Does This Sound Like Your Summer?
A “profile” approach can make collaboration more seamless.
School is out and now you can shift to your to-do list of strategic projects. There are no weekly newsletters to prep, no unexpected fire drills to respond to and you don’t need to be in three places at once taking photos! You are thinking creatively and are analyzing long-term needs. BUT WAIT…you can’t do this strategic level work alone and you need the other administrators and school leaders to help move your strategic priorities forward.
One way that I’ve learned to do this is to understand the style and profile of the people with whom you need to collaborate to get things done. Slight adjustments to how you approach each person will help in getting to your desired outcomes.
The Planner. This person has their summer mapped out. They know when they will be in the office and they know the projects they need to tackle. Surprises are uncomfortable and frustrating. To collaborate with a Planner, give them advance notice and be very clear on expectations and timelines.
The Big Thinker. Everything I said for the Planner, will not work well with the Big Thinker. Deadlines and highly instructive emails can feel suffocating and are not motivating for the Big Thinker. Your request will just sit there. Instead, schedule a meeting where you can present your project and gather feedback during that session. Big Thinkers respond well when they can react to something that is in process.
The Analyzer. Give ample time and context to the Analyzer. They want to understand how you got to this point by understanding the inputs and process. They like having the opportunity to ask questions and may even ask for more research before they can lend their feedback and direction.
The “Go With the Flow” Person. This person tends to go along with the group and will default to what the group says. Push this person to contribute their thoughts and feedback with pointed and directed questions where you need their insights and expertise. Once you get them engaged in this way, they will lean in.
The beauty of collaborating in this way over the summer is that your end result tends to be high quality and with high levels of input. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!