Wake Up Call for Purposeful Kindness

What is odd to me is the number of leaders that are not aware of the fact that treating people well is not rocket science.  If a leader is not active in the daily pursuit of treating people well, they are in serious need of a wakeup call in purposeful kindness.

In education, we have teachers. These are people who have gone to school and studied how to educate students and spend their lives in care of those students.  These are people who spend their nights grading papers, creating lesson plans, and spending a portion of their salaries annually purchasing items to supplement and add value for students in their care.  These are the people who know what service looks like and most are exceptional at being a teacher, educator, and fanner of flames that ignite the passion of student learning.

How do you treat teachers well?  Here are three things that I did in my 25 years in public education.

1.        Elevate the teacher voice in having them create their compensation model.
2.        Honor their excellence and highlight their exceptional work with students.
3.        Seek their opinion and utilize their voices to drive change for the betterment of all.

In every team, workforce, and organization, people need to know that what they are doing is contributing to the bottom line.  Are their efforts valued?  Are they being appreciated for that work?  Do they understand how their role connects to the goals and objectives of the organization?  These are key questions to ask. Leadership has an obligation to not only make those connections for individuals and the team as a whole; they need to also honor and elevate the importance of those connections so that everyone is challenged and inspired knowing their role is of great importance within the organization.

Treating people well is a purposeful act that cannot be set aside, catered to only occasionally, or avoided all together.  I woke every morning with the same thoughts,  “Who can I serve today and make a difference in their lives?  I am here to make great things happen for others so let’s not disappoint!”  With that as my mindset, treating people well was a habit and not an afterthought.

Be intentional as a leader with your words, encouragement, and praise.  It’s that easy.  Now do it!  Treating a teacher well impacts students, their learning, and their success in the pursuit of a great education. 💚