As many of you know and read in my June blog posts, my old principal left and a new one came. When it comes to international schools and education there is always a turn over with either staff or admin/leadership. With that being said there are always changes when someone new enters admin.
My question is, why is it a fight or really hard for some to accept a simple change? Why are people hesitant to give chances and trust the process? I feel that the ones who always have barriers are the ones who do not want to improve professionally or be risk takers and try something that they are NOT used to.
I was worried and scared throughout the summer knowing that we had a new principal. I am the one who will work side by side with her and will also be learning through her. I knew that if I couldn’t get along with her then I would be in trouble as 90% of my time would be with her. Luckily to my advantage, from the first few days we clicked, and she felt the same. There were a few things she had asked me to do from our conversations and I felt a bit suffocated as I wasn’t used to the new way nor her just yet. But when I explained it to her she understood where I was coming from. To my surprise I adapted quickly. She understands me so well and also reads me pretty well (which can be to my disadvantage at times.) It feels as if we have been working together for years. She has pushed me out of my comfort zone but always asks if I am OK to do this or that. Depending what the task is I would say yes, I am fine or no I need you to coach me on how exactly you want me to run this meeting.
She has realized that there are gaps here and there which is normal as no school is perfect. She started with baby steps trying to get staff on the same page, so NO parents can compare or complain. For example, we started with staff’s weekly newsletters to parents. That was my biggest struggle having those conversation with my staff, BUT I managed and 4 weeks in all my staff have the same information on their newsletters and communicating the same information to all parents. This is what my principal wanted, and it was my job to make sure staff are on the same page. I feel it’s all about how we approach the staff and speak to them and provide proof to why we would want certain things to be in a certain way.
Change is not easy especially when you are used to doing something in a certain way for years. It takes time for all of us to adapt. It shouldn’t be an argument or a reason to put up walls or barriers. We need to give everything a fair chance before shutting down ideas completely. Luckily our staff are always challenging us for the good and we meet halfway if not all the way, one way or the other.
Love working with my staff and when they challenge me and vice versa. They keep me going. 🙂
