shines bright!