"Don’t push out the troublemakers; let them in and treat them with respect. As he (John Kotter)
puts it, “invite in the lions.” Embrace them and welcome them into the debate. Using
this strategy disarms and co-opts them, and also creates some drama and focuses other
people’s attention on your proposal, which can be helpful when everyone is
on information overload."
From: Jeff Kehoe, "How to Save Good Ideas: An Interview with John Kotter".
Published by: Harvard Business Review 88, no. 10 (October 2010): 129-132. Found in: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2010
In a union environment you cannot 'push out' people. So then what? I agree with the above statements and my experience has proven that 'inviting in the lions' is often the best strategy. Listen...then talk. Hear what the lions have to say and then reflect and move forward. It has been my experience that when people feel they are being 'pushed out' they just increase the negative energy and influence. They gather followers and soon the staff is divided which creates a negative learning environment which ultimately affects the students. It can be really challenging to work with those lions but as an administrator one must rise above the conflict and keep the big picture in mind.
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