“We’re making brownies tonight,” said the house parent in a residential program. I was making rounds in the cottages where students lived and learned daily living skills while attending school. Interesting, I thought. That’s what they were doing the last time I’d stopped by on a weekday evening. The activity was well-planned, with picture cards for the students with low vision to follow and braille for those who were blind. But when I asked why they had chosen this particular recipe this particular night, the answer was essentially, “we’re making brownies.”
This is a snapshot that brought me back to my early days as an Orientation and Mobility instructor and as a supervisor for O&M interns. The lesson I tried to drive home is simple: every time you teach something, you should know why you are teaching it. Think critically about how the lesson fits in with the student’s overall program, and decide which lesson fits best with the chosen goal. Repetition isn’t out of the question—in fact, it’s a key part of teaching. Students need repeated opportunities to master certain skills. There is purpose in repetition if it is done intentionally. But if you’re repeating a lesson simply because it’s Wednesday night, I urge you to think critically about what you are doing—and why you are doing it.
Now let’s think about this concept in leadership terms. Intentionality is critical for a leader. In fact, if you are random in your initiatives and do not clearly communicate their purpose, you may never gain the attention and trust of your followers. Here’s an example.
My beginnings as interim principal for a school for the blind were rocky. I came home from my first staff meeting, in fact, in tears. I’d done everything by the book: handed out an agenda in print and braille, varied the activities within the meeting itself, asked for input from attendees, etc. What should have been a fruitful meeting was instead filled with chaos. People talked amongst themselves, positioned themselves as far away from me as possible, and answered my queries either not at all or with rude, badgering replies. I was pretty sure my leadership days had started and ended at that meeting, and I was ready to give up.
Fortunately, I slept on the notion of quitting, and I decided to become more deliberate in my communication. At the next meeting, I did several things differently. First, I set up the room in a way where there were few opportunities for back-of-the-room behavior. Second, I clearly stated the purpose of the meeting and my expectations for the staff. I gently called them out on their past behavior-acknowledging it and then outlining what I hoped for instead. Then whenever we veered from our intended direction, I brought people back in.
Once people settled into the new routine, one that was driven by intention and purpose that I had clearly communicated to them, transformation occurred. Truly, the staff who had brought me to tears eventually became one of the most motivated and enthusiastic groups I have ever worked with.
In all the leadership positions I have held since, I have done very few things without reason. Whatever I initiate, I develop a plan around it—and communicate it as needed. And when I get stuck in a routine, I nudge myself to make an intentional change in order to achieve better results.