In leadership, sense matters. In the previous article we focussed our
attention on the first sense and today I would like us to look at the second
sense: SMELL.
I love how the sniffer dogs use their nostrils to track the direction of
criminals whenever there is a crime committed. The way they scratch the scene
with their nose, you will swear they were present when the crime was committed
especially when they lead to the perpetrators or leading to some clues of
evidence.
The sense of smell is defined
as the perception of odour or scent through the nose. The nose has lots of
nerves which enable it to differentiate between various kinds of odour. The
nose is able to perceive both the good and the bad smell. The same applies with
leaders. You can easily see if the school principal does not have the sense of
smell. A principal whose sense of smell has been activated is proactive in
avoiding situations that can lead to disaster in the school. As a leader, the principal should be able to smell various
situations within the school to prevent the unfortunate situations. The sense
of smell enables the leader to detect some of the following:
1. Smell the dissatisfaction in the school: I am sure you still remember Muamar Gadaffi, the
former Libyan leader. This president who had presided over many years of
successful tenures which gained him respect in and outside of his country had
lost his sense of smell. The Libya people had gathered at the square calling
for his resignation and he failed to see that. It is an indication of a leader
who has lost this sense. In every school, there simple and clear pointers for
principals to notice the dissatisfaction amongst the staff. This cannot be
ignored. The sense of smell helps a leader not to adopt an “I do not care
attitude.” Sometimes one does something thinking that it is in the best
interest of the school. It may be an introduction of something or a rule that
will affect the other staff without more consultation and people reject it in
their own subtle way. When you smell something, you begin to anticipate. This
makes you to think about the possible questions that members will ask and you
get prepared to clarify before a clear rejection comes. Many times principals
are caught napping when situations they created turn to a different direction,
because their sense of smell was compromised. One year we went to an accounting
session because of poor performance of the school I was at. The question of why
the school could not perform in that year was raised directly to the principal
who was unaware. Suddenly the principal was on the notepad trying to make
notes. It could have helped to think about these questions in advance.
2.
Smell success before it happens: Battles are emotionally taxing. Typically, success
without anticipation can turn into a disaster. In the popular story of David
against Goliath, you hear David asking the question of the reward to three
different groups of soldiers. From all the soldiers he asked the question, the
answer was that the reward will be the king’s daughter for a wife. You can see
that David was gearing himself for the successful overcome against the
Philistine. When you smell success before it comes, you don’t only get yourself
prepared on how to behave or celebrate. But it helps you to prepare for the
challenge and test that lies ahead. If a department is managed by a leader with
a good sense of smell, various activities will be lined up in order to bring
the success that is already anticipated. The leader who has a sense of smell knows
that success does not just come, it comes as a result of hard work and
strategic planning. This leader will know that discipline is key to the success
of learners and will create opportunities to alleviate the simple bunking
issues in the classes that fall within the department. The same with the
principal who has a sense of smell. This principal’s treating of the staff will
be that of a principal leading a winning team already. Sometimes I was
disappointed to hear a principal saying the staff did not deserve any incentive
because they had not achieved anything. Wait a minute this was a general
statement clustering everybody into one category. Surely there are those who
are doing their best and they cannot be disadvantaged by the behaviour or lack
of initiative of the other group. But it was obvious that these men and women
could not have achieved anything lead by such a leader who smells nothing about
the staff he led.
3.
Smell the various moods in the school: In schools, like any other workplaces, there are
many activities taking place. Some of the moods become uniting to the staff,
but others have a tendency to destroy the fibre of unity. All principals have
the privilege of knowing a lot of things about their staff members. This can be
a great opportunity to bring them closer and start great conversations that will
help build trust with the staff. Knowing the birthdays of the children of staff
members and their spouses can be a killer. The other day I surprised a staff
member by mentioning the birthday of the staff members son during our briefing.
It was a great thing for the member and having to allow the staff member to
have two of his periods supervised to have an early release was the cherry on
top. The leader does not have to be doing this all by himself or herself. There
is always that person in the staff who knows everything good about other
people. If someone is going through a difficult patch this person will know. If
someone has received the good news of something, this person will know because
people feel comfortable talking to this person. If this person if delegated
this responsibility to bring to the attention of the principal, the issues that
create good and bad moods in the school, the principal will be able to step in
to either congratulate or sympathise. A sense of smell can also help to conscientize
the principal on the readiness of the staff to consume certain changes within
the institution.
The
sense of smell can be a preventative measure as well as a stepping stone to
gain the confidence of the people. School principals must use their sense of
smell or begin to develop it so that they can use it optimally when the
opportunity arises.
A
leader who can’t smell the various situations runs a risk of being surprised by
the happenings of the school. That becomes more risky for the school and it
cannot be afforded.
Other related articles:
NB. Taken
from the CD 5 senses of Leadership by Maano Ramadwa
Maano
Ramadwa
(Teacher/
Resuscitation Speaker/ Human Development practitioner)
Author of
three books including Teach To Inspire (Teachers)
Recorded
various CD tools for teachers
Contact:
0798269403
Website:www.maanospeaks.co.za
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