OBEISANCE
SRI V.T.M.THIRUNAVUKKARASU CHETTIAR
(Former Headmaster, Board High School, Cheyyar)
- At whose feet, the author sat and started his career on 28th August 1951.
- Taught him the basics of teaching and being a teaching.
VOLUME IV – CHAPTER I
The Good – The Successful – The Great
COMPETE TO BE DIFFERENT
The skipper of a Cargo ship is a good captain if he takes the ship safely to the port of destination and delivers the containers.
The skipper of a passenger ship is a successful captain if he takes care of the passengers’ needs, comforts and amenities and help them to safely disembark at the ports to which they have booked
The skipper of a cruise liner is a great captain if he looks after the smallest whims of the passengers – all of which will be wealthy ones – pamper to their tastes, make them feel big, boost the ego, provide a variety of culinary options and an entertainment kaleidoscope and all the while taking care that a ‘TITANIC’ does not happen.
Similarly we have good, successful and great Principals also. Who is a good Principal? How to become a successful Principal? What goes to make a great Principal. Let us see.
Good Principal, he is good because he does not tread on any body’s shoes. He is the first to come in the morning and last to leave in the evening. If any staff comes early for work, he will say that teacher has an anxiety complex. If a teacher is late, he will say that he is hardly on time. H will say he is compulsive. His principle is – let sleeping does lie.
A good Principal may be like a hedgehog – a person highly convinced of the righteousness of their causes.
A good Principal is sometime like a fox that admits doubt and uncertainly because he himself is a doubting Thomas and is always uncertain.
A successful Principal knows that success does not need a velvety glass topped Mahogany table,or a pushback swivel chair, but success is what we make of it . He knows that he will fail not because he has done a wrong thing but because he has done the right thing poorly and because he failed to see and understand the change coming up.
He will never make a suggestion that he does not have the confidence to implement or help his staff to implement to use the words of J F Kennedy.
He will not say “I want to be an ‘inspiring leader’ because that ‘I’ is self centred self-serving which means in a way “ let my staff do what I say – he will get them there.
He knows that success always starts with the future and depends on adapting himself to the varying situational demands
- He tries new ideas fully knowing that some will click and some may fail. He is a master of variation
- He wishes to survive, so he takes failure as a learning experience. He says “ just one step enough for me”.
- He is not carried away by the pomposity of a project. (The author knew of a Principal who was nick named as “Mr. Grand” as he has always fond of grand- iose celebrations). He aims at simplicity and objectivity. He will be able to identify those with a vested interest.
- He has imbibed Thomas Huxley’s words,
‘There is the greatest practical benefit in making a few failures early in life’.
- His success depends on delegation because he has read Sir Winston Churchill’s Parliament speech on 2nd July, 1942 when he said,
“I am your servant and you have the right to dismiss me when you please. What you have no right to ask me is ask me to bear responsibilities without the power of effective action.”
Sir Winston Churchil
So he gives responsibility with authority to take appropriate decisions.
He knows that though all fingers are of varying lengths, together they can achieve much.
- He knows that he must be visible, but he should not be loud.
- He admires his customers (staff, students and parents).
He is willing to learn from them.
- He is very clear in his mind that people who are prone to commit mistakes do not reform themselves and people who have had a real change of heart never err thereafter.
- He understands that his rights are as secure as the methods by which he tries to protect and defend them
- He is very well aware of the fact that the decline of his institution will start the day, he thinks he is bigger than the institution and that his decline also will start that day itself.
Because, whom god wants to destroy, He first makes him proud.
- He realises that his ears are the doors for letting the staff into his heart.
- He knows that years of service are entirely different from years of experience.
- The successful Principal may not be the same as a good Principal.
- A successful Principal may not be the same as a good Principal.
- A successful Principal is focussed on competing to be the best rather than competing to be unique. In one city which had many schools one Principal was keen on doing grandiose and crazy things which he thought will make him ‘unique’. The author tied in vain to wean him away from this mindset.
- At one place where there were two CBSE schools – both well known – when the author asked the two Principals who were showcasing their school in different ways. One of them said, “I speak on behalf of both. We are like the Pizza Hut and Domino – Pizza hot focuses on the comfortable restaurant experience and Domino focuses on fast delivery that enriches the home eating experience or says like the PVR multiplex who concentrate on fine impeccable theatre to give a great consumer experience. While Cineplex focuses on more screens to give the consumer a greater choice when he enters the Cineplex.
My school provides a Kaleidoscopic variety of intellectual, physical, social, cultural, aesthetic and spiritual activities to help build a harmonious personality.
His school focuses on high level intellectual pursuits like preparing for various Olympiads, Science Talent scholarships IIT, JEE, NIECE, NDS, IMA, AFMS, AIMS FLE (foreign language education).
We compete to be different!
- A successful Principal raises the power of his knowledge to that of his staff.
- He observes and accepts a crisis instead of railing against and also does not try to keep it under the carpet.
- He sees to it that he does not get enmeshed in that situation and become impotent and out of joint.
- He doesn’t think about the problem or the situation or indulge in a sort of “I could have done this”. He becomes a witness – an observer.
- He stops analysing, starts trying to understand the situation in its entirety.
- He fully realizes his ability to change, not to change and the difference between the two.
- He sees it without fear or favour.
- He sees the agenda and at times allows others to implement it.
- He is quite good at time management.
- He tells his staff not to send their problems upstairs. But come with aleast three possible solutions for them.
- He does not forget or forsake human connect for the ease and speed of technology.
- Now shall we think about a great Principal.
- At the outset he realises that the people on the other side are far more intelligent than himself.
- He competes with others not to demolish them, but to meet different customer needs.
- He is very clear about which area he should be in and where he will feel uncomfortable.
- He knows that he is (more than others) under a microscope and so he demands a higher standard from himself and for his team.
- Since as a Principal he has to look into several functional areas, he makes sure he is good in at least four of them.
First – His own area – Science or Humanity
Second – Finance
Third – Basic understanding of all the subjects
Fourth – Keen interest in activities with expertise in one game and one area of arts or other Scout, Guide or NCC.
- He has star teams and not a team of stars
- He takes in all other views and also expect 100% commitment from all once the decision is taken.
- He treats all equally regarding work but treats them differently in areas involving emotions so that he can get the best out of them.
- He trusts but verifies through informal questioning, listening during various touch points.
- He shoots for respect, not popularity.
- He always thinks of what legacy he can leave and not how much he can get during his tenure.
- He believes that his success depends on his communication, contacts and connects.
- He wants each one to learn to maintain himself.
- He believes in micro-sensing which will give him a real hold, but not on micro managing i.e., disempowering his staff.
- He wants each one to learn to maintain himself.
- He talks to others in the field often, as they know the dark spots in his institution.
- He possesses the 5 traits of a Head as enunciated by Adam Bryant in his “The Corner Office”
- Passionate curiosity
- Fearlessness
- Tough Confidence
- Simple Mindset
- Team Spirit
- He also has the 3 qualities that differentiate the Heads as listed by Justin Monks in his “Better under Pressure”.
- Realistic optimist
- Professional Purpose
- Finding order in chaos
- Now let us turn to a great Principal two decades back. When a Principal told the author about his problem with a staff and sought his help, he didn’t tell him what to do, but just narrated to him a similar case in another school and how it was tackled by that Principal. Then the aggrieve Principal said, “Thank You Sir, I catch the point”.
The great Principal does not try to project something that he is not, because he knows that even if it is not harmful in the near future it will surely boomerang to haunt him in the long run.
He may not be an expert in everything, hut he knows how to collate and integrate all the information he gets.
He has the five minds identified by Prof Howard Gardner of Harvard school of education viz., The disciplined, synthesising, creative, respectful and ethical minds.
He is not really about the future. But is sensitive and flexible about adjusting to the present. To him the most important thing is not the destination but the processes through which he aligns his institution. From the Chairman to the Sub staff – everyone must have the same signature tune.
He will make each staff understand that the greatest compliment that anyone can pay him is to ask him to implement the suggestion that emanated from him.
His actions may change day after day; but what he stands for will be only enforced by whatever it does. His strategy will not be about the idea but what position he takes on an idea.
The great Principal is inspired by a great cause. It grips him, engulfs him, takes over his life. Then he becomes an inspiring leader by default.
The great Principal is like “A civil engineer constructing a pond- swamp, marsh come in the way. He maintains his focus, gets around the problem, figures out the solution, gets over the impediment and builds a super highway. Then he can live a life full or joy”. This is the sentiment expressed by the engineer who built the Panama Canal. He started from two ends, The Pacific and The Atlantic. And the day when he got both linked, he made the above statement.
Panama Canal
He is extremely careful about what he says. He never hijacks a staff’s idea.
The author placed before his staff four dimensions of work and worship.
a) Bhima always working
No time to sit and worship
So he just throws a stone
Thinking of God.
Arjun does an elaborate worship. Once when he was travelling with Krishna, he found one man taking on his head a basket of flowers and behind that cart loads of flowers. On enquiry he learnt that the single basket was his and the cart loads were of Bhima. Surprised he asked Krishna, “I have never seen Bhima worshipping” Krishna said, “ before starting any work he offered it to me and threw a stone as his offering. Those flowers are the numerous stones thrown by him.
You were more concerned about the quantity of flowers you offered.
b) Saint Appar ( Thirunavukkarasar) always carried a sickle and with that he cleaned the pathways in temples of all thorns and bushes. To him that work was worship.
c) Saint Thiruneelakantar was a potter, he made pots and gifted them to Lord Siva’s devotees. He worked for the sake of worshipping.
d) Hanuman – His mind was always immersed in Rama. Whatever work he may do he thought it was Rama’s work he was doing. His whole frame was filled with Rama consciousness.
The author asked the staff:-
“Each one of you combine your work with worship in anyone of these four ways. Of these the last is the best.
Alexander wanted to conquer some more countries on his way back from India.
But General Parmenio told him “It is high time we go back. Enough of wars. My soldiers are tired”.
Alexander replied:-
“If i were Parmenio, I will talk only like this but I am Alexander”
He sought the counsel of his teacher Aristotle, removed all Generals, promoted youngsters, gave rest to the army and then conquered a few more nations.
THE GREAT PRINCIPAL IS ALEXANDER THE GREAT
- He is an achiever- so he makes his staff think like achievers. He makes them understand that even though they may not always have the right answers, but through collective interaction and discussion within and between cohorts they can gain real learning.\
- The Great Principal follows Hannahmore’s advice that “obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal”.
- The great Principal believes that his staff are catalysts, opening the minds and expanding their decision making skills, spark conversations, engage students in critical reasoning and interpretative thinking, know when to leave them unfinished, compelling them to find answers by themselves. He tells them that while it is important to have a good conceptual knowledge of the subject. It is not “What they teach” but “How they teach” is important.
- He motivates them that what they do everyday should have a positive effect and posterity. The author had been lucky to hear this refrain countless times from Shri. S. Natarajan, former Headmaster, St. Gabriels High School, Broadway, Madras, President of the South India Teachers Union, Secretary of the All India Council of Secondary Education and The Vice – President of the World Confederation of Teaching profession Geneva.
- The great Principal focuses his attention on the “Customer Corridor”-How he interacts at every stage. Parent interacting with the sub staff, Head Clerk, the Class, Subject Teacher – Vice Principal, Headmistress, P.E.T., Librarian, Craft & Art Teacher and Music Teacher, Scout Master/ Guide Captain, NCC Officer. He is very particular about maintaining service satisfaction – shorter waiting time. Enter the school with concern but leave with a smile.
- He leads from the front like Nelson who died in his ship fighting the enemy along with his sailors. The great tamil poet Sekkizhar said,
- He has an impeccable personal integrity and commits the institution to a strict code of conduct. He sheds unacceptable behaviour from anyone, he demands. Complete adherence to Principles and policies from all. He does not allow exceptions to the rules favouring some and frowning on some. In his circle everyone is equi-distant. He is unmoved by the quantum of carrot dangled before him when it leads him to commit an aberration of character.
He makes the school life a celebration as he himself becomes a joyous person.
He checks every action of his by a question
Will this action give joy and happiness to many people?
Will this action inflict injury to anyone?
Now shall we look into these 3 types from a different angle.
Lord Winston Churchill remarked about Lord Charles Beresford sarcastically as under:
“ He can best be described as one of
Those orators, who before they get up
Do not know what they are going to say;
When they are speaking do not know
What they are saying and when they
Have sat down do not know what they
Have said”.
A great Principal knows what he is going to say, knows what he is saying and knows what he has said.
It isn’t easy,
- To SMILE
- To APOLOGIZE
- To ADMIT MISTAKES
- To ENJOY YOUR WORK
- To LAUGH AT YOURSELF
- To THINK AND THEN ACT
- To FORGIVE AND FORGET
- To CONTROL BAD TEMPER
- To MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY
- To LEARN FROM MISTAKES
- To RESPOND AND NOT REACT
- To BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL
- To REFRAIN FROM CRITICISM
- To SHOULDER DESERVED BLAME
- To KEEP COOL WHEN PROVOKED
- To LISTEN WITHOUT INTERPRUTING
- To RESPECT OTHERS’ POINT OF VIEW
- To DO A LITTLE MORE THAN EXPECTED
- To BE WELL MANNERED
- But the good Principal does all these, because he knows they are worth it.
He avoids 5 A’s
- ANGER
- ARGUMENT
- ANNOYANCE
- ARROGANCE
- ANXIETY
He promotes 3 H’s
- HONESTY
- HEALTH
- HELPFULNESS
- He sees with his heart what is important which is normally invisible to the eye.
He has 4 decisive strategies
- Matching person with his work
- Rewarding good work
- Informing and involving people
- Supporting staff’s life needs
- To him Motivation is the result of equilibrium between “Satisfaction” and “Expectation”.
He follows Narayana Murthy’s four principles.
- Give respect to each one irrespective of status
- Give importance to each
- Learn to cope with failure
- Love and win
He will avoid,
Going to the past
- Yesterday’s tiff with a staff
- How I missed the Director yesterday
- How nice was the farewell party
Focussing on the future
- How to meet my daughter’s marriage?
- Will I succeed in the interview?
- How to get things ready for the Principal’s Conference?
Mind looking at the present
- Looking at the jewellery of a parent
- Gazing at hoardings
- Today’s meeting with the auditor – will it be smooth sailing?
He will not be influenced by internal constraints – placing an order with a stationery shop owned by a staff’s wife – and external pressure – from the Chairman to promote a Committee Member’s son.
He is not like a Cork floating in the stream – at the top, but it’s direction is decided by the current.The cork flows with the current- Goaded, Guided, Directed and Manipulated by the staff.
But he is like a fish which navigates itself towards the direction it wants to go, swims up stream.
Cork has position, but no power
Fish has no such position. But has power and space to move towards the goal.
Is clear about his goal. Has the courage to face problems.
During a visit to a KV, the author was taken by the Principal to the Wagah Border to see the flag lowering ceremony. The author met a Headmaster of a State Board School who brings a class once a month to see this ceremony.
He makes them sing “Sare Jahan Se Acha”. When the author asked him why he had this as a routine exercise he replied:-
“Who is going to improve our country? Not I or You. Our days are gone. I have no influence with the Prime Minister. But I have influence with these children. So I bring them. Let them look at the Flag and Sing Sare Jahan Se Acha. They will be proud and make this country great”.
O! What a Principal! Let us salute her!
When the author visited a K.V. in Bangalore, he was told that the Principal had gone to the Hospital and would come shortly. First day of Inspection! The Vice Principal said “All arrangements made. You can start the inspection after the Assembly”. At the end of the 3rd period, The Vice Principal took him to the Principal’s room for tea. The Principal apologised for his absence in the morning and said, “I went to the hospital to get a staff discharged, seeing a critically ill staff turn the corner and recover.It makes my day”.
An Icon Principal!
A successful Principal avoids at MUDA ( ‘waste’ in Japanese).
He will ask these questions before embarking on anything.
- Will it contribute to the progress of the children?
- Will it enrich the competency of the staff?
- Will it add value to our educational practices?
- Will it enhance the prestige of the school?
- Will the parents be willing to pay the cost?
He looks into ‘5W and 1H’ methods to avoid waste
- What – Purpose
- Where – Place
- Who – Person
- Why – Necessity
- When – Sequence
- How – Method
He makes staff and students to work out waste practices in:
Work, Waiting, Procedures, Paperwork, StockStoring, Communication, Administration, Tidiness, Water, Electricity, Garden waste .
He has 3 key words
- Options – Not plans
- Excellence – Not perfect
- Involvement – Not obedience
If you want to know how your words have implications for your leadership. Please read
“ The New Language of Organising it’s implications for Leadership”
by Charles Handy.
He motivates each by following 5 steps
P – Providing an enabling environment
R – Recognise each one’s contribution
I – Involvement of all in school work
D – Develop existing and new skills in each staff
E – Empowerment
He has the ability to choose his response.
Response – Ability
He learns from his past mistakes but does not lean on his past successes. He converts a staff into a friend.
He makes use of the Johari Window:
He uses A + B and avoids C + D.
A – Transparency
B – Habits
C – Use of position – Authoritarian
D – Traumatic childhood experience
He practices 8 steps to happiness
- Lives in the present
- Takes control of time
- Accentuates the positive
- Fosters relationships
- Acts happy
- Be fit
- Have faith in religion
- Knows to use leisure
He follows 10 Golden Principles
- Respects all
- Self confidence
- Handles difficult things first
- Disciplines his work
- Welcomes criticism
- Be happy about other’s victory
- Not be dissatisfied and take a wrong step
- Be enthusiastic
- Believes that money alone will not give happiness
- Be righteous
The author borrowed the concept of “Relationship Marketing” from industry and banking and made it an integral part of his philosophy and practice of educational management. This R.M. is the hall mark of a great Principal.
The author learnt this when he visited the ‘IKEA’ furniture factory in Sweden. They track you over your entire life span as a customer for your marriage along with greetings. They send you information about all the furniture you need to set up a new house. When your first born arrives, they tell you about the baby furniture you need to make your child comfortable. When your son/daughter enters into his/her teens, they keep you posted with the type of furniture adolescents prefer. Ok, your wedding silver jubilee is coming. Furniture details for a small house and relaxed life style with rocking and garden chair are ready at your doorstep!
The next lesson on RM the author learnt in the State Bank of India, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai where RM is ingrained in the attitudes of the staff. Who know the customer by name. The screen before them will flash all information about him to help start the conversation – enquires about wife’s health with a smile and a concerned tone- no synthetic smile. The customer gifts a Cadbury dairy milk chocolate bar on the staff’s birthday.
The Manager warmly welcomes you and takes you to the staff concerned, ask the staff to get in touch with him after the problem is solved and then sees the customer off warmly.
The third experience of the author was at the Chicago Motimahal Hotel. A Sunday, it was packed with Indians . Unlimited food for $6. The Punjabi owner goes to each table and enquires. Finally the door keeper says, “ Hope you had a good time Sir, have a nice day”. The owner’s attitude percolated to the staff at all levels.
‘HDFC’ Chairman Deepak Parekh always insisted on courtesy to all and respect for another’s time.
Prakash Tandon, chairman of “Hindustan Lever” wanted his offices to have two receptionists – one to attend if another is busy. The customer should not wait. In 1984, the author found the Principal KV JNU – Delhi keeping two students boy and girl as receptionists throughout the day by turns from each class which had a non-teaching subject. The author learnt a big lesson from his visit to the Hero Honda factory. The hall mark of its Chairman Mr. Munjal’s managerial acumen was careful planning, relentless implementation and meticulous monitoring. He had developed a unique work ethic. Even after the final evening bell, those who have not met the day’s target stay back to finish their work!
Mr. Munjal, Hero Honda
In KV HVF Avadi, the author always had a silent company after school hours in Sri P. Reddappa, PGT English, who used to sit in the staff room and correct his students’ home work note books! He was the Vice-President of K.V. Teachers’Association who showed that one should be prompt in his work and then talk about rights!
During his visit to the RITZ Carlton Hotel in UK for attending a Conference, the author found that all the information about a customer was entered in the computer once. He visits RCH for the first time. Next time he goes to any RCH in the world, the receptionist knows all his preferences and arranges for them. Nothing need be asked. They anticipate and respond to your every need.
The author told this in a staff meeting at KV HVF, Avadi. His head clerk Sri. K. Seshadri put it in practice in his office. The parents were surprised to know what he knew about them! The Principal’s influence.
The great Principal never uses hard arguments, but only soft words. He never raises his voice to show his displeasure – one look – one word is enough!
As Shiv Khera says “you can win in a soft way”. (“You can win”-Shiv Khera – Macmillan).
He doesn’t do great things. He only does small things- because more people agree on something doesn’t make it right. He believes that relationship should never be taken for granted, but needs to be nurtured constantly.
A great Principal,
- Stays in elevated self-respect
- Gives respect to all
- Keep everyone contented as much as possible
- Mirror- clean character inspires enormous trust
- There is nobody overtly commanding anyone. Work here just flows.
- Acknowledges contribution of colleagues, gives full respect to their views and opinions.That keeps him easy.
- Believes 100% in the inside-out approach, invests in people and relationship.
- Manages a perfect balance between processes and outcomes
- Creates a nourishing environment.
Each one of his staff says:-
“I can fly like an eagle because you are the wind beneath my wings”.
~~~~~
ONE WHO KNOWS
Relating to the life and work of a Principal. Based on the personal experiences of numerous Principals and the extensive reading of the author, many ideas of eminent thinkers, writers, authors and great personalities belonging to diverse fields have been gleaned and adapted to the field of education management. From these a kaleidoscopic, panoramic, 360˚ broad spectrum, holistic view of the philosophy and practice of education management will be placed before you in relation to several fields of a Principal’s life and work.
The Principalship of a school is a bed of roses with thorns. He/she has the power to create violence, or has also the power to create peace and joy and spread happiness all around. The revolving chair in the glass chamber can revolve in two directions – the positive way of developing all associates and in the process raise oneself or the negative way of alternating everyone and oneself becoming an isolate. All said and done at the end of the day, the picture that emerges defines who you are, where you stand and what you stand for.
From Volume IV, at the end of every chapter 40 qualities / traits expected of a Principal will be presented, followed by a list of eminent thinkers whose thoughts have enriched us.
The areas touched in these pages are as under,
- Infrastructure – Development and maintenance
- Talent recruitment, training, professional development and retention and welfare
- Students – Academic progress, personality development, welfare
- Admission and promotion and reports
- Evaluation
- Physical Sciences
- Natural Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Mathematical skills
- Music Education
- Art Education
- Physical Education
- Financial Management
- Office Management
- Records and Registers
- Character Development (Scouting, Guiding and N.C.C)
- Relationship with staff, students, parents, community, management, vendors and print and electronic media, service organisations, spiritual, religious, linguistic and minority groups
- Crisis Management
- Risk Management
- Conflict Management
- Ecology
- Development of Laboratories and Library
- Soft- skill Development
- Inspection
- Audit
- Celebrations
- Organisation of camps, meets and courses
- Value Education
- Institution and Industry collaboration
- Utilisation of Parents talents
- Development of Lateral Thinking
- Action Research
- Leadership
- Decision -making
- Communication
- HR, HRD and HR Management
- Assessment
- Recognition, Rewards and Retribution
- Health and Hygiene
- Perspective Planning
We will be happy and feel rewarded if the educationists perusing these pages assimilate these ideas and get them embedded in their life and work ethics. We wish to express our gratitude to all the thinkers who have enlightened, enriched and elevated us.
~~~~~
ONE WHO KNOWS VOLUME IV
CHAPTER 1
- One who has arrived on the scene, one who has registered his presence
- One who has established emotional contact with his staff
- One who has enhanced the honour of the educational world
- One who is an excellent team leader
- One who is a capable crisis manager like the Santa claus at the north pole
- One who can spot the talented staff with strong leadership skills
- One who can transform his staff from being good to truly great
- One who has made the school quite eco friendly – A green school
- One who has the “Magic Nano” to enhance employee engagement
- One who has an “ Incompetent employee repellent”
- One who is an “Idea Generator”
- One who can constantly reinvent himself and churn out new ideas
- One who has a “Brain scanner” to identify and retain the best talent
- One who could motivate a group of professionals who are highly qualified and also culturally diverse
- One who can confront and not avoid uncomfortable truths about himself and the institution
- One who is both a generalist and a specialist, one who can multitask and one who has cross functional skills
- One who is closed to the staff students and parents and develop a good relationship with them.
- One who can combine both an urge for modernisation and financial propriety
- One who has a pragmatic response based on a holistic view demanding a high adaptability, energy and enthusiasm to learn new things, explore new roles and responsibilities.
- One who is a performer at all times
- One who has the drive to succeed and excel even in the worst situation
- One who has a combination of intrinsic ability and curiosity
- One who a telescope to pre-empt educational trends, Microscope to foresee problems, Stethoscope to feel the pulse and maintain school health
- One who will help each one working with him find and define a purpose for their existence
- One who enthuses, encourages and enables everyone to use his fullest potential
- One who uses 75% of his time to further the strengths of his staff and 25% to iron out their deficiencies
- One who combines competence character and contribution
- One who combines humility and simplicity
- One who questions and listens patiently
- One who works seamlessly in all walks of life
- One who identifies with the purpose of the institution
- One who has strategic clarity, good execution skills and communication skills
- One who can create a culture of innovation
- One who finds all relationships important
- One who takes risks and faces crises with confidence
- One who uses different lenses to understand how people in different areas operate
- One who makes the school a place where the students and staff want to be and not asked to be
- One who radiates a certain sprit of positivity and make every staff feel like a celebrity
- One who has no need to create an image
- One whose way of addressing the staff and students conveys his intentions and feelings in calling them
- One who is endothermic (Absorbs heat) One whose power is his strength and not one whose strength is his power
- One who has a centre that keeps him steady and peaceful
- One who knows that the most essential things in life don’t come easy and that the essentials can’t be done away with
- One who feeds the ego of the seniors and keep them for every thing off field and fires the ego of the juniors and keep them for everything in the field.
- One who goes to the hospital, greets the staff by his name, enquires with the doctor about his welfare
- One who hearing the death of a staff, worked out a plan for the staff to carry the coffin by turns and asked each to put a cup of earth on the coffin
- One whose touchstone is his ability to influence the school’s fortunes
- One whose modesty is not softness and whose understanding has resilience
- One who turns the lives of students and staff around, by the power of his touch, his smile, his kind word, his listening ear, his honest compliment or the smallest act of caring
- One who stays serious and calm
- One who stays deep and compact with his staff when faced with external pressures
- One who is a careful curator of learning opportunities
- One who encourages individual behaviour to be relationship based ,reciprocal and relevant to collective network of performance
- One who sets up E.A.P (Employee assistance programmes) that include sleep management, smoking cessation, weight loss, anger management, work life balance, career transition, inter personal conflicts, addictions, marital and pre marital issues family concerns, anxiety, bereavement, depression, mundane problems – (The author had done all these things)
- One who knows the art of breaking the opponent’s resistance without fighting
- One who has a philosophy easily understandable by his staff
- One who knows to give a shock therapy by giving a compliment
- One who is able to get the staff attached to him like beads strung on a thread
- One who is the source of the spring in the staff’s steps and the glow on the student’s faces
- One who asks the staff to question and judge him and help the school move forward
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EMINENT THINKERS
- Rachael Robertson – Arctic expedition leader
- David Mac Lennan – CEO Cargill inc,
- Ramadurai – Former MD of TCS
- Natrajan – Vice chairman & CEO Zeniar technology
- Gumat Rai Gupta – Chairman Havells
- R.Narayanamorthy – Founder Chairman Infosys
- Robert Kennedy Former Attorney -General – USA
- Harold Taylor
- Abraham Lincoln
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Thomas Hunter
- Aristotle
- Alberouni
- Thomas Carlyle
- Sir J.Stamp
- Rudyard Kipling
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Winston Churchill
- Henry Beecher
- Michael porter
- Tacitus
- Alexis de Toqueuilve
- Shah Rukh Khan
- Victor Hugo
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- F. Kennedy
- George Eliot
- Paul Kaugman
- David Harvey
- Andrew Jackson
- Rahul Bajaj
- Benjamin Disraeli
- George Bernard Shaw
- Mashelkar – Ex Director -General C.S.I.R
- Mc Lean
- Elkind
- Tom Turney – Mgt Consultant
- Peter Drucker – Mgt. Guru
- Rossonav
- Vanvunren
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What the head thinks, should be examined critically in the heart and this right decision should be carried out by the hands. This should be the primary product of the educational process. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba
