I don't care! I didn't care. I care now.

Colleagues,

MVP: Three prerequisites to learning to care: get over yourself, appreciate other perspectives, and learn people’s stories.
 
How do we build relationships?
 
The prerequisite is to actually care.
 
Don’t laugh. When I took my first admin job my superintendent told me to build relationships. I still remember trying to awkwardly ask a teacher about what she did that weekend. I didn’t know how to do it because I really didn’t care about her. I just wanted to do my job. Why did I have to do all this relationship stuff?
 
Please don’t think ill of me, I was just pragmatic and work-focused.
 
As I learned more about my own fallibility and weaknesses, I learned to appreciate other points of view and ways of working – and living.
 
That appreciation led to caring.
 
I know the relationships (caring) piece may come naturally to you, but it doesn’t to all of us.
 
Three steps to caring:

1. Recognize your own imperfections
2. Appreciate diverse perspectives
3. Learn the stories behind those perspectives

 
Cheers!
 
Frederick