“It's our job to find out what they are trying to communicate.”

Colleagues,

Reader Alison McLaughlin reached out with an observation about January 12’s podcast with Darrin Peppard regarding angry parents. I’ll share her comment and then draw a larger leadership lesson that applies to all of us.

“The student is having a hard time, not giving me a hard time.  It's not personal, and yes, it's a form of communication, and it's our job to find out what they are trying to communicate.” 

Replace the word “student” with “person” and read it again. 

One of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is to realize it is almost never about us. Slow down and listen more. “It's our job to find out what they are trying to communicate.”

If you’d like to tune into this week’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, you can listen here. 

I’m happy to acknowledge Kaleidoscope Adventures as a sponsor of yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast! I appreciate their support and encourage you to connect with them if you are thinking about planning a school trip!

Cheers!

​Frederick