Richard Shell is a global thought leader and senior faculty member at one of the world’s leading business schools, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Chair of Wharton’s Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, the largest department of its kind in the world. His forthcoming book, The Conscience Code: Lead with Your Values. Advance Your Career. addresses an increasingly urgent problem in today’s workplace: standing up for core values such as honesty, fairness, personal dignity, and justice when the pressure is on to look the other way.
Why do we struggle with doing what is right? All kinds of rationalizations put you away from looking at the problem. Incentives prompt us to look the other way. Position of power or control enables you to look the other way. People don’t see what’s in front of them because they’re paying attention to something else. Inattention blindness Seeing it vs. owning it. What would a person of conscience do, who is a principal? Observe and willing to own it. When it comes to values, there’s no such thing as a small conflict. turning away from conflict is a habit. Virtue is a habit - Aristotle and major religions. Don’t do evil just because you think it’s a little evil. You can be the person who steps up How to have difficult conversations with your superintendent 5 different kinds of pressures, peer, authority pressure, incentives, role, systemic PAIRS. Name the pressure. Find the why the superintendent is doing this. What pressure are they under? Who can I talk to that will give me insights into what they are experiencing? Find their motivation. I’m looking to find reasons where this is a great idea! Create a role play Calling someone crazy is a failure of imagination on your part. Shouldn’t have the conversation alone with the superintendent. What is it that is really driving this? Framing your position and aligning it with underlying interests. WHen strictly in conflict, move from collaboration to power. Become a pressure source that is more painful than what they are experiencing Your values are only worth what you’re willing to pay for them! Happiness is the feeling you feel when you are doing something you know you should be doing. How to be a transformative principal? It’s easy to get wrapped up in your identity as a principal. Go back to the reason you’re doing the thing you’re doing and ask if you are a person of conscience. Sponsors InControl SEL for Middle SchoolIn Control created an effortless social and emotional, character development video curriculum for your students that’s ZERO-TEACHER-PREP AND it’s so cool looking- it feels like a Youtube or Netflix Series- and that’s purposeful, they meet students right where they’re at.
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John CattToday’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.
John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.
Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:
- The Coach’s Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov
The Feedback Pendulum: A manifesto for enhancing feedback in education by Michael Chiles
Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
10 Things Schools Get Wrong (And How We Can Get Them Right) by Jared Cooney Horvath and David Bott
Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education by Emma Turner
A Parent’s Guide to Powerful Teaching by Patrice Bain
John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors
