“Mr Miller, what is the main strength that you would bring to our school if we appointed you as the new Head Teacher?” George Miller was in his early forties, an experienced teacher and head teacher, but this role as head teacher of the fourteen hundred strong mixed secondary school was a big step up for him and he was keen to make an impression. He paused thoughtfully and, even though he had anticipated this question, said; “I would like to think it is my leadership skills and that I can inspire and motivate young people to change. I can bring out the best in them!” He continued, “During my career I have been in many difficult situations where I have had to make a change in the behaviour of individuals or groups. It may have been with the local authority, parents but mostly with the pupils themselves. I can honestly say that in most of the situations that I have had to deal with I have been successful. I have managed to make the change and more importantly the change in behaviour has been lasting”. He felt he was on very strong ground as he was charismatic, a good communicator and really did have that spark that inspired people. In terms of managing change, he was really quite good.
He was on a roll! The Chairman of the panel seemed to understand the importance of leadership and was listening intently. Well he would, a retired Colonel or something. ”Tell me about your approach” he said. “Well” replied George “I have generally applied two rules. One is to deal with the problem as soon as it comes to light and not to let a difficult situation drag on. The other is to explain very clearly all those involved how their actions are having a negative impact on others.” “You appeal to their better nature then?” asked the Colonel. “Yes, absolutely, and I have generally found that, if you do this well, people genuinely change their behaviours and the change can be immediate and lasting.” He made this statement with such passion and conviction that he could almost feel that the job was his!
Within the world of business there is a plethora of material on the topic of leadership and change. Even with all this help, achieving sustainable organisational change remains one of the most elusive goals in our endeavours to transform business performance. In complex situations it is hard to identify what it is that provides the triggers for change. Our own ‘light bulb moments’ can come from the most unexpected individuals and situations.
Jo Frost as Super Nanny has always been one of my heroes. Trying to bring about a change of behaviour in families with young children! Now that’s what I call a challenge! We need to be open-minded and recognise that other people from different walks of life can have a different insight into a problem and sometimes have the ability to provide us with valuable lessons. The problem is that we so often don’t know how to spot these people and they themselves don’t realise that they have special skills that can help us.
“Thank you Mr Miller, said a rather sour faced lady who was the parents’ representative on the Board of Governors. “Perhaps you could give us an example of a situation where you have applied your approach and achieved this lasting change?” George wasn’t sure but he thought he almost detected a note of sarcasm in her voice. This didn’t really bother him, and he replied “Yes of course”. The example he decided to give was one he was particularly proud of, even though the circumstances were a bit unusual. A few years previously he had had a situation with the young ladies in his school that involved the caretaker. The caretaker, who had come out of retirement to do this part time role, was respected by everyone; a quiet man of few words, hard working and kind. It was almost unheard of to hear him complain about anything. So, for him to knock quietly on George’s door and say, “I’m sorry to bother you, but do you have a moment?” was unusual in its own right.
George explained to the interview panel. “I invited him in and asked him to sit down”. George wanted to show how he was not status conscious and was quite prepared to have a conversation with the caretaker even though he quietly did consider caretakers to be somewhere close to the bottom of the food chain. The caretaker was a little embarrassed at having to bring this matter to the head teacher but he sat down and started to speak. “Head master, I think I need your help. A situation has been going on in the girls’ toilets for some time now and I don’t know how to deal with it.” George felt a chill but didn’t show it. “I know they don’t mean anything” he continued “but every evening when I go to clean I find the mirror covered in ‘lipstick kiss marks’. It is really hard to clean, and the next day it’s all back again. I really don’t have the time to keep doing this. I am working late and, as you know my wife isn’t well and I need to be home with her”. George told him not be concerned, that he was right to bring this to his attention and that he would deal with it straight away.
As soon as the girls set eyes on the caretaker quietly standing there they all knew exactly why the headmaster had asked them to meet him in the ladies toilet at four that afternoon. The head master stood directly in front of the mirror covered with lipstick kisses and started the little speech that he had rehearsed earlier that day. With passion he explained to the assembled girls how their actions were putting such an extra burden on the caretaker. He even explained about the caretaker’s wife.
George then looked at the entire interview panel and said. “I knew that I had convinced the girls, I could see that look of embarrassment in their eyes. Even though I knew I had solved the problem I wanted to make sure that they understood how difficult it was for the caretaker to clean the mirror every day. That’s why I asked the caretaker to be there. I told the girls that I wanted them to stay and watch carefully while the caretaker cleaned all the lipstick marks off the mirror. I then left them there in his capable hands”.
As the headmaster left, the care taker quietly said “thank you headmaster”. In silence he put on his gloves and picked up his cleaning cloth. However, instead of going to the sink, he opened the door of a cubicle and lifted the toilet seat. He plunged his cleaning cloth into water in the toilet bowl and gave it a really good soaking. The expression on the girls face said it all; the pursed lips, upturned noses and that look of total disgust that has been perfected by teenage girls. Then the caretaker cleaned every square inch of the mirror until all the lipstick marks were gone!
