Consequences
We have all grown up with folk tales. Familiar stories that remain almost entirely in their original form, even though they have been passed down from generation to generation. These fictional recounts are comforting as they go some way to explaining our regional heritage. They are clung onto and held precious, even though not all of them make their way into the Disney catalogue.
The modern-day version of folk tales are what we refer to as urban myths. These differ slightly from the traditional tales in that they are told as being true. Another key feature of this genre is that they purport to reference someone vaguely known to the storyteller. The myths are generally relative to current themes and can be seen to act as warnings to people who were previously unaware of the dangers that are outlined in the narrative.
One such urban myth that appears to be mentioned regularly at the moment is of an unsuspecting character traveling to mainland Europe for cheap cosmetic surgery that requires a general anesthetic. They return home after the treatment only to fall ill a few days later. The illness results in them having to be hospitalized and for doctors to discover that she has had a kidney removed without her knowledge. I can only assume that the myth has been generated by bona fide cosmetic surgeons in this country who have been losing trade to this trend of ‘tourism treatment’ in apparently unregulated countries!
When I heard it recently, for the third time, it made me think of another urban myth that I had heard several years before. This one focused on queueing traffic at a railway crossing. It started with mentioning a character the narrator has a distant connection with who had purchased an expensive new car. On their journey home from collecting this car from the dealership they had been forced to stop as the barriers fell to prevent vehicles crossing the tracks. In front of them was an old style rag and bone man with a horse drawn cart full of scrap metal. In front of the horse was a motor cyclist with long hair flowing below their crash helmet.
The story goes on to describe how the horse leans forward and tries to eat some of the long hair. The unsuspecting motor cyclist loses control of the bike which speeds from underneath him and throws him to the floor. In what can only be described as a domino effect, the horse then rears up and the cart is pushed backwards, ending up depositing the load of old metal all over the bonnet of the shiny new car. To add to the mayhem a passing dog walker rushes to the aid of the stricken motorcyclist after tying the dog lead to the barrier. Amongst the chaos, almost unnoticed the express train hurries over the crossing and as the flashing lights stop the barrier lifts, taking the stricken dog high into the air.
There is obviously an entertaining and humorous aspect to this tale but what I like to take from it is that every action has a consequence. When I speak to teachers and leaders, I always stress that their actions will have an impact on other people. It may be one that is unintentional, like in railway crossing story, but nevertheless it can be equally catastrophic.
To help prevent these types of occurrences you should ensure that your approach to decision making focuses upon the two key features of time and a full 360 degree view of how the resulting situation will be perceived. These connected aspects are crucial if misunderstanding and disruption are to be avoided and therefore should be at the heart of the process.
Sound decision making demands time. We should always remember the old adage ‘act in haste, repent at leisure’. It is understandable that we all want to demonstrate strong leadership, knowledge and authority but the pressure for a quick decision from leaders is quite simply a trap. It is in fact a strength to respond to a demand from someone by stating that you need time to think. Taking your time increases the probability of an effective decision and as long as it is not a delaying tactic in the hope that the problem will go away, it should be a rule that we generally follow.
The benefit of time is that it gives you room to think and you are then able to consider all angles. I actually like to physically move to encourage this process of seeing what your actions look like from another perspective. If I am sitting down in an office and am contemplating an action I will often get up and take another seat so that I focused upon seeing it from another point of view. If I am standing, I will turn around and face a different direction. In this way I am trying to capture what it could feel like for other people. By stepping back and looking back inwards you begin to appreciate what your decision and action looks like.
I am firm in my belief that not enough people consider what other people will think about their actions. I have heard many teachers talk incessantly about leading by example in an interview situation only to forget about it the second they get the job. Perhaps it is power that goes to their head or just a total lack of empathy and understanding, but whatever the reason, a refusal to consider other people’s perceptions is a recipe for failure.
The academics may describe this as social awareness or emotional intelligence. Whatever name they give it doesn’t really matter, the fact is that no person works in complete isolation. Schools are busy communities with lots of different components and it is a strength to understand how each individual will perceive decisions. It allows us to communicate with people more effectively and ultimately maintain a harmonious staff. What we don’t want is a cart full of scrap being tipped all over us!