Thursday, November 7, 2013
As a director, how does this statement "employees will spend roughly half their waking hours working and living in the environment you create as a leader" reflect in your managerial style?
As a director, understanding the amount of time employees spend in the environment that I have a role creating allows me to self-reflect and take a deeper look into the environment. the environment created for the staff should be clean, comfortable, relaxing, with personal touches. Where I currently work, our staff area is also a storage, but it seems more as a storage. The clutter adds a negative vibe to what should be a positive place of comfort. I always believed that if a manager supports and takes care of their employees, this same effort of support and care will then continue in the classroom. The environment plays a big role in all areas of a center, and the energy executed from the layout can add negative and positive vibes. As one director shared, he had a "funeral" as he began his role. This funeral allowed everyone to burn away any negative feeling or thoughts. By having a funeral, this was able to jump start their change into positive things.
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Hi Anjo,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you said, "The clutter adds a negative vibe to what should be a positive place of comfort." I agree with you here because just like my bedroom, when it gets cluttered the place doesn't have a warm welcoming feeling and almost makes me want to turn the other way because I feel unwelcome, or when our minds are cluttered as well, it is hard for us to progress forward. Therefore, we need to clear out our minds or space by having a funeral for all that negative energy. How would you create a more inviting environment? What makes a the ideal place to spend our hours at the center?
Hi! I think that's interesting to see that your staff area is like a storage area. I feel that as a director is to their staff, it should be the same as a teacher is to their children. I'm sure that if the classroom was treated as a storage room, the clutter would create a disaster and as for teachers, I'm sure it would make us feel uncomfortable physically and mentally. I think that I wouldn't be able to focus on the actual purpose we are there for.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the funeral that director had done with his staff was very interesting to see. It almost seemed like a retreat that you can use for getting rid of the old and starting fresh with the new. I though it was a great way to do that in his case. Do you think that having negative experiences are bad to have? Do you feel it can discourage some teachers into teaching better?
Hi Anjoleen,
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear more about how you might envision inspirng environment as a way to support and excite your staff. Expanding here could challenge all of us to consider a variety of perspective.
I wonder how this envisioning impacts the relationships between colleagues as well as with the environment at a site. When relationship is positioned as paramount in a vision, is it necessary for a teacher to build a relationship with environment? Can environment function as a teacher to children? How does the teacher relationship to the environment impact how the child builds a similar relationship? What role does the director play in fostering both of these relationships? Can space challenge a vision? Can space help a vision to evolve?
Jeanne
Anjoleen,
ReplyDeleteHello, where I work we have similar problems and because all the workers are Japanese ladies, we volunteer to clean and organize the storage, classroom and even bathrooms (we consider safety, cleanliness and comfort for not only children but also workers and this is our culture that we volunteer to make our situation better). Well, I felt that it was not fair for all of us when those who were not really participating as a “VOLUNTEER” as much as others and our director always took advantage of those people's kindness and never appreciated those efforts. It became our “DUTY” to work little by little and now we go to stores to get materials and prepare for the class activities out of the school (at home or after working hours). Lately, I started to hear workers complain about why they HAVE to do such things that they are not even paid for. Also, because they do not want to work extra hours without pay, their class activities are getting less interesting and I can see that children are not really into those. The director though seems to not even realize what is really happening at the center and still asks us to do more things, but many people do not want to, only certain workers are doing it and I can really see that they are stressing out about it. Well, we are learning how to be a better director this semester, but I was wondering all this time that as a staff member who has a director above me, if the director is not taking care of us and the situations that are happening at the center is stressing workers out, what is the best way to communicate and tell the director? I do not want to make a director upset because I said something the wrong way and get fired(?!).
Miwa ;)
Hey Anjo,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your question to your post. And I can relate to your storage/staff area thang. You described the clutter in the area as bringing negative vibes and I agree. For me personally, when I am somewhere that is very disorganized, dusty, or cluttered- I sometimes get irritated, overwhelmed, or literally sick (allergies from dust/mold). This is not only unhealthy towards my attitude when I have to return to the classroom, but it is also unhealthy to my personal health. How could a director find space for a more healthy and positive staff area? Could changes be made to the environment as a whole in order to create space for a new area? How significant do you feel this space is to your overall performance and attitude as a kumu? What would you be willing to sacrifice or work for in order to get a better staff space?
Hey Anjo,
ReplyDeleteow has this space affected you throughout your day to day routines? What would be beneficial about refocusing the room? What do you plan on using the room for? Creating a space that employees feel comfortable in is important, how would you be sure that all employees needs are met and that they will all feel comfortable?