There is a very ambitious gentleman on the international circuit who has recently been appointed as the Primary Head of one of the better international schools. He has effectively undermined his current Director and did his best to undermine the previous one, with the intention of getting their positions.
Now I know not everyone is perfect, but his new Director and Primary 'Team' (he loves to talk about teamwork and collaboration) have no idea what they're in for.
What to do, what to do?
And now for something completely different
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Traveller1
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:18 pm
Interesting question you have here! I'm not sure there is any "one answer" to the question. Some people want to move up and I have never understood the process of someone moving up. I've often wondered myself, how a particular person, who is known to be average or less, moves up. I guess you have to aggressively ask to move up and make room for yourself.
Personally I know I am meant to be a teacher and that I would be a terrible administrator so I don't even try to move up. I am happy to be a teacher, I do my teacher job, and if someone thinks they can do it better, then they are welcome to take my position and I'll go somewhere else. I try not to meddle in administration affairs, I expect them not to meddle in my classroom. I love feedback, but it needs to be well thought out and appropriate to my circumstances.
What do you do when you see someone moving up while moving people out of the way, I don't know. I'm not sure that talking to the person would help. I would try to do what you do best and if you really can't help it, then politely say something either directly or indirectly. My experience has been that very few people who are not actively looking at moving up, move up. No one volunteers the next boss, they make themselves the new boss. Directors and principals have to actively seek out those jobs, they are not handed the job unwillingly.
Personally I know I am meant to be a teacher and that I would be a terrible administrator so I don't even try to move up. I am happy to be a teacher, I do my teacher job, and if someone thinks they can do it better, then they are welcome to take my position and I'll go somewhere else. I try not to meddle in administration affairs, I expect them not to meddle in my classroom. I love feedback, but it needs to be well thought out and appropriate to my circumstances.
What do you do when you see someone moving up while moving people out of the way, I don't know. I'm not sure that talking to the person would help. I would try to do what you do best and if you really can't help it, then politely say something either directly or indirectly. My experience has been that very few people who are not actively looking at moving up, move up. No one volunteers the next boss, they make themselves the new boss. Directors and principals have to actively seek out those jobs, they are not handed the job unwillingly.
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TexianTravel
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:35 pm
- Location: Egypt
I get the impression you are not at the same school as the director you want to protect. I also am assuming you are not personally aquainted, so that a private "watch your back" would be out of line. Without those two avenues of contact, I don't know how you can get the message to them.
I do know how to fight people like this. You document, document, document. People like this thrive on whispered conversations and they do NOT like their words coming back at them. Their whole campaign depends upon impressions and interpretations, not facts, so they HATE paper trails.
After a private conversation, send an e-mail saying "This is just to confirm my understanding of our conversation on..." Make this recommendation to everyone. You don't have to link it to the person, although I have in the past. It is pretty easy to have a conversation about a "school you used to teach at" or a "director you've heard about" from a "former colleague."
When you have someone like this, make sure you are never alone with them. Have witnesses, preferably someone you trust rather than their crony. However, if you can show a disparity between the crony's story and their story, you are still to the good, and people like this don't get their lies right every single time.
Last but not least, do your best to not screw up. We all make mistakes every day. What someone like this does is take ordinary human failures and blow them into catastrophes, if they can't get away with out and out lies. Documentation takes care of the lies. A good relationship with the boss and/or the rest of the staff should take care of the rest.
And if nothing else, console yourself with the thought that people like this rarely get away with this stuff forever. Just a lot longer than any of us want them to.
I do know how to fight people like this. You document, document, document. People like this thrive on whispered conversations and they do NOT like their words coming back at them. Their whole campaign depends upon impressions and interpretations, not facts, so they HATE paper trails.
After a private conversation, send an e-mail saying "This is just to confirm my understanding of our conversation on..." Make this recommendation to everyone. You don't have to link it to the person, although I have in the past. It is pretty easy to have a conversation about a "school you used to teach at" or a "director you've heard about" from a "former colleague."
When you have someone like this, make sure you are never alone with them. Have witnesses, preferably someone you trust rather than their crony. However, if you can show a disparity between the crony's story and their story, you are still to the good, and people like this don't get their lies right every single time.
Last but not least, do your best to not screw up. We all make mistakes every day. What someone like this does is take ordinary human failures and blow them into catastrophes, if they can't get away with out and out lies. Documentation takes care of the lies. A good relationship with the boss and/or the rest of the staff should take care of the rest.
And if nothing else, console yourself with the thought that people like this rarely get away with this stuff forever. Just a lot longer than any of us want them to.
Re: And now for something completely different
"There is a very ambitious gentleman recently appointed Primary Head of one of the better international schools. He has effectively undermined his current Director and did his best to undermine the previous one. What to do, what to do......"
Evidently, from this example, undermining your director is what 'gets you ahead'. Does this example give validity to the fact that there are a host of incompetent directors out there and pointing it out sometimes works!
Be careful with Ambitious. If you can talk the talk and walk the walk, most people will forgive any other indiscretions...remember Bill Clinton?
International schools need to change. They need to weed out the lackeys, posers, and weak willed leaders who do not foster the need to provide a much different sense of teaching and learning than is currently in operation. Maybe your ambitious friend will help us do this?
Oprah is not the answer.
Evidently, from this example, undermining your director is what 'gets you ahead'. Does this example give validity to the fact that there are a host of incompetent directors out there and pointing it out sometimes works!
Be careful with Ambitious. If you can talk the talk and walk the walk, most people will forgive any other indiscretions...remember Bill Clinton?
International schools need to change. They need to weed out the lackeys, posers, and weak willed leaders who do not foster the need to provide a much different sense of teaching and learning than is currently in operation. Maybe your ambitious friend will help us do this?
Oprah is not the answer.
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Traveller1
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:18 pm
Thanks to those of you that have voiced an opinion on this topic. I'm often interested to see the range of views posted here.
I thought I should clarify that I'm not at either school, I chose to do what Mike said and leave the first school, which has now imploded thanks to our friend. I'm not at the second thankfully.
Texican Travel you make some very valid points. One hopes that that he's not going to get away with it forever.
Sputnik I really hadn't looked at it this way, but the Directors he's undermined were definitely not incompetent, weak willed or posers. Far from it. The issue at the heart of this is values. If we were discussing the arms trade or international banking then maybe it wouldn't matter how he makes his way to the top, but this is education, so values are important.
I thought I should clarify that I'm not at either school, I chose to do what Mike said and leave the first school, which has now imploded thanks to our friend. I'm not at the second thankfully.
Texican Travel you make some very valid points. One hopes that that he's not going to get away with it forever.
Sputnik I really hadn't looked at it this way, but the Directors he's undermined were definitely not incompetent, weak willed or posers. Far from it. The issue at the heart of this is values. If we were discussing the arms trade or international banking then maybe it wouldn't matter how he makes his way to the top, but this is education, so values are important.