Last weekend our school held one of those uniquely NZ events – a working bee. There are things happening on our site this year and we needed to remove/prune a large number of trees and shrubs. So out went the word to the community – help needed.
When I got onsite just before 8am (the advertised start was 8:30am), there were already people in action, cutting, shifting, loading trailers. And from there it just got busier.
By 9:30am there was a small army of people doing what needed to be done. By 12pm we were finished.
. . .
On Monday we held student conferences. This was an important event at our school too, but this time, we had to work much harder to get people involved. The same dads who willingly gave up a precious half Saturday had to be cajoled and reminded to get them there for 15 minutes.
Why?
There will be lots of different factors in play, but I suspect at least one of them was clarity of the purpose.
On Saturday, the reason for being there was obvious, and recognising the success outcome was easy. There was no ambiguity, and so the goal was super clear with all working side by side. Result? A massive task was achieved without much stress.
Contrast that with the conferences – each family experienced the event separately and in isolation with their teacher, worked through the allocated time. No one could look up across the school and say “job done” in a collective sense. There was a tangible feeling of uncertainty with many as they arrived and waited for their turn. Combined, these factors meant enthusiasm and commitment to the event was harder to build.
Which raises the question – can we do better? Can we simplify the goal of each conference down to one thing. No ambiguity, no ‘open’ agenda, but focus on the one overarching outcome that would equal success? All other things achieved being unexpected bonuses.
For example, if the common, over-riding goal of every conference was building a working relationship with their child’s teacher, and all parties knew what that looked like, just maybe the usual reminders wouldn’t be needed.
Clarity of purpose + Common goal = Commitment. I think we can do better.
Dave