Sneak Peek From Tom Goodlet’s Upcoming Book, Listen Like Jesus (Working Title)
My oldest son, Parker, had a difficult transition into kindergarten. It did not help that the year before, we had changed churches, jobs, and homes for him and added a new sister. A lot was going on, and Parker would much rather stay at our new home with Mom, his brother, and the new baby than go to school. So, Parker resisted in any way he could conceive.
I believe it was day three of kindergarten when I was dropping Parker off in the car line at his new school. The principal was waiting, ready to assist. She reached out and took Parker by the hand to help him exit my car. As I drove away, I could see in my rearview that Parker was lying on the ground, playing dead, while still holding the principal’s hand. I exited the car line and then pulled into a parking spot in front of the school. I went into the school and waited in the principal’s office. It took them a few extra minutes to get Parker to class, but eventually he relented and went in.
When the principal came back to her office and found me sitting there, she had a distressed look on her face. I quickly said, “I know we had a strong-willed child, but his mother and I are strong-willed parents who need some help. What can we do together to make this better?” Once the principal realized I was not there to blame or criticize, but rather to team up, her face relaxed. We spent the next fifteen minutes developing a plan to help Parker transition into school. We worked together as a team, and that was the foundation of our relationship with the principal from that day forward.
When things aren’t going our way, it’s easy to look for someone to blame. We will blame the teacher, the principal, the coach, the church volunteer, or the youth pastor. However, blaming or criticizing only breaks up the team. We can’t handle all the stuff life throws at us on our own. We desperately need a team of people to help us. Instead of judging the intentions and critiquing the actions of others, our energy would be better spent creating more allies. If you want others to want to come alongside you in difficult times, then you must resist the urge to prejudge.
#leadershipdevelopment
#teamwork
#skilldevelopment