"One cannot do the right thing without doing things right..." and other clichéd quotes

In my last post I briefly mentioned that I did not particularly enjoy the Bolman and Deal quote:

"...Managers do things right, Leaders do the right thing"          - Bolman & Deal

Perhaps it is simply that I am exhausted by all catchphrases that authors create to inspire.  Perhaps it is that I am simply tired of arguing over semantics or is it that I am offended by the lack of creativity used in these statements.  "It's not the size of the Dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the Dog", "You must master your rage or your rage will be your master" etc... These are so clichéd there is a movie titled "Mystery Men" about of group of ordinary people with made up superpowers.  A character named "The Sphinx" claims his superpower is making these types of sayings. Here is a great dialogue from the movie that sums up my sentiment:

[Arguing with the Sphinx's clichéd speeches]

Mr. Furious: Okay. Am I the only one who finds these sayings just a bit formulaic? "If you wanna put something down, you gotta pick it up". "If you wanna go left, you gotta go

right". It's...

Sphinx: Your temper is very quick, my friend. But until you learn to master your rage —

Mr. Furious: Your rage will become your master? [The Sphinx freezes, caught] That's what you were gonna say, right? Right?

Sphinx: ... Not necessarily.

Bolman and Deal suggest that metaphor, humour and play illustrate strong roles within the symbolic leaders characteristics.  They suggest that "...rather than asking why people use humour in organizations, we should ask why they are so serious".  I do not believe that Bolman and Deal intended for statement I dislike to be humorous but referencing their own work, as a purported "symbolic" leader I suppose I have corroborated their claims! I have decided that, I too, will make my own clichéd quote in honour of Bolman and Deal: 

"One cannot do the right thing without doing things right"

The Political Frame

Bolman and Deal state: "...The political view frames a different world: Organizations are coalitions composed of individuals and groups with enduring differences who live in a world of scarce resources. That puts power and conflict at the center of organizational decision making" (Bolman and Deal, 2008, pp.209).  I understand and appreciate many of the political frames ideas and here is a list that I have implemented into my teaching pedagogy and how I frame my band room:

• Generality - Looking at the accounting practices that Enron used, I now look beyond a traditional lens of "classroom management" and view our communal rules as social conduct.
• Openness - I have always been open with the influence of repertoire choices and instrument assignments but now I have made a concerted effort in the political frame to be "open".  I like the idea of being more transparent in my decisions and informing the students why this decision was made.  In the past, I had never considered why this was important, I believed that letting the students have a voice in the decision was enough.
• Caring - As an educator, this has always been a priority for me.  Not to "be" caring, as that is already a huge aspect of any good teachers pedagogy, but make sure "caring" is visible for all students.  A lot of times, it is easier to to display "caring" in a less public setting such as parent/teacher interviews. 

Political Arena

"...Organizations are both arenas for internal politics and political agents with their own agendas, resources, and strategies. As arenas, they house competition and offer a setting for the ongoing

interplay of divergent interests and agendas" (Bolman and Deal, 2008, pp. 246).  As I read this the first I immediately thought this is meant for the business world and not for the education world.  But as I began to reflect upon this and break down some of the business terms I began to see how this frame could be related to my band room.  I acknowledge that my students have their own agenda (even though that sounds so negative and judgemental) and that is to get a good education.  I look at the school system as a whole, and the people above me outside my classroom and I can see how there is an interplay of divergent interests and agendas.  Going back to my earlier post about being able to look at the macro picture, this is what I was referring to.  Even though I exist and work in a small world called "the band room" I need to accept that there are outside forces with divergent ideas and agenda that could directly affect my classroom environment for better or worse.  If I fail to recognize that idea, then I could be, essentially, burying my head in the sand, and thinking that this little world my students and I exist in could be taken away at anytime and I need to protect it.

In the words of Steven Covey "Seek to understand before being understood".  I approached Reframing Organizations with the same mentality and feel as though I took what I needed from this theory.  Though much seemed irrelevant to the band room, there were several ideas that I discussed in this blog that resonated with me.  For that alone makes reading this book worthwhile.  As a public school teacher, I am professionally obligated to model a "life long learner" and as I continue to better myself and my pedagogy I am happy to be able to add the frames to my repertoire.  The resonating points stated above will make me a better teacher and help me to frame the organization (band room) in a way that, with the best intentions, make it an even better place for learning.

Onwards and Upwards,
Michael

PS - Here is the link for the video of the scene from Mystery Men! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuUopTPgjOI