It’s better to burn out than to fade away- Neil Young
I have always been fond of Neil Young’s quote. I have never had any interest in fading away and by seeking out this blog, you probably feel the same. Burnout is an overused expression in our field and often an excuse for less than stellar work. There is an old saying that speaks truth: It’s hard to burn out if you have never been on fire.
Students deserve our best. In this post, I am going to rant a little about a few peeves I have with people who seem to constantly be burnt out, and I’ll wrap it up with some ideas on how to turn some negative behaviors around.
Recently I went on a cruise. Yes, I had a great time. However, one aspect I noticed was how upbeat and energetic all the crew members were, even though they all were far from home, worked very long days, and most were not highly paid. The crew was professional: well dressed, mannerly, and customer focused. As Laura, my wife, and I left the boat we wondered why some staff in schools are so different. It is not easy to answer, but I believe the answer is found in the culture of the school and what the leader is willing to tolerate.
- Have you ever had a staff member come up to you or be in your presence to announce 179 days left after the first day of school?
- Or, do you have a staff member who always states how many days until Friday?
- What about your perpetually tired staff member whose lack of energy is freely communicated? You know, the person who says, “I’m so tired” when you ask them how their day is going.
- Finally, the person who gripes how cold it is during winter and then complains about the heat in late spring.
Here are a few tips you can use to bring passion to those who have rarely been on fire.
- Tell them to stop. Yes, this is blunt. But a school will never become a great place for all students if some staff are allowed to wallow in their personal misery. I actually had a staff member years ago who made the 179 days left claim; I told the staff member to stop and never to reference the countdown in front of me. This was an awkward encounter, but my point was heard and it stopped.
- Always be positive! The principal sets the tone. It is a mistake to join into T.G.I.F conversations. If you join in, staff assumes permission has been given to speak this way.
- Set the tone for your school, model the behaviors you want to see.
- Do not let yourself go down the rabbit hole called negativity. It is always present and there are always people in the hole who will be happy to see you there. Misery loves company.
- Never hire a person who appears burnt out in an interview. How a person presents himself or herself in an interview is the best you’re gonna get!
Students deserve the best! Join me and take a stand to bring energy and positivity to your school. Do not tolerate negative people. Negative people hurt the culture of your school and negative people harm students. Recognize and support the many positive people on your team. And realize your positive staff has long known who the negative staff members are, most will appreciate you helping those staff find some passion and energy for the work they do!
Let this phrase guide you: What the leader permits communicates to others what the leader will tolerate. Every day people ask me how I am doing, and everyone who asks gets a big smile from me and hears, “I’m doing great!” Students and staff deserve my best. Join me!
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Check out my book, The Principal’s Leadership Sourcebook, Scholastic
Also, Laura and I have a podcast channel, The Robb Review Podcast!
