An interesting thing happens when there are chairs in a room. People tend to sit in them. When all the seats are taken (or there aren't any chairs) people tend to respond in all sorts of ways.
An example of this can be found in my family room. We recently cleared the room in preparation for a move. When the room was empty I avoided it and even experienced a sense of regret when my son wanted to sit and play video games with me. It wasn't until I pulled in a couple of chairs from our outdoor patio furniture that we were able to reclaim and reinvent the space.
This raises a few questions for leaders:
Who on your team is waiting for a chair?
Who is going out of their way to ensure everyone has a seat?
How are we empowering our teams to rearrange the room as needed?
The culture we create for saving seats, sharing seats, and inventing new solutions isn't about furniture. It's all about leadership.
If this blog post resonated, you might like my newest book, Reclaiming Our Calling: Hold on to the Heart, Mind, and Hope of Education. The book tackles a tension many educators are feeling using a combination of stories and practical strategies. If you’re interested in technology integration, Renegade Leadership: Creating Innovative Schools for Digital-Age Students is a best-seller with Corwin Press. Both books are built on the belief that everything we do in education starts with relationships and connectedness.
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