I was talking with a colleague the other day, he is a middle school principal in a great district, but like many districts, they have their struggles, and often these struggles become fodder for the press and public debate.  Recently he was asked by a reporter to comment a particular struggle and he gave a somewhat in-depth, positive account of his district’s stand on the issue.  While we spoke about how careful he had to be, and how much “baloney” he had to churn out in order to stick with the “party line”, he commented that it was nothing compared with the politics of running a building.  I had to agree.  Navigating through the interpersonal/political relationships of a school is intimidating.  I have to admit, even after 11 years as a teacher, when I became a principal I was woefully unprepared for the political whirlwind that waited for me.

It wasn’t just the reporters, the public, and the board, (each one of those could be the subject of a whole new post) what was most striking, was the politics of how teachers treat each other and how administrators need to walk the political tightrope to address it.  While I have not perfected navigating this (not by a long stretch), I have learned plenty as an administrator, and returning to the classroom has given me further insights on how I might deal with things now.  To that end I have solidified some interesting perceptions on how schools, teachers, and administrators can operate with regard to politics.  In a nutshell, here’s what I came up with.

1 – If there’s an elephant in the room, ride it.  All too often administrators and teachers dance around the elephant in the room.  Unfortunately, behind closed doors, in the lunch room, at department meetings, out at the local brewery, everyone is talking about Dumbo, and he is getting bigger.  I say make him take flight.  Address him with relevant staff, individually first, (keeping in mind that those who are directly related to an issue should not be surprised or feel ambushed), then as a whole staff.  It is important to get the issue out in the open; it is easier to carve up an elephant sized problem if everyone is taking a turn with the carving knife.

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2 – Don’t take sides. I have to admit that I have learned this the hard way, both at school and at my home.  Repeatedly my son would come to see me about something his sister did, and I quickly came to his aid only to find out that he took her toy first.  After a while, and after dealing with two crying misjudged kids, I figured out not to jump to one side first.  The same goes for schools.  When two teachers, departments, or groups, disagree and one comes to you; listen, reassure, and explain that you need to find out more.  Then when you do, get them together to work on the issue, your job is not to fix it, but to get them to fix it. 

3 – Along those lines…let them work it out.  I knew a principal, whom I adored, who told me that when one teacher came to him to complain about another, he immediately got them together so they could work it out.  He said his job was to referee.  I tend to agree, taking on a role as mediator, or negotiator is tricky.  Stick to district, building, and professional/personal goals and boundaries and focus on them working it out to meet those ideals.

4 – Don’t pass the buck.  Educational leaders make hundreds of decisions every day, and when faced with difficult political decisions, don’t pass it along to another group.  Ask for help if needed, share the responsibility with others, and empower them to help you, but don’t just pass the buck. You must be part of the solution for it to stick. 

5 – Don’t take anyone’s monkey.  Sometimes when issues arise you are asked to solve someone else’s problem, remember not to take on someone else’s issues as your own.  You can act as the facilitator but they need to be part of the solution, only they can address the monkey on their back.  Help them to get along, see the better path, make the best decision possible, and work together, but don’t take the problem on as your own.  Taking the monkey off their back makes them feel better perhaps, but it also allows them to walk away from a situation they helped create, it leaves you frustrated and resentful, and often leaves a very angry monkey.

6 – Don’t let folks get your goat.  In the grand scheme of things, much of what we do, perhaps all of what we do, pales by comparison to the really important things in our lives.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a principal, and I love being an educator, but more importantly, I love being a dad, husband, son, brother, and decent human being.  The very first superintendent I had as a new principal, Jack Kaldy, was fond of saying, “don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff”.  His 30+ years in administration taught him, and subsequently me, not to take what goes on in schools as a personal attack.  People will try to get your goat at times, he’d say, but don’t let them.  Protect your goat and don’t let them get to you.  Be calm, relax, be thoughtful, and wait at least 24 hours before responding.  While I have made mistakes on that front, his advice has always served me well when I employed it.

7 – It’s okay to say no.  This one is simple, but hard to do.  Sometimes you have to say no, and you will be the bad guy, but that is okay.  You will be the hero to someone else soon enough.  Have courage, seek counsel, wait 24 hours, but if you have to say no, say it.

8 – Be upfront about how you will handle issues between staff.  Don’t wait until the first “elephant or monkey” appears for you to explain how you will handle staff issues and building politics.  Letting folks know right up front that when they come to you with a concern about another staff member, you intend on getting them together to address it.  You will be surprised how letting them know up front how you will deal with things, encourages them to deal with it themselves. 

9 – Private candor, public support.  There are times as an administrator, especially when your support for a department head, assistant principal, superintendent, or board, is questioned, that you need to go out and salute the flag.  Your role is to be steady and positive as captain of the ship, and you need to be supportive of the other leaders in your building, and then in private you can explain how you feel about icebergs.  Understand that just being quiet is not enough, you need to be supportive and confident, people will look to you as a leader and what you don’t say is just as important as what you do say.  

10 – Be consistent.  Take notes, remember what you say and what you do, have a theme and guidelines, and follow them.  Dealing with school politics is like washing hair, lather, rinse, repeat. 

11 – Be proactive.  If you can head anything off at the pass, do so.  That old saying, “a stitch in time..” is an old saying because it’s true.

12 – Respond to Central Office quickly, especially if there is an emergency or crisis.  Central office staff does not like to be caught off guard.  If you can’t call, have someone else call.  It will avoid the political nightmare of why didn’t they know, etc.  It is always a nice idea to ask for input as well.  It makes them feel needed, and more often than not, their advice is pretty good.

13 – Have a litmus test, mine was, “is this good for kids” and say it, ask it, apply it, often.  It is important for staff to know that when they come to you with an issue or idea, that you will look at it through a predictable lens.  One that puts your core values on display.  Politically everyone will know where you stand, and when your choices are questioned, and they will be, you can always look to your litmus test. 

14 – Have an open door policy.  As difficult as it is, I feel that this is a must; for kids, parents, and staff.  Knowing that you are accessible is the starting off point to averting political issues in your building.

15 – Wait 24 hours.  I mentioned this one earlier.  It was advice given to me by my old superintendent, Jack Kaldy.  Whenever possible, don’t make a big decision without waiting 24 hours. Think on it, relax, gather all the facts you can, talk to whoever you need to, but wait to act.  Cause once you do, you can’t take it back.

This list is not meant to be all encompassing, but rather a nice place to start.  Perhaps it will foster some conversations around some tables, whether agreeing or disagreeing, at least folks will be talking.  And talking about things is the best advice.