As leaders we have to constantly ask ourselves this question: Is this easy for me or is it easy for the people I’m leading? Very rarely is something easy for both parties. This brings us to one of my favorite statements about leadership:
Good leaders absorb complexity and pass on a simpler problem to the folks they lead.
Example: Simplifying Conferences
When I was a new teacher, going to my first conference, my gifted director gave me specific sessions to go to. She took the time to browse the catalog and pick out the most useful sessions for my situation. Now that simplified a problem. Newbie Ian (along with every other first-timer) didn’t have to spin his wheels picking from the seventy-zillion, mostly mediocre sessions at the conference.
My leader took the time to hand pick a lovely lineup of speakers to see. She absorbed complexity and passed on simplicity. I loved it.
See, great leaders know that fewer choices is better. Sometimes no choices is best of all.
Example: Puzzlements
Every Friday, I send out five links to curiosity provoking videos or images. I send five because it gives enough variety without becoming overwhelming. I’m careful to send out school-appropriate links (that means watching many videos all the way through). I make sure not to link to the same type of video. You won’t get three stop-motion videos in one email, for example. I try to mix up the content. I don’t want multiple volcano videos in one week.
This ends up taking a whole lot of time. But teachers love it. They love it because I’ve absorbed all of that complexity and passed on something simple. They just open their email and find five interesting links that they can just click on.
Non-example: The Puzzlements “Library” Then, every month or so, an administrator-type person emails me and wants to send out a list of ALL of the Puzzlements ever to their teachers. One person was even building her own library of links I’ve shared. (My question: you have the time to do that?) Friends, giving busy teachers a page with 500 links on it is not helpful. It’s passing on complexity rather than simplicity. It’s overwhelming! Five weekly links is way better than a massive archive of links (half of which will break within a month).
Example: Demonstrate
I’ve written about how I learned everything I know. People simply showed me what to do. They didn’t tell me. They didn’t point me to an article or hire an expert speaker or send out links to resources. My bosses actually got up in front of a class and did the thing. This is the best possible PD you’ll ever experience because, yes, it’s so simple! I didn’t have to figure anything out or interpret vague directions or really even take notes.
Now, yes, this added a lot of complexity for my bosses. But it actually moved the needle! I actually learned how to differentiate.
One Hour Spent, A Hundred Earned
Since leaders are in charge of so many people, they must be the ones to absorb the complexity. If you lead 100 people, you can save 100 hours of work when you spend just one hour. You can pass that simpler problem on to your 100 teachers.
And, when you save your teachers’ time and give them simpler problems to deal with, they will love you forever.