How do you know if you are making the right decision?
It was a typical Valentines morning at the elementary school and one where I could feel the excitement of the day in the air.
As I got to the school, unlocking the doors and checking for the daily attendance, I noticed a police truck parked across the street from the school. I made a gentle mental note to check back, and then continued on with the work of preparing for the day.
About twenty minutes later, I checked again and noticed a second police truck arrive. I stopped for a minute to see if there was anything ‘exciting’ happening across the street and hearing nothing, determined I would continue preparing for the wonderful day ahead. The business of the morning ensued, and we eagerly welcomed the families and children to the school. The morning hummed with the excitement of students ready for class parties, sharing of Valentines cards, and celebrating joy.
Just after the bell, as we were welcoming the final stragglers into the school, the RCMP arrived to inform me that there was a gentleman in his apartment ‘holed up’ and making threats to hurt himself. We quickly had a conversation, and based on the information I had at the time and the two minutes I had to make the decision, with the information from the RCMP and the insight of our recently hired Vice Principal, I made the determination that we would not put the school into lockdown. We would pay careful attention to the developments across the street, and do our best to make sure it wouldn’t impact the staff and students at the school.
During all of this, I also made sure I was connecting with our Senior Admin team so they could always be in the loop of what was happening, but even more than that, my intention was to make sure I could get insight from those more experienced than I if needed.
The situation continued and within a short period of time, the officers informed me they were bringing a SWAT team from out of town and wanted to land on the field. Students were in classes and the ability to bring the team close to the situation might expedite the end of the event. Within a short period of time, three helicopters landed on the massive school field and out would jump camo-covered SWAT teams ready for action. Within a few hours, the front door of the apartment was broken down , tear gas was thrown into the building and the gentleman was apprehended and taken to a place where he could receive care.
During the situation that day, a specific issue arose regarding how and when to share the information with families. As the situation intensified, my focus remained on the situation. I didn’t have the time or capacity to start communicating with the public. But, when my daughter, ( who lives about 150 km away) texted me to ask if I was ok, I realized that social media was running wild with this story, and it most likely was taking on a life of its own. Informing the public about the situation could have caused more problems rather than fewer, but as my immediate attention was needed at the school, I ‘parked’ that problem until later.
In the daily life of a school Principal, multitudes of decisions are being made throughout the day. At the end of the day, often on my runs, I have the opportunity to reflect and think more deeply about some of those decisions. Reflection is such a crucial part of any decision making as there are always repercussions about any decision we make. My intention is always to make the decision with the best information I have, and my preference is to make collaborative decisions ( but we do not always have this luxury) and then deal with the repercussions (good or bad).
After the four hour stand-off came to a successful end, as a team we began the important reflection process. Here is what I have come to understand:
I made the best decisions at the time that I had and the information that was a available to me. I was proud of my decision making that day.
At the end of the school day, I held a de-briefing with the staff, and informed with accuracy the details of that morning. I looked to staff for feedback on what would help if we were ever to have a situation like this again (God forbid!). I am grateful for the feedback from staff and have since put that into practise.
I also had the opportunity to meet with other senior staff and reviewed how the process went, and how we could improve our practise.
All in all, it was a very stressful yet profound experience in my leadership development. It has also led me to think deeply on my own decision making and here are a few things I have learned.
Good decision making happens when we are not working in isolation.
When making a tough decision, If at all possible and there are not immediate time restraints, run the nuance and details by someone else. And then Listen (with a capital L).
Seek the counsel of others when you can. Reach out to others who are experienced in the work. And then Listen (with a capital L).
It is said that school Principals make between 300 and 500 decisions daily, and those decisions are varying in depth and importance, but all will affect students, staff, one person or the entire community.
After a decision is made, it is important to reflect but not look back. Aside from the decision making itself, the crucial element of any decision making is to reflect. Remain guided in our decision making by our values and always keep the safety and security of students and staff at the very front of our decision making. And then onwards we grow.