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Leadership Blind Spots
January 18, 2008
At our best, we are teachers.
-Maya Angelou
In a classic Exchange article, "Helping Employees Cope with Change," Lorraine Schrag, Elyssa Nelson, and Tedi Siminowsky talked about how sometimes directors have blind spots that get in the way of implementing changes...

"When the director of the Elm Street After School Program decided to buy the computers for her program, she was sure the idea would succeed. She had researched the educational implications of computers; she had read hundreds of software reviews to be sure she selected programs that were truly educational as well as entertaining; and she tried these programs out on the computers she planned to buy to make sure everything worked as described. She even prepared carefully for breaking the news to the staff by pulling together the statistics and research to bolster her case. When the teachers greeted her presentation with misgivings, she set up a computer and, with great enthusiasm, showed them "Speller Kong" and "Math Invaders" in action. Two weeks later, with the computers gathering dust on the shelves, the director wondered what had gone wrong. Why had the staff opposed her great idea?

"What went wrong was that the director had blind spots which prevented her from seeing what was happening. She was so preoccupied with launching her baby that she became oblivious to what was bothering the teachers. When teachers showed signs of resistance, the director responded by rolling out more artillery to win them over to her side. Instead, she should have tried to understand their concerns, to see what was happening from their point of view.

"More often than not, when teachers resist a new idea, they are not so much opposed to the idea itself, as they are anxious about the social consequences of the change. They may be concerned with how this change will affect their relationship with the children, whether it will keep them from working closely with teachers they enjoy, whether it will force them outside their comfort zone to work in an area where they lack expertise.

"If the director is so preoccupied with the logistics of implementing the change that she fails to see such social and emotional impacts of change, no amount of haranguing on the merits of the idea will overcome teachers' resistance. When signs of resistance appear, the director may find it helpful to talk to concerned staff members on a one-to-one basis to explore their feelings about the change. An alternative is to pull aside teachers who have already bought into the change and ask for their views on what it is that is causing some staff members to fight the idea. Only when the director has overcome her blind spots and seen the root causes of resistance can she begin to work toward successful implementation of the change."




"Helping Employees Cope with Change" can be read in its entirety on the home page of www.ChildCareExchange.com. In addition, it is included as one of the resources in our Manager's Tool Kit. Included in the kit are...
  • The Art of Leadership: Managing Early Childhood Organizations
  • Managing Money: A Center Director’s Guidebook
  • Stick Your Neck Out �" A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond
  • 250 Management Success Stories from Child Care Directors
  • Exchange Article CD Collection #9: Taking Stock �" Evaluation Tools for Program, Teacher, and Director
  • Exchange Article CD Collection #5: Supervising Staff

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Comments (8)

Displaying All 8 Comments
John Lubele · October 30, 2008
Service and Ethics for Children and Youths Tanzania
Geita Mwanza, Geita, Tanzania, United Republic of


We are liiking for friends/donnors to share and help our centre as we need to help this new generation.
for more information contact,
John Lubele,[email protected]

John Lubele · October 30, 2008
Service and Ethics for Children and Youths Tanzania
Geita Mwanza, Geita, Tanzania, United Republic of


Service and Ethics for children and Youths is working under The Pentecost churches union in Tanzania.The center dealing with granting resources to vulnerable children and youths
We would like to reduce if possible to abolish the street children crisis by setting sustainable economic projects to Low income families,while giving skills to those who are in street to be self reliant.
As no future generation without environmental conservation.We are strongly accumulating our efforts to implement projects on environment conservation and giving Ethical doctrines for preparing well behaving generation.We invite friends,donors from any place to share ideas how we can help this new generation,also you are welcome to volunteer at our center.email at,[email protected]

John Lubele · March 12, 2008
Service and Ethics for children and youths-Under Pentecost chur
Geita, Tanzania, Tanzania, United Republic of


Service and Ethics for children and Youths is working under The Pentecost churches union in Tanzania.The center dealing with granting resources to vulnerable children and youth.
We would like to reduce if possible to abolish the street children crisis by setting sustainable economic projects to Low income families,while giving skills to those who are in street to be self reliant.
As no future generation without environmental conservation.We are strongly accumulating our efforts to implement projects on environment conservation and giving Ethical doctrines for preparing well behaving generation.We invite friends,donors from any place to share ideas how we can help this new generation,also you are welcome to volunteer at our center.email at,[email protected]

John Lubele · March 01, 2008
Service and Ethics for children and youths-Under The Pentecost
Geita, MWANZA, Tanzania, United Republic of


Service and Ethics for children and Youths is working under The Pentecost churches union in Tanzania.The centre dealing with granting resources to vulnerable children and youth.
We would like to reduce if possible to abolish the street children crisis by setting sustainable economic projects to Low income families,while giving skills to those who are in street to be self relient.
As no future generation without environmental conservation.We are strongly accumulating our efforts to implement projects on environment conservation and giving Ethical doctrines for preparing well behaving generation.

Joan Krohn · January 18, 2008
Merrill Area Public Schools
Merrill, WI, United States


Hurrah for the teachers of Elm Street After School Program! The bulk of unbiased research coming from the Alliance for Childhood, the American Association of Pediatrics and other groups is telling us too much computer time is damaging to young brains. So rock on teachers of Elm Street After School Program, get those children moving, thinking, creating in multi-sensory, three dimensional play. Research is telling us this is how children learn best!

Blair Alexander · January 18, 2008
HOPE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTANT-TANZANIA
ARUSHA, TANZANIA, Tanzania, United Republic of


I ENJOY READING THEM SO PLEASE KEEP IT UP. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY WELCOME ANY WILL PEOPLE TO INVEST IN TANZANIA OR VOLUNTEER. WE ARE WORKING WITH CHILDREN, YOUTHS AND WOMEN.

SO DO NOT HESITSTE TO ASK ANY THING ABOUT US.
[email protected]

Martie Mollenhauer · January 18, 2008
DARE to AFFIRM
Pitman, NJ, United States


To me, an effective director/leader is a LISTENER. s/he has a finger on the pulse - knows the vision/mission of the program and makes sure that EVERYONE is involved. I would have suggested talking to the staff about the idea BEFORE even buying the computers to get them involved and excited about the idea and the project - then it theirs too and everyone will be in a win-win situation!! How often as a teacher have I planned something that I thought was cool and the "kids" - either little ones or adult students - would love - only to realize that it was "cool" to me and not something they were thrilled about - or even interested in at all.
Remember relationships and the fact that they have to be respectful - the dance goes on!!

Zuhairah Ali · January 18, 2008
Taman Pendidikan Raihan
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia


That was a great piece of advice! Detailed and practical. It will certainly save a lot of heart aches and $$$ for many. Keep writing about management issues. I enjoy reading them!



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