The Four Shields of a Difficult Conversation: Deflection, Part 3

As a school owner, you can agree with me that being the boss can be more difficult and less fun than most people think. The biggest challenge? The staff members at your school. Even if you’re a born “people person,” being in a position of authority means making tough choices, having tough conversations, and often finding yourself in a tough spot. 

During tough conversations, you may have noticed some of your teachers using the deflection method to avoid taking responsibility. How do you respond to someone who is deflecting? The first place to start with is empathy. 

Deflection is a defence mechanism from hell, because it is the hardest to work with at school. In today’s episode, I share tips on how to deal with the deflecting mechanism the moment you notice it being used by your teachers. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• How to deal with deflecting tendencies in your teachers and hold them accountable
• How to keep the ball in a deflecting teacher’s court
• How to gently bring up the deflection tendencies to your staff’s attention without ruining your relationship with them
• And so much more!

Many times, when staff deflect when you bring something to their attention, it’s because what you are talking about is not a priority in their life at that time

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Get your Scripts Workbook HERE 

Access the Difficult Conversations Template HERE

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Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

If you are ready to take your school to the next level of growth and are looking for support, community, and accountability to make that happen – then would love for you to apply for our Director’s Inner Circle or Owners HQ program.  

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Looking for a do-it-yourself option of learning?

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• The world has been shaken by a pandemic. The effects are being felt in our lives every day.
• How do you lead your teachers during a season like this?
• How do you support children and parents?
• How do you make strategic decisions about your school in a season of unknowns?

For these answers and much more: You can check out our chanie.me/schoolsintransition

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life.

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

In addition to weekly solo episodes, she’ll also be inviting industry leaders and the changing makers of the landscape of education to give listeners the insides knowledge of what it takes to sustain excellence.

Don’t miss an episode, subscribe today for everything you need for your leadership journey!