VOLUME IX – CHAPTER 5
MARKET SAVVY
>> SURPASS CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
Surpass Customer Expectations
Schools always try to meet the customer’s (parents and students) expectations but the winner among them will surpass by constantly exceeding their expectations.
Customer delight and satisfaction has to be generated through various means. It is important to reward long time parents, to hold back the potential defector, and to attract the fence sitter. Most important is to provide unparalleled value to them. Remember – Happy staff make happy students and happy parents.
Your institutional marketing must start with an assessment of the ‘customers’ concerns and an evaluation of what has been delivered so far.
Apply the theory of positive and negative labour. Adopt techniques that take away the drudgery of negative but do not deprive the teachers of the joy of positive labour.
The factory made is cold and clinical, but homemade is warm and loving. This is the difference between teaching through technology and classroom teaching. Don’t succumb and mortgage your school to Hi-fi technology marketing (while all that is useful) and deprive the pupils the great joy of classroom inter-action.
The emerging codes are those of “learning to cope with stress, being fit rather than well nourished, balancing success and happiness and atoning for a life of excesses.”
You have to sell competence – competence in academics, in sports, in activities and in soft skills.
Marketing is nothing but customization – attending to each customer’s requirements, adjusting to his moods, Line of thinking. Take care of the 5 A’s of customization:-
Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, Any quality, for Any one.
This philosophy was adopted by Sri. T.S. Avinashilingam, Founder, Director of Sri Rama Krishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore. He gave full freedom to any student of any of the 13 institutions in the campus to ask any teacher of any institution any doubt at any place at any time. It may be even a series of questions. The staff member was expected to give the answer to the pupil the next day at the same place at the same time or at the most request for another 24 hours time. If the answer was not given, the matter will be reported to the Director.
The staff cornered has to remember that he is not given in life a second chance to create a first impression. If you miss it, probably that may be the last impression you get to make on your students.
>>> CREATE A BRAND IMAGE AND BRAND VALUE FOR THE SCHOOL
Create Brand Image and Brand Value for the School
Shops lose their customers very often because of the indifferent answers of the salesmen to their queries. That applies to schools also. Even as he is expected to market his wares, the teacher also is expected to market his wares, the teacher also is expected to market his intellectual wares.
While ‘selling’ your school brand, take care not to allow your message on the website, or advertisements, on TV or print media or in any other form give even a fleeting glimpse of glibness, sarcasm or annoyance.
To sustain the push you have to locate a big problem and solve it for your parents. How you frame your response to solve that problem is important. You should compel them to think and act in a different manner. Finally you have to find out how successful has been your effort.
To learn more of this find out how Philip Lay of TCG Advisors practise this technique.
Whenever a consumer buys a product, he is not just buying a brand. He is also buying an image that is associated with the brand. The image solutions are a function of listening to the consumer.
Think which will improve your school’s image in the following three.
More for More
More for Same
More for Less
Apply this triple formula to the services rendered by your school and find out which one is best.
If you create a brand for your school the brand becomes an anchor for the parents in the sea of schools to choose from. As many different competitive claims are made by the schools, today’s parents used a complicated decision making process to assess the alternatives available before selecting a school. Instead of having to compare every variable about one school with another, the parent uses his personal gestalt of each competing school to make comparisons between them and finally chooses one.
The challenge for the Principal is therefore to use the tools of branding and pricing (school fees) at his disposal to ensure that the most valuable package – in the parents’ perception – is represented by his brand. For that you should first position the brand (school) in the parents’ mind in a distinctive slot – far enough to be unique and close enough to meaningful benefits to provide unmatched value.
As a marketer – you the Principal must use brand extensions (value add on services) to augment the core value that your brand (school) already offers. You should use price (fees) to create expectations of particular levels of value from your brand (school) on the customer’s (parent) mind-map.
Make your brand (school) occupy distinct space in the parents’ perception of all brands in your “product” category. Use this ‘mental space’ to convey every one of the attributes of your brand (school).
Construct a visual map of the parents’ (customer) mind – mind map – a flat space divided into four quadrants by two axes each of which represents a continuum of a brand attribute.
Expensive Traditional
Low cost Modern
Caring Serious
Efficient Frivolous
Find out which quadrant your brand occupies in this Mind Map.
Brand Extensions – The fundamental need (teaching) met by all schools may be the same but the extensions serve to address the new requirements and needs emerging from this central need.
Your brand extensions must strengthen the ‘central factor’ that in turn must remain constant.
PRE – HIRING
>>> ARE YOU LOSING THE ‘RIGHT’ OR ‘WRONG’ PEOPLE?
Pre-hiring
Another idea work looking into is the one followed by Genpact, the BPO Pioneer which uses a ‘pre-hiring’ process. It brings people before they join and have them look at what they do. If they work for a month and choose not to join, “that reduces potential attrition” says Piyush Mehta senior VP-HR. The schools can follow this by asking provisionally selected teachers to work for a month and allow them to join if they feel comfortable with the philosophy and practices of the school.
If any staff wants to leave for higher education, if the school can give him leave with pay, then he is sure to come back and the school will benefit by his higher knowledge. It becomes an investment for the future.
When you find an exodus, find out if you are losing the ‘right’ people (not fit) or the ‘wrong’ people (assets), under performance can be given a chance which may result in improvement. If there is repeated failure or inability or disinterest in improving performance, then the pink slip should be handed over, advise’s Mitra of Apollo Tyres.
You can take the model of Ashok Leyland which constantly checks up the quality of talent on a 3 x 3 matrix that analyses potential vs. performance at nine levels.
According to Shekar Aurora, Executive Director, HR. of Ashok Leyland this will help take care of high value talent by offering them a development linked career plan and insulating them against hard times. They are our best people and we need all the more when there is a slide down. This high end talent will always be high on aspiration and we will lose them if we do not reasonably address their ambitions and psychological needs.
When the author when to inspect KV, Trichy along with Mrs. G. Krishnanand, Assistant Commissioner, he told her, “I find Sri. G. Balasubramanian, PGT (Chemistry) very good. If we don’t promote him as Principal, we may lose him KVS didn’t. He left next year to join DAV School as PGT and next year became the Principal of Hindu Senior Secondary School, Triplicane and the joined CBSE as Asst. Secretary, to go up as Dy. Secretary and retire as Director Academic.
In another case, at KV, Kalpakkam, the author again told Mrs. Krishnanand, Asst. Commissioner, that Mrs. Seshan, PGT (Maths) may be lost if we don’t promote him. Again KVS didn’t. KVS’s loss became the gain of the Atomic Energy Education Society which took him as Principal and then elevated him as Director.
>>> THE ATTRACTION OF SECURITY AND STATUS
Tapan Mitra, Chief HR, Apollo Tyres says, “A very high percentage of attrition happens at the entry level or junior level mainly because of salary. But career growth is the main reason for attrition at the middle and senior levels.
This happened at DAV School at Adambakkam, Chennai. A PGT English who was a good teacher, suddenly submitted her resignation one day. The Secretary and Principal were surprised because she was not sufficiently aged or experienced to become a Principal. Then they were more surprised to learn that she was leaving because she had got a job in the Tamil Nadu Govt. Educational Service as a TGT and that posting also away from Chennai because of which she had to be away from her family. Government job – security and pension – triple attractions made her leave but she lost all the position, prestige recognition and name she had enjoyed in the DAV School just to become an unrecognized cog. in the Government machine. In another instance in the same school, the author, Secretary, the Principal interviewed a candidate for the post of Academic Coordinator, so that much of the Principal’s burden can be reduced. She had been a student of KV and later a PG teacher and also a Principal of a KV in the north. She left her post for the sake of being with her family at Chennai. The committee was happy with her performance and agreed to her request for a salary of Rs. 15,000/- and transport. She was asked to join on 18th Aug. But she didn’t turn up. A week later we learnt she had joined another school as Principal for a salary of Rs. 15,000/- without transport. A month later she met the author and apologized for not joining our school and the reason given was that she preferred to be No.1 than No.2 even though without perks. But the author told her “I am sorry you have fallen into a cauldron. The heat of your Secretary’s temper I hope you would be able to bear.”
This proves Tapan Mitra’s statement that at the higher level it is not salary but status & career development.
>>> CONFER A TITLE AND CALL THE TUNE
Another interesting learning experience the author had was during a recruitment session for selecting a person at KV, Sambalpur as Home Science Teacher. After the few warming up questions when we were about to test her subject knowledge, she asked a question, “I know you are interviewing me for the post of Home Science Teacher, but first please tell me, what is the title I will have?” the author was taken aback. It is another question that we evaded this question and during the interview she did not fare well.
That evening where we had our chit-chat session in the Professors colony, I posed her question and asked what it meant. I was told that in the north people value titles more than their designations. It was an eye opener for the author. Next Monday he sent out a staff circular listing out the names of all staff and the title given to each as under:
PET – Director of Sports activities
CCA – CCA Coordinator
STS – Vice-Chairman STC Committee
(Science Talent Search)
Exam – Controller of Exams
Assembly – Assembly Director
Annual Day – Chief Executive
Functions – Events Management Director
Discipline – Marshal
Food Arrangements for Visitors – Hospitality Chief
Publicity – Liaison Officer
Alumni Association – Vice President
Campus Cleanliness – Environmental Hygiene Executive
Home Science – Dietetics Consultant
Art & Music – Histrionics Consultant
SUPW – Life Skills experts
NCC Officer – Director – Defence Training
When this notice was sent to the Staff for signature if boosted the morale as nothing of this kind had ever been done in that school. And such name boards were put on the doers of the respective staff which boosted their ego. From then on the author had the full co-operation of the staff.
>>> WHAT PROMPTS STAFF TO LEAVE?
Attrition is a disease haunting all institutions:- reasons being varied. A study made by “Business Today” gave the following faction as “key drawers for leaving” revealing that –
Money matters, but career matters most.
- Opportunity for career growth 25%
- Salary 10%
- Type of work 9%
- Provision for training and development 8%
- Family circumstances 7%
- Job dissatisfaction 5%
- Health reasons 5%
- Work load 3%
- Number of working hours 2%
- Recognition for work done 2%
- Work environment 2%
- Relations help with colleagues 1%
There may be four types of leavers:
Early leavers – Leaving within a year –
Hopping top performers – after reaching the top they leave as they find themselves reaching a dead end.
Universal leavers – People who form the backbone of the institution.
These were studied through:
Exit interview – finding out why they are leaving.
People process health meter – factors affecting them on the job.
Existing employee – survey – periodical one-to-one lack to find out, what hampers them from moving ahead.
We can use certain predictors such as:-
Affiliation – ability of the institution to build and maintain a strong connectivity with its people.
Development Initiative – Identifying the right people, the necessary areas of improvements and their execution.
Employability – How far they suit the posts for which they were selected.
Work Environment – making working atmosphere productive, rewarding and healthy.
Outcomes:
- Good practices to retain people.
- Pleasant feelings of both employer and employee.
- Creating certain Bench making practices.
- A famous institution with home grown staff.
You will do well to think about the pros and cons of hiring a Principal from outside. The development of No. 2 – a great successor is one of the most important accomplishments that a Principal can achieve.
If you hire some from outside, your management would like to have a ‘name brand’ leader who has a proven record of success. To get one like that (these are not many) you have to fork out suit cases full of ‘Vitamin M.’ If he or she falls to deliver the goods, the exact cost may be quite heavy and the damage done to the name of the institution and to the morale of the staff would be considerable. It will be a disaster. If you have been involved in his selection, your reputation gets a severe beating. The person from outside may bring the advantage of an external perspective, they also enter with the disadvantage of not bring aware of the internal mechanics of the school and in some cases not even knowing about education. One new school started with very good intentions disappeared soon because the management made by a mistake in appointing a retired IAS Officer as its Director (Principal). He had a good reputation as an IAS Officer. But running a Govt. Dept. is different from running a school. The bossism, rule minded rigidity, aloofness, tendency to always order, sophistication, snobbery, sycophancy, someone to wait in attendance – all these characteristics of a Govt. Officer won’t break the ice in a school environment. They should have brought in a seasoned retired Principal to lay the foundations of the school for the first few years and then hand over the baton to the second in command who would have been appointed at the beginning itself. For these few years he would have worked as a Vice Principal an understudy. It will be easy for him to step into the shoes of the Principal when he retires.
Every Principal has to answer a question – if something happens to me tomorrow, who could take my place? You ask your teachers to develop their students as leaders? How can they do so, if you don’t develop your staff as leaders? When you are grooming a No. 2 from inside, it will send out a positive message that as and when the No.2 moves up, another person can be promoted to that slot.
If you have worked in a school for years and developed a vision, if you want that vision to continue as a reality, then you can be rest assured that it will be done by an internal successor. Your successor while bringing in a fresh perspective, may not also like to negate all that you done in the part, because he/she has been part of all that success. By artfully grooming your successor from within the school, you can generate a positive peaceful change of guard and a bright future.
If you want to gain more insights into this aspect, you will benefit by going through “Succession, are you ready” by Marshall Goldsmith – a small book of only 110 pages but worth its ‘weight’ in gold – price Rs. 940!
MULTIPLE TECHNIQUES OF RECRUITMENT
>>> TEST SITUATIONAL RESPONSIVENESS
When you select teachers for your school think about the techniques you are going to adopt to select them. Now the educational needs and scenario have changed considerably. So to suit them you have to select them. The usual age old questioning method will not suffice. Innovative techniques are being used now for this purpose.
The interview should bring out the strengths of the strengths of the individual. You can pose actual classroom situations and ask the candidate to work out plans to address the situation. In an interview a member asked a candidate, “It was a discussion involving teachers and students.” One teacher said, if I finish teaching a lesson and ask questions next day, the answer is, “I didn’t come to class yesterday.” If I ask a question from today’s lesson, the answer is, “Please teach the lesson again.” How is it possible?
Immediately one student got up and said, “That is your job.”
Now tells us your reaction to this situation.
In another interview a candidate was asked, “It is the first period in the morning. A girl is found sleeping in the last bench – what will you do?”
Another interview member asked:-
“It was an Art class. The teacher drew two circles on the black board and said, “With a stroke of the brush, Ravi Varma could change a smiling face into a frowning face. Immediately a boy from the 3rd row said, “My mother can do it much better.” How will you deal with that boy?”
In another interview for selecting PGT’s in English a candidate was told the first period started at 9 A.M. A boy came at 9.15 A.M. and asked, “May I come in?” The teacher said, “You can but may not.” The student could not understand. Why?
Another candidate was asked, “Daily at the beginning of the first period, a boy in Class II gives a rose to his teacher and stands close to her for some time looking at her and goes to the seat. How should the teacher understand that child?
These types of questions help you to assess the person’s ability to assess the situation, his leadership ability and analytical communication and inter-personal skills.
You can ask the candidate to meet a few parents and conduct a parent teacher meeting. His organizational and persuasive skills as well ability to face questions and give converse answers are found out through this.
You can give him an idea of the schools future plan to open another unit in another area and ask him to tell how he will plan the setting up of that unit and what problems to expect and how he will tackle them. This will be useful while selecting a person for the post of Principal.
You may use the RANDOM STIMULATION method and check the candidate’s ability to use any information constructively. You may put questions on redesigning common items like umbrella, chair and clock to access his ability to shift from structured thinking to unstructured thinking and finally arrive at a meaningful conclusion.
You may also use Psycho-metric tests (in selective cases) to find out something unique in the candidate.
In an interview the author found from the bio-data that the candidate has studied in a ‘notorious’ college. He asked him to narrate any adventurous thing he has done with his friends while at college. He narrated the Bus Day celebration they organized, how they met on the way another college doing the same and forced them to give way.
This was enough for the Board to exclude him.
The author has benefited a lot from his regular reading of the “Students questions” section in Sri. Ramakrishna Vijayam (Tamil monthly magazine) published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai. He made use of the different questions put by students to the Editor by posing them to the candidates to see how they will clear their student’s doubts. Some of these questions are given below:-
a) One teacher says, “Understand and learn without memorizing.”
Another teacher says, “Memorizing will help you to get the matter fixed up.”
Which advice should follow?
b) How to feel the God in me?
c) My science teacher in my previous class told us that we have to learn to live with Nature. In one lecture, I heard the speaker saying that we have to fight with nature and conquer it. Which one of these methods should I adopt?
d) If I take a decision, I am unable to say clearly whether it is right or wrong. Is this due to my age or my mental makeup?
e) How to get rid of my inferiority complex?
f) My weakness is my fear. How to overcome this?
g) How to understand if others believe us and love us?
h) When I move with somebody on what bases should I evaluate him?
i) Swami Vivekananda says:-
Work like a Master, not like a slave – what does this mean?
j)You will gain strength only where you do a work with love. I think love will make us weak and not strong. Am I correct?
k)If I help others it creates problem for me – should I not help anyone?
These questions were posed by the author or teachers who came for interview. For candidates who appeared for the post of Principal, he posed actual situations faced by various Principals who had brought it to his notice for advice some samples are given below:-
i) The Librarian complained about the loss of books which were missing under mysterious circumstances for a few months. At the end of the school year the watch man brought a gunny bag of books dumped in an unused lavatory. On enquiry it was known that a student had done it and he was a rank holder – how would you deal this case?
ii) A teacher comes to you with tears in her eyes and tells you that she wants to end her life – how will you react?
iii) A teacher points to a child and tells you that he is a backward child. How will you respond to her remarks?
iv) A teacher has an intelligent student in her Biology class. One day he whistled at the teacher. It was reported to the Principal (you) by the teacher. How will you handle this issue?
v) After an excursion, the mother of a girl complains to you about her doubt that her daughter was getting closer to a boy. How would you relieve that mother’s anxiety?
BEST VALUE
>>> BUILD THE “WHO” OF YOUR SCHOOL
An advertisement by Videocon said: We are not saying we have the cheapest product. We are only saying, “At this price we give you the best value.”
This ad helped the author to handle a Senior Air Force Officer who sought admission for his son, on his return from service in Sri Lanka as a member of the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force). He told the author, “I want to admit my son in KV because it is a cheap school.” The author told him, “Sorry your son can’t be admitted because you want a cheap school. Ours is not of that type.” The Officer said, “Your fees are very low. The author replied, “Yes, our fees are very low. But we are not a cheap school. We provide the best education at low cost.”
Your brand must offer real value and not deceptive value. Some schools advertise offering new courses in the garb of life oriented courses but once the students taken in by the glamour and hype join the course they are dismayed to find that they have no proper infrastructure or qualified faculty. Yes they are oriented to life – to survive and progress without anything like the man lost in an island inhabited by none.
Customers (parents) do not look at your pricing as premium or popular. They just see it in terms of perceived value. Your price (fees) must be used as a potent tool for setting customer (parent) expeditions and then surpass them. It is then that you will get the real ‘pay-off’ from your price.
The Kodaikkanal “International School,” ‘Rishi Valley School’ at Madanapalle (A.P.), ‘Lawrence School’ Lovedale Ooty, ‘Doon School’ Dehradun, ‘Loretta Convent,’ ‘Cathedral and Cannon at Mumbai, St. Stephen’s College,’ ‘Jesus and Mary’ at Delhi, ‘Mayo College’ at Ajmer, The Indus International School at Bangalore – all these have created a ‘Brand value’ and their pricing is high with several posh value add – on which make them belong to an elite group, craze for which drives parents register their children for Std. I as soon as their daughter-in law’s pregnancy is confirmed.
The author knows several of his friends in cities belonging to the affluent high society who have succumbed to this Phobia.
In the earlier days the very idea of providing best quality at a low price was viewed as a contradiction in terms. Today it is evident that you cannot compete and survive in the mad rat race unless you do it. So it all boils down to one point – what is the reference band in the consumer’s (parents) mind.
A school is chosen by the parents not only for what it does but also for ‘who’ it is. This ‘WHO’ refers to the unseen invisible but potent ‘personality’ of the school. The parents are influenced not only by the functional values and the performance of the school – it’s was examination results, and activities and programs organized, but also by what it stands for – its character, so to speak, its psychological and symbolic values (eg. People prefer Titan to HMT as a marriage gift)?
>>>MAKE THE PARENT AWARE OF SOMETHING HE WAS NOT AWARE OF
School personality can be viewed at three levels.
a] Corporate personality.
Parent’s perception about the Management Board shapes their perceptions about the school itself. The composition of the School Management Committee must be impressive and reassuring with their high credentials. But this should not be a case of window dressing, even as qualified Doctors or Engineers are present as the faculty of a Medical or Engineering College at the time of inspection and then they disappear. Name lending will not do. This can’t carry the school far. The author knew of a school which paraded a list of a eminent retired persons on its Committee. The author also was requested to be a member. The first meeting of the Committee was also the last meeting. After a couple of years the school qualified for Mark Antony’s remark in his funeral oration – “Caesar was He.”
b] Product – Derived Personality
This is a summation of the school’s functional tangible values expressed in human terms. Kendriya Vidyalayas are a good example of this. The varied exposure given to the students run by sri Ramakrishna Mission. Chinmaya Mission, Sri Sathya Sai Organisation also belong to this category.
A friend of the author an industrialist told him that while recruiting people, he straight away selected a person without much questioning if he came from Kendriya Vidyalaya or Ramakrishna Mission or Sai Samithi School. When asked why, he said that, ‘KV or Ramakrishna or Sai stamp is enough for me. I can trust that person to deliver goods correctly.’
During a SGFI Meet (Sports Games Federation of India) where all the 24 States participate, KVS also participated as a ‘State’ in view of its National character. The Governor of the States was the Chief event. The author attended the meet as a representative of KVS. At the end for the National Anthem the students of all the 25 States (24 KVS) assembled. When the first line of the anthem was sung there was a mild drizzle. But by the time they came to the middle of the Anthem, there was a heavy downpour. When the last line was over, there was only one State in the ground fully drenched and dripping.
The Governor came to the mike and said “normally after the National Anthem we should not speak, but I wish to say one thing. All these days I have heard of Kendriya Vidyalaya, but today I have seen Kendriya Vidyalaya.”
c] Aspiration based personality
Schools are valued primarily as vehicles of self-expression and they represent the Parents aspirations, like Trust, Confidence, Dependence, Reliability, Courtesy, Regard, Affinity and Identification. The School’s functional performance must inspire trust and confidence just like the Lifebuoy. Dettol Liquid Soap and Hamam have been trusted for decades by the public.
Your school personality is the softest membrane in your pedagogic marketing. Your publicity has to be a human encounter-something that has warmth and magnetism. It can happen if your voice sounds lilting, if your greeting promises a conversation that the visitor would wish to continue.
Your marketing should be the missing link between your school’s attributes and the parents’ perception, between your programmes and their expectation fulfillment, between your pricing (fees) and the value – add ons their children get.
Even if the service your school provides has been formulated to meet their wants with precision, only the way you communicate with them in general and your publicity techniques in particular will hit the target and inform them that you are trying to provide value to them. Your marketing will be the creativity that shall build your school.
Then the big question will be – what should your marketing techniques do to give unparalleled value to the customer? Even if your technique speaks to the point and very appealing, it can still fail to impress them, if it cannot enhance the parents’ perception of the need-real or imaginary that your marketing tries to meet. For that your techniques should make him know something which he was not aware of. It must lift up their curiosity levels and pave the way for a significant change in their way of looking at your school. Then only your brand (school) will stand out in a crowd of other competing schools. Your marketing gives your school “its life cycle and transform it as a brand” as Ravi Gupta MD of Trikia Grey puts it.
When you advertise your school you shall not talk through the ad. You make your parents speak through it. Just as Surf Excels technique of using different types customers speak reinforcing the sense of value that they have derived from it.
Practice Transformational Advertising:
Combine the experience and your brand so strongly to each other that “the value of the former is transferred to the latter” to the parent’s mental map.
Take a cue from Titan Watch – the joy of giving it as a gift. The pride and joy of a parent is recommending his child’s school to his colleague who has joined the company recently.
Eating Cadbury – experiencing the real taste of life. Cadbury which was a child’s chocolate targeted adults pointing out the wonderful feelings he could experience by rediscovering the carefree oneself – conscious pleasure –seek up the child within himself.
By putting your child in our school you will have the pleasure of reliving (with him) your memorable school days.
EMOTIONAL ADVERTISING
Emotional Advertising
>>> BULLET POINT: GRABBING ATTENTION – HOW?
When the value that your product delivers in visible the real differentiator shall be in the emotional psyche that it generates on the parents’ mind.
Your ad should bridge the gap between the actual benefit (his son’s high school graduation) and its emotional extension.
Eg. Saffola – It is Life Insurance.
Our school – The best investment for your son’s future
Five Stages Of Your Advertisement
Your advertisement goes through five stages
Exposure
Attention
Comprehension
Acceptance
Retention
When you give an ad in the T.V. think which positioning will give your school the maximum exposure, rivet attention, gain acceptance and facilitate retention and recall.
EMOTIONAL LABOUR
Emotional Labour
>>> WATCH YOUR CONDUCT AND CHARACTER
You have to realize that you are only the first among equals. You have to learn how to adapt and live with this. Remember what Peter Drucker said – “The leader of the past knew how to tell and the leader of the future knows how to ask.” Don’t become a prisoner of memories of your recent past. What worked yesterday may not today. So you can’t work out the decisions of tomorrow based on your experience of yesterday. It is always dangerous to do rear view driving. Get rid of your old baggage.
Recently a new dimension of leadership and management has been brought to our attention by Arlie Horse child of the University of California, Berkeley, USA who first introduced the concept of emotional labour as distinct from physical and mental labour. A key concept propounded by her (in her book “The Managed Heart: The Commercialisation of Human Feeling”) is that leaders should regulate their emotions and expressions in order to create a balanced emotional state in their co-workers. She cited the example of flight attendants, waiters, nurses who are supposed to remain cheerful, calm and caring.
Your Leadership’s big test is how you treat the lowest rung in the hierarchy – those who can’t raise their hand against you-the peons, the ayas. Don’t let go your anger because they can’t talk back. You may be a picture of perfection, but remember that the picture looks perfect behind the glass frame. Once a small stone – an emotional outburst – hits it, it is broken into pieces and one glass piece is enough to tear off the picture.
Conduct is what you are in the open. But character is what you are in the dark. When quite unseen, how you behave and when persons who matter to you don’t watch you. That is integrity. That is character. What you are, how you behave impacts your staff and they just follow you – imitate you.
People behave badly on the net, in the cyber space, because they feel safe as they are unobserved. Working under supervision is working with a mask.
THE MAGIC OF PRINCIPALSHIP
The Magic of Principalship
>>> ARE YOU PRACTISING VALUE – BASED MANAGEMENT?
Today when education has become so expansive and expensive, you have to apply business principles to achieve results. It is a question of financial management, managing the supply chain, human resource management, materials management, tapping community support, logistics management and so on.
To manage effectively you can adapt the ‘V4’ formula evolved by the Toyota Motor Co., in Japan and the book “Toyota Supply Chain Management” by Ananth. V. Iyer, Sridhar Seshadri and Roy Vasher (Tata MC Grwhill) will help you to understand this concept.
It consists of four components viz. variety, velocity, variability and visibility where do these things come in our Education Management Philosophy?
As more and more new schools come up breaking away from the shackle of the State and Central Board of Education who have a straight line methodology without any curves or bends, there is a great scope to offer a variety of choices (subjects) to the students to opt for according to their liking. These demands of students and parents have to be met by balancing them with operational efficiency – availability of staff and infrastructure, equipment, books etc. that are needed to make the offerings meaningful and purposeful.
Velocity implies 8 maintaining a steady flow of accessories for a continuous, consistent and effective teaching/learning process. Making available the right thing at the right time at the right place and of the right quality is very important. Chemicals for the Chemistry laboratory, required apparatus for the Physics lab, necessary animals for dissection in the Biology lab, required relevant maps, charts etc. for History and Geography, continuous up gradation of the Maths lab, necessary Art materials, reference books for the Art Room, regular up keep of the instruments in the Music room, adequate Scout and Guide equipment and periodical replenishment and a continuous supply of play materials, regular provision of material for the SUPW/Craft dept., necessary provision of office materials, regular maintenance of the school building – all these come under this head.
Variability – provisioning according to the periodical seasonal requirement of various Depts. with an eye on a low inventory. Chemicals can be purchased on a quarterly basis; stationery for office, Computer Dept. and Examination section may be purchased at reasonable intervals as per requirement and not stocked for a whole year in advance. Instead of purchasing one original manufacturer’s equipment – apparatus as far as possible teachers may be incentivized to improvise the apparatus locally, students may also be involved in this effort.
To help parents and students, the supply of books notebooks, uniforms can be centralized in the school. The requirement of all these for the next year may be planned and finalized before the end of the academic year (say even by February) and necessary order placed well in advance with the publishers, notebooks suppliers, uniform material suppliers, tailors, school badge vendors, printers for calendar, progress reports, stationery supplies etc.
Having the school’s own fleet of transport vehicles can create its own problems – like engaging drivers, maintenance of vehicles etc. It is better to outsource this by contracting certain agencies to operate their vehicles on behalf of the school. The timings, number of students per vehicle should be fixed by the school. The fees also should be collected by the school and paid to the agency, who should not be permitted to collect it directly. They should be asked to ensure the safety of the students.
The next aspect is VISIBILITY. It is necessary and important that the school should not only be heard but also seen by the public. School activities should be frequently highlighted in the Today’s Engagements column of the local newspaper. Keep the press reporter with you. Invite him for all school functions and positioned prominently, and greet him on important days in his life like Birthday and Wedding day. You may keep in touch with Music Sabhas and put up a banner during their annual music festivals. As some money has to be paid to them, you may find someone to sponsor this banner. You may put up a banner or hoarding in important functions where the visibility will be high. Just at the end of the academic year you may distribute handbills inserted within the newspaper. Also you may insert some stringers in TV newscast or popular programmes high lighting your school. You may associate your school with some local play event or festival. Your Scout’s and Guides may help in the conduct of festivals, in upkeep of temples, churches or get involved in the cleaning and preservation of Heritage monuments or organize a ‘Walkathon’ to promote a social cause.
Remember that value – based management is the key to long-term success. Ask yourself:-
– Is my school the best in the area?
– Am I fully conversant with the latest knowledge in the field of education?
– It is not enough if you alone as the Principal ask these questions.
You should make every staff member ask these questions.
To be a good leader, follow the latest and best practices, be equitable in your dealings, attach importance to your parents’ values, to your social values to the values of your staff and to your own leadership values.
>>> FOCUS ON EACH ONE’S STRENGTH
If you want to be successful in your work and your relations with your staff, then the key to success lies in your ability to find the uniqueness in every staff member you are dealing with.
Your planning, method of execution, assessment and strategy for improvement – all these can’t be done properly unless you are clear in your mind (and also make it clear to them) as to who will do what – role assigned to each. Madhavi Lall, sports writer says that many senior sports teams opine that “It takes 20% of our time to decide what to do and then we spend 80% of our time deciding ‘who’ will do which task.”
You should know how to optionally use the strength of each to get the best total result. According to Marcus Buckingham the best sports managers are great because of their ability to locate and capitalize on their players’ unique strengths with only one question uppermost in their minds –
How can I convert a person’s talent into performance? Ask this question with reference to every staff member. Then success is yours.
Your role is that of a sports coach. A coach need not be superior to the player. His job is only to observe the player and read his pluses and minuses. He may not win a grand slam title but his achievement is on making Roger Federer to win that trophy. Because as the saying goes “to train a bull, you need not be a bull.”
For 41 years this has been the guiding principle of the author’s career. He has always been a ‘coach.’
Then you may ask a question:-
Should we not focus on the weaknesses of a staff member and help him overcome it?
In 1954-55 there was a great football player. Sada of class XI in St. Andrews High School, Arakonam. His play was a delight to observe in the Grigg Memorial sports held by rotation in one school in the district each year. He was a brilliant centre forward and his art of passing the ball and a quick final shot near the goal post giving no time for the goal keeper to anticipate the oncoming missile. If you had put Sada as a goal keeper, he would have been a terrible failure, no use in helping him become a good goal keeper. Anil Kumble, bowler, took a perfect ten wickets at Ferozesha Kotla Stadium. You can’t expect him a score a century batting. David Beckham is a master of the free kick. He can be an asset to the team only in that respect. Hence it will make sense for you to allow a staff member make full use of his strengths rather than turn the spotlight on his deficiencies.
Do you find if all your staff played to their strengths every day normally only 20 to 25% will do so. Then don’t you think you have a great opportunity to take charge of the remaining 75% of your staff. Make their strengths the sheet anchor of their transcending performance. Regular focusing on their strengths with an Army precision will become the bedrock of your success.
>>> CHOOSE QUALITY SEEDS
Jack Welch, the Chairman of GE said, “If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wing – you almost don’t have to manage them.”
This implies that you have to be extremely careful and choosy at the time of recruitment. Your students deserve the best teachers, so only the best after a 3 tier selection process.
a) A written test to evaluate his knowledge of
i) his base subject. Conceptual clarity and ability to relate theory to life.
ii) Pedagogical understanding.
– Relating Educational Philosophy, Psychology and Methodology to the class room.
iii)Research Procedures and aptitude for Research
b) Demo session – to find out
i) his ability to motivate and present the lesson.
ii) his use of the Black board and Teaching aids
iii) if he can make it an interactive and participative lesson.
iv) his ability to make the lesson interesting and hold the attention of the class.
v) his body language, behaviour and attitude towards students, his language, department and ability to get down to their level.
c) Interview – to assess
i) his communication skills
ii) his ability to present his views clearly
iii) his professional attitude
iv )his leadership qualities
v) his ability to tackle difficult situations
vi) his ability to provide enrichment and remedial learning
vii) his interpersonal skills
Normally a farmer chooses quality seeds so that he need not worry about the harvest later. So you should choose your educational engineers very carefully. Once you have chosen an eminently crafted team of professionals, then the school will go on its own steam. The question of managing will not arise.
>>> MAKE THE STAFF UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT AND THE MEANING OF A CRISIS
What is expected of you as a leader? Look at the army. It is a well known maximum in the Army that no soldier goes to the front for the sake of his salary. He goes for two things – one for his country and secondly for the men on his side. Every morning when you enter the school, forget your post, position, power. Think only about your school and secondly about the staff and students. Instill the same feeling in every staff member. He shall think only about the school and his students.
Your staff would like you to be seen as a leader – one who can stand up before ‘MIGHT’ to think of them and speak for them.
They expect you to be decisive, not dilly dallying. Act with foresight and precision.
At times of crisis they assume that you know more about it and are capable of overcoming it with your calmness and self control.
As a human being you cannot be expected to be fearless. But as a leader you are expected to show fearlessness.
When General Dwight Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied forces in the European Theatre during Second World War, one night he was taking a walk and checking security. He found a soldier shaking and shivering. He asked him why. The soldier said, “I am afraid.” The General told, “Me too, but I can’t show off my fear. We both have families. But in the war front we can’t and shouldn’t think of anything else but the millions of people back home who believe that we will win this war.” That is leadership.
Explain the context of the crisis and make them understand their role in meeting that crisis.
This is what the author did in 1972 at Sambalpur when there was a danger of the CBSE Internal exam being disrupted and in 1979 when the HVF workers tried to picket / gherao the school, he made each one of the staff know what was his / her role in dealing with the crisis and so the crisis fizzled out.
>>> HELP YOUR STUDENTS BECOME LINGUISTS
You want your school to prepare the children to become quite mobile after they leave the school. Start encouraging the students to develop multilingual capabilities. The frog in the well mentally won’t do. The political philosophy that ministers preach is intended for the others and not for their children. Find out how many Ministers, MPs and MLAs send their children to any Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School.
While visiting Scandinavia the author found that these 3 countries, Norway, Sweden & Finland were among the earliest to understand that multilingualism is the gateway to the future.
Their population being small and they introduced English and other European languages very early in the school system. It made the people proficient in several languages and quite mobile in a global ‘village’ world. It was a realistic combination of opportunities open for the people and a positive response from the governments.
In Denmark and Holland the author found the pupils proficient in Danish / Dutch as well as English, Norwegian, French and German. All because of economic necessity – trade.
In Switzerland the author found the students speaking Swiss, German, Italian and French because these 3 countries border Sewitzerland.
In Portugal and Spain the author found students are learning Portuguese, Spanish and English.
In American schools the author found the students in the North learning English and French and those in the South learning English and Spanish because Canada is in the north and Mexico and Latin America in the south.
China, Japan & South East Asian countries have started teaching English.
In India, the Southern States of Kerala, Andhra & Karnataka have included Hindi, English in their Curriculum, because they realized that proficiency in these two languages only will help that students face the outside world. Alas! Only Tamil Nadu is still fanatical about Hindi!
So, provide opportunities for learning the languages surrounding your State and also at least one more foreign language. The author’s sister-in-law’s daughter knew English, Tamil, Hindi, French, Japanese & Korean! The first five language during her school days & the last one while at college.
SENDING CIRCULARS
There are three important stages in any activity – Planning, Execution and Evaluation. The perfect execution of any activity depends on how meticulously and methodically the activity is planned. For this, first and foremost, the person in charge must have the whole show from start to finish very clearly in his mind. Then only he can outline it to others.
Normally we issue several circulars in a year – some clear, some ambiguous, some confusing. The content of the circular will reveal the mental makeup of the author. The circular should not be long winding essay or in a telegraphic text.
Starting with a brief introduction, it should proceed to the nature of work, who are involved, the parameters within which it should be done, the financial aspect, the logistics, responsibilities fixed, resources, maintenance aspect, external and internal help, health aspect etc.
The author was in charge of Scouts and Guides activity in the Madras Region as Deputy Divisional Commissioner and at the KVS Hqrs as State Secretary. Whether it is a three day camp or a ten day camp or a State Rally, he used to send detailed circulars leaving nothing for doubt.
~~~~~~
ONE WHO KNOWS (VOLUME IX – CHAPTER 5)
(DIMENSIONS OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF A PRINCIPAL)
Dimensions of the Life and Work of a Principal
1274) One who is unafraid of
- Ego
- Death
- Separation
- Loss of Autonomy
- Mutilation
- Extinction
1275) One who is an embodiment of:
a) Intellectual Maturity
b) Largeness of heart
c) Positive attitude to work
d) Love for the job
e) Concentration on his work
f) On-the-job learning
g) Implementing what he has learnt
h) Expanding his work
1276) One whose conversation as defined by comfort, candour and convergence.
1277) One who knows that brevity is the sole route to popularity.
1278) One who follows Stephen covey’s five factors:
a) The problem lies in how we look at the problem.
b) First try to understand others, then you may try to make them understand you.
c) The first step in learning is to accept your ignorance.
d) Doing several things fast is not equal to doing things right.
e) Enthusiasm should well up from your heart. If others have to light up – then there is a possibility of its dying out soon.
1279) One who knows that given proper encouragement, even a safety pin seller can sell steel and that even if one is lame or idiot, he can move mountains if he is powered by confidence.
1280) One who follows the 5 dicta of Steve Jobs:
a) Simplicity is very difficult you have to work hard for it.
b) Don’t live another’s life.
Don’t get lost in others’ thoughts.
Don’t allow others’ opinion to drown you.
Be bold to go your own way.
c) Tables rear side will be near the wall only. But the carpenter doesn’t leave them unpolished.
d) The best way to do a work properly is to love it.
e) It is important to decide what is to be done.
1281) One who sees the world for what it is and has the ability to set both cynicism and idealism aside and avoid extreme pessimism or unfounded optimism.
1282) One who as a realist uses his understanding of how things are to see, how things can be changed and doesn’t aim for perfection but for improvement.
1283) One who knows that idealism is great, “When it is an aspiration or an attitude, but shouldn’t lead to illusions or unrealistic expectations.”
1284) One who emerges from his ideals time to time to take a reality check and feel the ground beneath his feet.
1285) One who knows that if he wants change, he must collaborate and not compete and that the combined energy of all the staff is capable of sustaining change.
1286) One who knows that while what is being said is important, it is more important who is saying and depending upon who is saying it, something gets taken seriously or not.
1287) One who knows the importance of participation to know, “the skin of the game.”
1288) One who knows that sometimes a big step starts with an open question like:
(a) Are we the best school we could possibly be?
(b) May be, but still not yet the best? Do you want to reach there? – fervently, definitely?
(c) Where are we going wrong.
(d) Will you work with us in setting it right?
(e) In reality, you know what too need much better than we know What you require?
(f) If we want you to grow, we should start by opening up to you by three words – “Please Question us.”
1289) One who knows that
Morality is doing what is right
Regardless of what you are told
Religion is doing what you are told
Regardless of what is right
1290) One who knows the difference between
A character defining the Actor
And
An Actor defining a character
i.e.
Principal ship defining Mr. X
Mr. X defining Principal ship
1291) One who knows that he should be the strength of the staff
பலவதாம் பலம் (Palavadhaam Balam )
1292) One who occasionally tries a little shock therapy on his lady staff – by giving a compliment!
1293) One who knows that
Decision can make his distant
His decision decides his distant
1294) One would not advocate conflict if the end can be achieved by not fighting. He believes in Suntzu’s Statement:-
“To fight and win our battles is not supreme excellence.
Supreme Excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
1295) One who believes in staff assistance programs such as:-
(a) Sleep Management
(b) Smoking Cessation
(c) Weight Loss
(d) Anger Management
(e) Work-Life Balance
(f) Career Transition
(g) Inter-Personal Conflicts
(h) Addiction
(i) Marital and Pre-Marital issues
(j) Family Concerns
(k) Anxiety
(l) Bereavement
(m) Depression
(n) Paying Bills
(o) Cab Booking
(p) Tickets
(q) Creches
(r) Salon
(s) Gyms
1296) One who knows to move from the “Complaint Zone” to the “Comfort Zone.”
1297) One who follows Andre Agassi’s method (trick) that helped him to score over German Tennis sensation Boris Becker – The secret was his Acute powers of observation, good judgement and strategy cloaking his information and using it judiciously.
He knows that management is like Tennis – about problem solving which can be done only with the ability or empathy o observe all that surrounds him.
He knows that the more he is able to understand the problem through others’ eyes. The more easily a problem can be solved.
While dealing with another even as Agassi found that the direction in which Becker stuck out his tongue would vary depending on the serve he was about to execute, he observed closely the other’s subtle body language signs.
He knows that his success in such a situation depends on keen observation, learning, absorbing and applying ideas and that unlike seeing. Observing is experiencing something not with the eyes, but with all the senses.
He knows that a vibrant life depends on his awareness and alertness.
He also knows that strategies love and patiently executing his plan without letting out his knowledge of the other person’s secret – that will make the difference.
1298) One who advises his staff, “Not to underestimate/ the power of a touch a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
1299) One who advises his students that information gathering is not the end of education and that they should learn to refine their minds by emptying it of all thoughts of aggression, avarice, hate greed and envy and fill it up with thoughts of love compassion sharing helping and the value of progressing together.
1300) One who tells his students that they should know when to speak and when to be silent and learn to weigh their words, that they should respond in a calm composed and dignified manner that silence can boost their self control.
1301) One who advises his staff that it pays to remain silent for some time after putting a question and that they will become better an keen listeners by increasing their ability to be silent.
1302) One who knows that a touch stone of the Principal’s “Weight” is his ability to influence the school’s fortune.
1303) One who knows that discipline without authority means nothing because who are you when you are alone. And that when people see him, they should not see him only as a question mark? But as an exclamation mark – can so good a person exist?
1304) One who knows the meaning of HR – when he attended a staff’s funeral greeted firs, addressed family members by their names and enquired about the arrangements made. He, with the seniors worked out a plan for the staff to carry the coffin by turns and each to put a scoop of earth on the coffin when it was lowered into crave and arranged a prayer meeting in the school, the next day.
1305) One who like Mr. Girmani, M.D. of Sathyam Tech. Mahindra knows the names of all of his staff and students.
1306) One who knows the fertility of the feudal system which ruled with clear hierarchies within and outside the team and there was always an element of the Shakespearean command:-
“I am Sir, Oracle! And when I open my lips, let no dogs bark.”
1307) One who knows that the staff meeting is where the ideas are generated, where the best path to the future is laid out and where the non-essentials are chipped off.
1308) One who uses the seniors for everything in the off field and the juniors for everything in it – a practical and sensible proposition.
1309) One who knows that in a staff meeting the decision may not be unanimous; the dissenting voices will not always be gratified, but it will ensure that everybody is pulling in the same direction and everyone knows what needs to be done.
1310) One who knows that
Boundaries should not limit the journey
The missing chain in his history book must be found
He should fill up his sky with colours
He should roll down the windows and hear the real music.
1311) One who knows that the most essential things in life won’t come easily but the essentials can’t be done away with.
1312) One who has a good mentor to coach him in
a) Decision – making
b) Problem solving
c) Conflict managements
d) Negotiation skills
1313) One who follows U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s advice:-
Speak softly and carry a big stick – You will go far.”
1314) One who works hard and stays out of the lime light.
1315) One who knows the difference between authoritarian
Personable
Casual
In tense
Business like
Management Styles
1316) One who knows that management is nothing but confidence – as the “Power Puff” Eknath Solkar – medium pacer- destroyed the confidence of the great opener Geoffrey Boycott to such an extent that he withdrew from the third test in the 1971 England series.
1317) One who has learnt a lesson in confidence building from another cricket series in 1982 when India toured England Sandip Patel was in a terrible state of mind due. To personal reasons not only did skippie Sunil Gavaskar handled him tactfully, but a couple of days later before the old Trafford list, Patel received a hand written letter from his mentor mankad, the letter. Patel said later, pumped him to score a Brilliant 129 – a test in which Patel hit 6 boundaries in a 7 ball over (One no ball), over against the fast bowler Bob Wills!
1318) One who knows that the horse will judge a rider by
a) His approach to her
b) His way of mounting
c) His way of sitting
d) His way of making her sprint
e) His way of control
f) His way of direction
g) His way of speeding and slowing down
h) His way of stopping
i) His way of taking leave
The horse judges the rider in the first attempt.
So also he knows that the class will judge a teacher in his first class itself.
1319) One who adopts Alexander’s answer to his teacher, when asked how he will take a decision said:-
“I will study the circumstances carefully and then take a Decision.”
1320) One who knows the five habits for success
A) Get Up Early
Use that time to get a difficult task done and for thinking
and planning.
B) Stop Blaming
It is an excuse for not to find solutions.
Hold yourself responsible for what happens.
C) Stop Controlling
Give up control.
Find peace and find energy to do work that really matters.
D) Choose Your
Choose friends wisely.
Find yourself energised.
E) Write For Goals
Put it down.
List 25 actions to move towards it.
Put it on your Computer Wall Paper.
To goal, you go towards the target.
~~~~~
ILLNESS, both physical and mental, is a reaction of the body, caused by poisons in the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone can ensure continuous health. Vice breeds disease. Bad thoughts and habits, bad company and bad food are fertile grounds where disease thrives. “Arogya” and “Ananda” go hand in hand. A sense of elation and exultation keeps the body free from ill health. Evil habits in which men indulge are the chief causes of disease, physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man depressed. Man can justify his existence as man, only by the cultivation of virtues. Then he becomes a worthy candidate for Godhood. – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
