Monday Moanin Thoughts # 183 Improving Morale Begins With You And Me

Welcome to this beautiful November 2015 Monday Moanin. During the past few weeks I have met with several school leaders and a common theme emerged.  Even though it is November , many staffs are feeling like it is April. Educators across the board are operating with low energy  and there is still a long way to go till June 2016. Another comment is that morale is low. Not only low , but it has never been lower. Educator Steven Weber asks; “Is morale determined by one person? Is morale pinned on the superintendent or building principals. Does a superintendent make morale go down across the district?”

I  do think that leaders can negatively affect the tone in a district. But as Weber adds, “ I have never heard a principal or school leader say, I am going to lower morale today.”  The bottom line is that being an educator today is not for the weak. You need energy, strength, resilience, and a positive attitude among other skills to deal with the daily challenges of educating the youth of 2015.  Sociologist Alexander Leighton writes; “Morale is the capacity of a group to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose.”

So rather than complaining about a negative trend in your organization, be part of the solution. It truly begins with you and me. Here are some thoughts on trying to improve morale.

• Express gratitude, say thank you more to your students, staff, and colleagues
• Focus on what you can control, don’t be distracted by district issues and politics.
• Pay attention, who is really doing good things in your organization?
• Fight isolation. Stop eating lunch alone and reach out to others.
• Focus on your strengths and those of others.
• Find the good stuff. We can always find the sludge!
• Focus on Leighton’s quote, pull together on your common purpose- educating children.

Mark Sanborn asks, “Are you a team player or a team slayer?”

Have a great week, adjust your attitude and find the good stuff.