I hate confrontation. People who know me think that it's absolutely hilarious that I have the job that I have, especially since I encounter confrontation and conflict practically on a daily basis. I'm not laughing about that, trust me - especially when it comes to having those "courageous" conversations, whether it's with a teacher on staff or a parent. I've been thinking about the reasons why perhaps some administrators experience a little anxiety over the prospect of having these kinds of conversations and I've narrowed down my educated guesses to the following, in no particular order: 1. the need to be liked 2. fear of the unknown, namely the reaction of the individual 3. the desire to avoid the involvement of the union 4. physical and mental exhaustion 5. trying to find "the right time" 6. second guessing of one's own judgment If we don't have these conversations, the repercussions are worse, I think than any of the reasons...
Learning, re-learning and unlearning in leadership.