In response to the post “A Fatal Flaw,” and the subsequent comments, a reader writes:

“Not to mince words with the poster, but it is not necessarily true that you have to use professional development to prove you have attempted to salvage an employee. From a philosophical point of view, I agree that administrators have a duty to model what they expect. Teachers don’t write off students, principals don’t right off teachers. However, there can be the need for exceptions. Recent Commissioner (Texas) rulings tend to uphold the principle that districts have no duty to remediate poor performance and employees have no legal right to expect an opportunity to grow. That is a hard stand to take, but since we have Commissioner and court rulings on the issue, obviously some districts have had to take that hard stand. Most superintendents and school boards expect principals to make an attempt to remediate poor performance, but not all, apparently.”

SC Response
Notice and opportunity, it’s what leadership owes every employee. If you are unable, unwilling, or to lazy to provide a staff member with notice that he or she is not meeting expectations and the opportunity to improve his or her performance, you may be sitting in the chair, but you are not a leader. Note that notice and opportunity relates to job performance, not blatant stupidity, illegal acts, negligence, etc. And, notice does not specify a specific number of notices and opportunity does not mean a set amount of time (my rule of thumb was two memos and one semester).

It is the lack of leaders in leadership positions that gives credence to the perceived value of unions.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…