When Hard Work Hides a Weak System
School leaders are some of the hardest-working people I know. So when a school isn't getting the results it wants, I don't immediately assume people aren't working hard enough.
Sometimes the opposite is true.
We've created an organization where good people have to work extraordinarily hard because the systems around them aren't working.
Think about the process that only works because Sarah remembers everything. Or the principal who personally solves every discipline problem. Or the Executive Director who has to approve every decision.
That's not high performance.
That's dependence.
So here's today's leadership question:
Where is your team compensating for a weak system through extraordinary effort?
Because working harder may solve today's problem.
Building the system can solve it tomorrow.
School leaders don't have an effort problem.
Many have a repeatability problem.
If success depends upon your best people remembering, rescuing, reminding, fixing, and following up every time, you may be getting results—but you haven't necessarily built a system.
This week, I'm going to challenge you to look underneath some of the recurring problems in your school.
Not just:
Who's responsible?
But: What system is missing?
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