Here’s a brief recap of a fantastic day I spent with schools and community members in the Chicago area. The day had two separate events. From 9-3 yesterday I worked with about 10 schools as they thought through some staff culture improvement work. Very cool stuff they came up with. Then in the evening, I gave a community event to parents, teachers, business folk, and anyone else who wanted to show up.
I built much of the evening around this quote from Emerson: “This time, like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it.”
I filmed this little recap while waiting for my flight out of Ohare. So yes. I was a guy sitting in the airport talking to his computer. I can live with that.
Nathan summed up the our options within a very challenging climate/society perfectly.
We’re so used to responding to fear and stress in ways that isolate and remove us from one another. The idea of taking action through connecting with each other can result in a true sense of optimism, hope and positive long-term change.
My question is how can you inspire and spark that connection?
Hi Clayton.
I could probably type a good page or three about your question, since it’s really at the heart of my work with schools.
But I’ll simply say this: creating “culture change” is a big, messy, long-term process. In fact, it can be so daunting that we’re tempted to not even make the attempt.
So instead, I think it’s critical that we focus on our own behaviors first. If you have a good thought about a colleague, speak it out loud. If you have peace you need to make with someone, make it. If you have an workplace condition that’s not working for you, seek change.
Culture change on a macro scale is pretty overwhelming. But creating a sense of change through your own attitudes and behavior is something else altogether.
Quite simply: what comes around, goes around!
I love your question Clayton. I think part of the answer is to quote a peer of Emerson – Thoreau – “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” I believe at a very elementary level the thing that is most important to each of us is feeling connected to others. We sometimes lose sight of it when we interact with a world that focuses on things and accomplishments. Watch people following any kind of crisis – they always move back toward the people they hold most dear. As we teacher face some difficult days ahead – reductions in force, financial troubles, NCLB – we will naturally return to the thing we hold most dear – one another.
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