Big Picture, Little Picture.

                                            One suspects that many of you have had this debate. After all we have all been in the work force in some capacity. What, Dear Reader, do you think makes a good leader? Indeed, can leadership be taught or is it instinctive and innate?

Looking at job advertisements and the requirements thereof over the years, it seems that leadership positions nowadays require degrees in this, certificates in that; so much so that Superman and Superwoman would be unavailable to save the planet because they would forever be upgrading. Don’t get me wrong. The pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful thing. As a teacher I have always wanted to encourage lifelong learning.  But, Friends, so much good learning is on the job, is applying common sense in support of expertise; understanding the nuances and vicissitudes of people’s character. Yes, indeed there are some aspects of the school environment that have needed a good kick in the pedagogy from time to time so that no child finds themselves in an educational black hole. But, Friends, I am going to ‘but’ you a few ‘buts’ in this wee missive, there are some initiatives that should never have left the drawing board other than into the recycling bin.

In my working life, it was always a concern when a new post was created. One tried to be positive when, say, ‘The Department of Itain’tbrokebutimgoingtofixitanyway’ was suddenly created out of the blue. The institution in my experience had been going along swimmingly so it did not need a new ‘Head of Cockamamie’. Suddenly one was faced with a new person who was keen, energetic and ready to create and mold and do something stunning. (To me electric cattle prods are stunning!) However we welcomed her or him with all friendliness and openness, we made a point of introducing ourselves and then we sat back and waited. Inevitably would come a date for a meeting, an email full of ideas and ideals, a plethora of substance which we never knew we needed. But there it was!  We went along with it because we didn’t want to rock the boat. Besides which we were already otherwise engaged at that for which we were being paid.  Then came the day when volunteers were asked to form part of a committee. It was to be an elite group of people who had bought into the new system, they were to come among us and inspire us to think of different ways of doing things. We were to move forward from our comfort zones aka ‘ruts’ and see a new light. We were to become evangelical of improvements, suborn all that was previous, for the novel and aspirational. In the case of schools, students had never learned properly before so the classroom was to become a very different place. Those of us who had been around for years had experienced many ‘different places’ in our careers and in some cases, had experienced the ‘new’ idea some 30 years previously. However, not wanting to sound old fogeyish we sat back and decided to rummage around and dig out the old hat from the wardrobe and allow it to be dusted off thus pretending it was recently bought anew. Honesty was placed on the back burner so that our eyes appeared wide open with wonder when really they were glazed windows to a very different soul. We were indeed stunned. So our new leaders donned their safari gear, sharpened their machetes and disappeared into the undergrowth. Those of us who followed saw the flash of their blade as they cut a sweating swathe though virgin bush. All we really wanted to do was point out to them that there was a perfectly straight tarmacked road only a couple of yards to their right if only they would take a keek. Ach, Dear Reader, this wee tale of woe is in danger of becoming an amalgam of cliché ridden analogies! Time to change to a more positive picture but before I do so I do need to point out again that there were some changes that happened in my teaching career which were necessary and have improved the lives and education of children and professionals no end. They did need to happen.

It should be said that I have experienced great leadership during my working life. Moments when a crisis has been averted; ramped up situations which the leader has ramped down; the Head who allows the teacher to run with one of their own ideas rather than feeling threatened; the leader who breaks the rules because of common sense and, most importantly, caring humanity; the man or woman who pats you on the back at the same time reminding you that such a gesture is pretty close to a kick up the jacksie; the person who will never ask you to do something that they will not do themselves.

Two occasions from my own experience spring to mind. I remember being frustrated and angry and overwhelmed and seeking out the ‘Boss’ for a solution. Storming in with righteous indignation, I found the Head behind his desk. A verbal, breathless exposition then proceeded from within me.  Believe me friends I was so fluent I was effluent. At a convenient moment, the ‘Boss’ managed to get a sentence in edgeways.

“Pete, did I show you the pictures from my hike last weekend, Glorious weather, fantastic scenery?”

Caught off guard and nonplussed was I. This was not why I was in his office and yet he was not to be shifted back to where I wanted him to be, He reached for his phone and skimmed through his Saturday in the mountains. After a while he must have noted that I became calmer and, eventually, came back to the problem, a problem which could be solved with relative ease.

 A different time, a different problem, a different Head and another Davidson frustration.  On that occasion I left his office with the broadest of grins. We had talked rugby and the ‘old country’ and he had praised me greatly for the job I was doing. I went home and gleefully shared the conversation with Irene and she asked,

“Was your problem solved?”

I was struck dumb with wonder all too dread for words, my gab did gape. It was only then that I realised that I had left his office never having talked about my issue. Not only was I none the wiser but nor was he! It had all been lost in a welter of stories and glorious bonhomie.  I was gob smacked at my dumb naivety.  I felt marvellous, my head was held high, I would follow him into battle without a thought for my own safety, and yet, Dear Reader, my question was never raised and, of course, never answered.  And here I am  many years later, remembering the meetings with affection and with absolutely no recollection of what the issues were that were so important at the time. Now that, friends, I suggest is leadership but whether or not it is good leadership then I leave you to judge.

I do know this, however, that the Head involved in the first issue I mentioned had a knock on the door one day from a young male employee who was a graduate but had ambitions other than being a teacher. This was a young man with an excellent rapport with children and teachers. He could be given any task and it was completed in double quick time. He sat down with that Head and explained that he was devastated because his fiancé had left him. His attendance at work had suffered because he had been on some alcohol ridden benders to manage his grief. He apologised but said that he was an emotional wreck. The Head told him that he was to take the time he needed, that it was great if he was in and working and if he wasn’t then he would understand. His job was safe. The Head would cover for him, take the pressure of him and allow him time to heal.  Eventually he came back into the fold. When it came time for him to leave the school and pursue his professional and personal dreams, he told me that he would do anything for that particular boss; that he was filled with gratitude for the way that his situation had been handled.

These examples of leadership are not in any manual although possibly out there in some philosophical, psychological, ethical ether. To me, they are based on life experience, common sense, empathy and simple decent humanity. They are also examples of courage and the sound belief that the right thing needed to be done.

“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity but to elicit it as the greatness is already there.” John Buchan

It seems to me that at the moment at least one of the world’s leaders could do with a crash course in how to ‘put greatness into humanity’ because a nihilistic invasion of a peaceful country is not going to allow people to get in touch with the better angels of their natures is it.  Quite the opposite, I would suggest.

It seems to me sometimes that to be a leader one has to have qualities which many would not regard as qualities. It is a matter of judgement in leaders as to when the little picture is more important than the bigger and vice versa.  The best ones see both. The worst surround themselves in a war room with sycophantic gutless flatterers and then the big picture becomes smaller and smaller until the reality of the lives of ordinary people fades ever more distantly, a speck on the horizon, a perspective lost, the lasting legacy of a fatally flawed human being.

Welcome to March.