Why you shouldn’t work with me

If I had a business coach – which I don’t, but if I did – they would probably smack me around the chops for writing a post like this. But hey… what the heck, here goes!

You, or your school shouldn’t work with me if:

1. You’re just ticking a box.

I was approached by a principal a couple of months back who asked, “What do you talk about?” Which I found strange given I assume that people who approach me do – at least – have some idea of what I’m about. When I said I specialise in areas of engagement and wellbeing, his response was, “Oh that’s a shame, we covered wellbeing in Term 1.”

2. You want your teachers to be able to implement strategies “first thing Monday morning”.

This – in my opinion – is the biggest problem with professional learning in education. I discuss this in depth in this post. But in short the First Thing Monday Mindset – as I call it – implies:

• The teachers in your school are empty vessels waiting to be filled – have you heard that somewhere before?
• That an individual who has never worked with your kids, colleagues, parents or wider community can in some way offer an insight of immediate value that no-one on your staff has thought of before.
• Your teachers are so unprofessional in their practice that the two points above hold true.

3. You want all the answers

I’ll be honest, in my sessions I ask more questions than I give answers.

In my sessions we’re discussing engagement, wellbeing & leadership. Three things that look quite different in your organisation compared to the organisation of the next person who reads this blog. I’ve never worked with you, your colleagues, your kids, your kids’ parents or your wider learning community. I’m not the expert- YOU AND YOUR STAFF ARE.

This is the kind of reaction to my sessions that make me love what I do! I love the fact that it took a few days for this teacher to make the connections with what she already knew and what was possible. And I must add this quote to my testimonials:

It might not have had any new ingredients compared to anyone else but by golly, Dan put the ingredients together in way that came up with a fair trade artisan made chocolate truffle instead of the canteen’s stale rock cakes.

When I’m working with professionals, my goal is to stimulate discussion and thinking so as to empower those present to design strategies that will enhance the experiences of everyone in their school or organisation. I seek to recognise and build on the capacity of those in the room, and in turn, their colleagues when they return to their schools, staffrooms and classrooms.

If that doesn’t resonate with you, we’ll add that to the list of reasons you should work with me too! 😛

Speaking of which, 2015 is just around the corner, and I have a handful of spots left on my Executive Partnership Program, as well as limited dates for standalone staff, parent and student workshops.

I’m looking forward to working with likeminded educators in 2015! 🙂