Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-simple-15-5-tool/5021140/
In the highly acclaimed 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” the hard-nosed warden called Captain issues the often repeated line, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” to his rebellious prisoner, Luke, played by Paul Newman. In truth, there really was not a problem with communication between Captain and Luke; there was just an enormous difference in opinion on whose communication or will would triumph.Too often we observe these power struggles in our schools. Frequently it is because communication from the Director has been irregular, absent, inconsistent, or unclear in the information or expectation. Consider this: research demonstrates that the average person must hear a radio commercial seven times before he even begins to pay attention to the message. I believe the same probably holds true for viewing the written word. Case in point:
I witnessed a parent move an easel aside in a lobby only to go to the Assistant Director and ask when a certain event would take place, when the information was displayed on the easel. True story!
What is more concerning than unclear, inconsistent, or lacking communication from leadership is the failure to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and sharing. A school’s culture is defined by ...