Sometimes, we need a nudge about how we should show up at work. We review a code, agreement or set of expectations. Like many leaders, I have used a bus as an easy analogy that captures our behaviour commitments to the culture we want for our school. For example, do our behaviours show that we are ‘on’ or ‘off’ the bus?
I recall leading similar restorative conversations in many schools, though one stands out from the rest. Following some challenges, I had spent considerable effort exploring psychosocial safety. My brilliant staff bravely and collaboratively named the behaviours we wanted to see less of, and shared their ideas about the words and actions we wanted to see more of.
I felt pretty proud of the outcome. After a long and emotional day, we knew our purpose, roles and shared responsibilities. We had a clear direction. We were on the bus!
A few months later, I was disappointed to see that little had changed and realised I needed to do more to support my staff. Health and Wellbeing programs and initiatives weren’t working… so I sought advice from an external organisational psychologist. Following staff consultation, the findings included the recommendation to ‘get rid of the bus’ and apologise. So I did. The bus was decommissioned! Though after some time, I was still disheartened that our culture still didn’t reflect what we wanted.
During the next holidays, I had the opportunity to explore more detail about the key beliefs and strategies that underpin Restorative Practices 2.0 when hearing Adam Voigt talk about Past, Present and Future – a model for conflict resolution. It dawned on me that I had given my staff input into the design of our behaviour expectations, and they were on the bus, but I had not included a fair and consistent way to problem solve when things went wrong.
I had given my team a bus with no spare wheels, no tools to undertake repairs and no maintenance manual!
When school returned, we worked daily with the Past, Present and Future framework to resolve interpersonal conflict. We also used it to gain consensus about team approaches to meet student need and to clarify roles, responsibilities and actions when navigating complex issues. Staff found new ways of incorporating the framework to reduce workload and experimented with using it to support students to clean up when they messed up, with a firm focus on looking forward.
In schools, we plan diligently for what it will look like when things go right. We use key success indicators, targets and outcomes drawn from behaviour expectations in matrixes, class and school rules, good standing policies and codes of conduct.
We have extensive policies and exhaustingly time-consuming processes for when harm is done, but what helps to guide us before things really escalate?
Conflict is normal. How do we get healthy and work productively with it? Importantly, what plans do we have for when things go wrong between people? The conflict that harms the most. Small things can become big things and destroy our culture overnight, while we’re busy focused on outcomes.
I wish I had known about the framework sooner, though am grateful to have seen the incredible impact across the school in such a short time. I gave our team a framework that valued the voice of all, is focused on the future, firm and fair and can be understood and applied consistently, by all.
During my last day sendoff, the team presented me with some incredible moments and memories, which included one my most favourite school gifts ever. A personalised bus! It sits proudly in my office as a reminder of so many things. But mostly, that conflict lives on the bus and should be acknowledged.
We just need the right tools and know-how to get back on the road when we get that inevitable flat.
