It’s Just Not Fair

These state mandates aren’t fair.  The funding allotted to our department isn’t fair.  The standard they are holding us to isn’t fair.  The protocols aren’t fair.  The perception of me and our staff isn’t fair.  How many times have you thought that, said that or heard that in some form or another?  I know it’s countless times because I used to say those same things and not think twice about it and when I first became a Principal I was still doing it and to this day I’m upset that I let that kind of a  poisonous narrative to infiltrate our mission.  

It seems harmless enough to mention how unfair those things are and to have a belief that they are true is another subject altogether.  It's unfair, has to be one of the biggest cop outs of all time.  This cheap phrase is nothing more than an excuse for us not to achieve.  First of all by saying it isn’t fair it takes away from the validity we have in our skills and hard work.  It’s saying that those things can’t possibly make a difference.  Secondly it is contrary to the truth.  The world is full of examples of people who have faced tremendous odds and overcome them to be successful.  As a matter of fact the most successful people in the world had to overcome adversity that many of us couldn’t even imagine not just once, not just twice but hundreds or thousands of times.  Take the time to read a biography or do some research on Michael Jordan, Abe Lincoln or Ed Mylett.  You will find that they had the ability to overcome the odds that many people would say were unfair if they were faced with them.  Finally as a leader when you validate something as unfair it makes it ok to have excuses and rationalizations for all kinds of other things.  More importantly it makes it ok to accept defeat without even trying.  If we do this enough times it just isn’t something we say when things get tough it becomes a rallying cry for never even trying in the first place.  

Call To Action

Stop saying the phrase “it’s unfair.”  Go as far as to keep track of how many times you and your staff say it.  I guarantee you will be shocked at how often it comes up.  Then make a decision that this phrase has to be eliminated and that starts with you not only committing not to say it but educating and helping your staff shift that mindset as well.  If the smartest people in the building succumb to not being able to do something because it’s not fair what message does that send? Good luck and remember when your commitment is greater than your feelings you get results. Have a great week.