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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 Sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services, where together we are transforming
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 education, one leader at a time.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 Now, get ready to amplify your day with your Morning Boost.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:36 Good morning. Welcome back to your Morning Boost, the daily dose of high-impact
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 advice for school leaders.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 I'm honored again to have our guest back, Shannon Watson, founder and executive
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 director of Majority in the Middle, joining us again this morning,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 as she's going we do it all week.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 So Shannon, we're glad you could be here. And to all of our listeners,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 very happy Veterans Day to all of our incredible school leaders.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 This is a day just perfectly suited to discuss the value of mission alignment and teamwork.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 Let's build a little bit on yesterday's discussion of modeling civility as today
00:01:02 --> 00:01:08 we turn our attention to the essential leadership skill of de-escalating staff polarization.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 It's tough. It really is. It's a tough part of the job, and we've got to move
00:01:12 --> 00:01:17 past the emotional reactions that can just distract from our school's core purpose.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 But today, Shannon, I'm going to give you a question number two,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 and I'll give you a little hint. It's going to be on de-escalating some staff techniques.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:31 Where is your kid headed after high school? We are from carpool to college, to a.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 Are you ready? I am ready, yes. All right. Well, here it is.
00:01:54 --> 00:02:00 So, when political discourse enters the school building and creates division
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 amongst staff and teams,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:07 what is the best way to guide that conversation back to common ground and collaboration
00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 to ensure that our mission focus remains paramount?
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 Well, see, this is an interesting question because I don't know if this has
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 ever happened. Just kidding.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 This is happening. Unfortunately, yes, yes. Everywhere.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 And I think that's part of the challenge, that the political discourse that
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 used to just sort of live in our, you know,
00:02:31 --> 00:02:37 government and campaign spheres has been leaking out into our workplaces and
00:02:37 --> 00:02:44 our neighborhoods and our schools and our, you know, community organizations.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 And so I think when dealing with staff conflict,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:52 I think one of the most important things to do is to listen first and really
00:02:52 --> 00:02:58 try to identify what is really the basis of the conflict and what is the values
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 behind what somebody is espousing.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:06 Because, you know, my organization, we don't do a lot of guided conversations.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 There is an organization, which I'm sure you're probably familiar with.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 It's called Braver Angels.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:15 It's a national organization. And one of the founders is here in Minnesota,
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 and he is a marriage and family therapist professor by training.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 And so he has applied all of that and is teaching people all around the country
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 how to talk to each other.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:33 I've been a member of this organization for a while, and I'm a huge fan of what they do.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 Because listen first is the first rule, and is to ask people,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:43 you know, tell me more about this. Tell me how this issue affects you So like
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 let's say we're talking about immigration.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:51 Just just for example, you have a position on immigration.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:56 Why do you have a position? You know, how does this affect you? I'll be honest.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:03 You know the kids who learn how to ask why, and then why, why, why, why, why.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:09 Okay, I never grew out of that. I'm still the kid that asks why and wants to know why everything.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 Living in Minnesota, I have learned, because I'm not a native Minnesotan.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 I'm a native Kansan, so skipped over north.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:23 And why can kind of be an aggressive question. Why do you think that?
00:04:23 --> 00:04:30 So if you rephrase it, and I've had to, you know, learn to rephrase it, tell me more about that.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:35 Tell me, you know, how does this affect your life or how did you come to these positions?
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 That's a good way to sort of get out of
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 the sort of talking points lingo in the first 10 words and
00:04:42 --> 00:04:46 get into what people are really concerned about
00:04:46 --> 00:04:51 because when you can boil things down to values then you can find common ground
00:04:51 --> 00:04:57 and you can navigate the sort of talking points and the slogans and all of those
00:04:57 --> 00:05:05 things in a much more sort of neutral way but then it also like you You know,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 it brings a common ground to the forefront.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 And one of the things that we talk about a lot is that, you know,
00:05:13 --> 00:05:17 because people in my business, what in the world does success look like to you?
00:05:17 --> 00:05:23 And success to me looks like when people who are in conflict,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:28 and that's either, you know, elected officials or members of the same community
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 organization or coworkers.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 When they are in conflict, they are often looking to each other,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:38 you know, we have to win, have to win this argument.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:44 And we are much more interested when people are not necessarily trying to defeat
00:05:44 --> 00:05:50 each other, but they're sort of turning their focus, standing shoulder to shoulder,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 and defeating a problem. Sure.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 So I think that's that's one of the things. Identify the values.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 Find a place where you can attack a problem instead of a person.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:11 You know, as I'm listening to you here, it makes me think, and this is common
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 in a lot of schools, we do a lot of teaching around like the seven habits.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 And Stephen Covey has always said, seek first to understand.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:23 Yes. Right. And I think that's something that that's hard to do because school
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 leaders, we want to fix everything right away.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:31 Well, you can't always just fix it until you truly know what it is that you're
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 that you're working through.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 And so like you're talking about there, listen first, really seek to understand
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39 what it is and then find that common ground. Yeah.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:43 And sometimes that's like, you know, if your spouse has a problem,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:49 you know, maybe your staff person wants to vent or maybe they have something that needs to be solved.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:55 So if you listen first, instead of just listening to understand,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 instead of just listening to respond, that can set you on a good path.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:04 I love it two down this is going pretty well shannon awesome we've got a couple
00:07:04 --> 00:07:09 more to go but this is a great start great start well again thanks for joining
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 us thank you for joining us boosters we're back again on wednesday for more
00:07:13 --> 00:07:18 from shannon watson so till that time thank you for listening we will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 Helps you amplify knowledge, widen reach, and broaden impact.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:37 Your Morning Boost is an AWB education production brought to you with the generous
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 support of Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:44 Join us again tomorrow for more. Until then, keep boosting your impact.