Unreasonable Hospitality
These are my notes from a book based on high quality restaurants that I think apply to schools and education. Italicized portions are direct quotes from the book.
Guidara, Will. (2022). Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power Of Giving People More Than They Expect. New York: Optimism Press
Simon Sinek: Great Service cannot exist without Great Leadership
Repetitive Change Syndrome continues in education as leaders look for THE answer. I suggest leaders look for multiple answers to address the wide diversity of learners both in students, professional educators, and communities.
Fads fade and cycle, but the human desire to be taken care of never goes away.
We can perform management processes. That is the yes or no (black or white) of making things work. Attending to process (how we engage learners) and being inviting is another skill that adds color. Building the learning culture can be the fringe benefit that will attract and retain our best teachers, staff, and leaders.
Service is Black and White; Hospitality Is Color. “Black and white” means you’re doing your job with competence and efficiency; “color” means you make people feel great about the job you are doing for them.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “well–behaved women seldom make history.” Sometimes creativity is required to meet the ever changing needs of a community and the world. If it isn’t working, try something else.
Because no one who ever changed the game did so by being reasonable.
I learned long ago that modeling is the best teacher. Parents are the first model young people see. Community and schools are probably the next model. Then, when you start working, you watch the colleagues around you and the leader to find out what is accepted and what is not. I don’t know who said it and I have found it to be true: “What you permit, you promote.”
Enthusiasm Is Contagious.
Let your energy impact the people you’re talking to, as opposed to the other way around. Words Matter. Actions matter more.
Language Creates Culture
Angeles Arrien said, “the opposite of trust is control.” People in organizations need to be safe physically and emotionally. There must be a balance of control and creativity to keep evolving our learning.
Sometimes Control Stifles Creativity. Language is how you give intention your intuition and how you share your vision with others. Language is how you create a culture. Creativity is an active process not a passive one.
When I am in my whiney state of mind, “things never work out” I have to remind myself more times than not that most things do work out. I heard 80% of our worst fears never happen and the mental/physical energy directed toward ‘what might happen’ detracts from celebrating ‘what does happen.’ So, answer the question, ‘what do you want?’ Word toward making that a reality.
Run toward what you want, as opposed to away from what you don’t want. Make Decisions Together
There are several studies, Surowiecki, James. (2004). The wisdom of crowds being one, found the more diverse a team is, the more perspectives the team gets, and the psychological safety 9Amy Edmondson) to express those thoughts, will lead to better decisions. Better than the smartest person in the room.
Leaders Listen – You are not always going to agree with everything you hear, but you’ve got to start by listening.
In Madeline Burley-Allen’s book, Listening – The Forgotten Skill, says in communicating we spend 9% writing, 16% reading, 35% speaking, and 40% listening. Where do we teach listening skills in schools, in leadership preparation classes, or in workplace behavior? I have found if I listen, people tell me what I need to hear.
Hire the Person, Not the Résumé. This helped with the weeding process; if someone was going to balk at starting out as a kitchen server, they probably weren’t a good fit. Every Hire Sends a Message. “When you hire, you should ask yourself: Could this person become one of the top two or three on the team? They don’t necessarily have to be all the way there yet, but they should have the potential to be.” There’s no one-size fits all rule for managing people. Everyone’s oxygen is different, and we have to figure out for ourselves what we need to breath.
How do you hire. First, of course, does the candidate have the necessary knowledge, skills, and applications to the job required. Another question very important is, ‘do I want to work with this person.’ They may be a bit of a renegade and ‘is that what the team needs?’ Menlo Innovations, Google, etc. have the possible hire work with team members to see if they fit rather than hiring from a piece of paper. Are they doers or posers?
Strategy is for Everyone. “The bigger we get, the smaller we have to act.” The Best Way to Learn Is to Teach. Great Leaders Create Leaders
What are your strategies?
Maya Angelou famously said. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”