Monday, February 3, 2014

Quote-A-Day: Day 34

is a , not a way of life. The best leaders are always and always .

As I was playing hide-and-seek with my daughter and her friend (I was hidden away behind the sofa in our family room), I started thinking about the connections between this fun game, and education.  I've worked with educators in the past who play hide-and-seek as if it were a way of life; they are never around when you need them, and they run from any type of confrontation, always sticking their heads in the sand or covering up potential problems.

Happily, I've also worked with those who remember that hide-and-seek is a game, not a behavior to strive for.  These folks see the importance of transparency and open communication, and understand that confrontations are the first step toward resolution; to avoid them means a solution to a problem is not being sought.

I attempt to lead and learn with this in mind.  I make it my business to seek out problems and begin the process of solving them while they're still molehills, and not mountains.  I also find that honesty and openness is beyond necessary.  I would rather work through tough times as they happen, then put off communicating and have those tough times become even tougher (or even longer).

The point?  Let's remember to separate games from reality.  Hide-and-seek is a lot of fun to play, but not quite as enjoyable to live.

No comments:

Post a Comment