That is a very good question. If you live in a small town/county or an otherwise rural area, you'll no doubt know many of your faculty when you become principal, some even as friends outside of work.
I think the key here (as in many other facets of the job) is to be fair and consistent. Don't make exceptions when that will make some feel like there are favorites. That's not to say you can't account for each individual, but if you make an exception for one, you have to make it for everyone (so in many cases, it's best just to not). Once they see that you expect the same from all and treat all appropriately as a supervisor/leader should, then they will respect your decisions as fair and in the best interests of the school, even if that compromises a friendship. Real friends will see that you are holding them to the same standards anyway.
Though, of course, there will always be those you cannot please. You just have to learn to deal with them and move on, I suppose.
Joni--Glad I found the site! Nice job with it. Excellent question. I appreciate Richard's response and agree with it. You want to have good relationships with your faculty, to be genuinely interested in their lives, and to allow them to feel comfortable in talking with you. But, you have to avoid a couple things: favoritism and too much informality. You will probably be closer to some than others, but you have to maintain a certain degree of objectivity in any decisions or actions that could be construed as showing favoritism if not handled properly. Consistency and fairness are essential. In addition, you don't want to be so informal that some faculty may believe that there are no standards, rules, expectations, etc. In other words, you still have to be the primary leader. All who work with you need to understand that the foremost concern for all is getting the job done in the best interests of students--and you will expect all to cooperate to that end. So, some degree of professional difference is needed.
That is a very good question. If you live in a small town/county or an otherwise rural area, you'll no doubt know many of your faculty when you become principal, some even as friends outside of work.
ReplyDeleteI think the key here (as in many other facets of the job) is to be fair and consistent. Don't make exceptions when that will make some feel like there are favorites. That's not to say you can't account for each individual, but if you make an exception for one, you have to make it for everyone (so in many cases, it's best just to not). Once they see that you expect the same from all and treat all appropriately as a supervisor/leader should, then they will respect your decisions as fair and in the best interests of the school, even if that compromises a friendship. Real friends will see that you are holding them to the same standards anyway.
Though, of course, there will always be those you cannot please. You just have to learn to deal with them and move on, I suppose.
Joni--Glad I found the site! Nice job with it. Excellent question. I appreciate Richard's response and agree with it. You want to have good relationships with your faculty, to be genuinely interested in their lives, and to allow them to feel comfortable in talking with you. But, you have to avoid a couple things: favoritism and too much informality. You will probably be closer to some than others, but you have to maintain a certain degree of objectivity in any decisions or actions that could be construed as showing favoritism if not handled properly. Consistency and fairness are essential. In addition, you don't want to be so informal that some faculty may believe that there are no standards, rules, expectations, etc. In other words, you still have to be the primary leader. All who work with you need to understand that the foremost concern for all is getting the job done in the best interests of students--and you will expect all to cooperate to that end. So, some degree of professional difference is needed.
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