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Monique Brennan
HR express

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Speak Up

"It's easy to make a buck but a lot tougher to make a difference." -- Tom Brokaw

On the eve of getting back to school we embark on the annual routine of scouring Wal-Mart isles for obscure items like purple duotangs and 4B art pencils and listening to kids discuss which teachers they want and don't want. Often, their preferences are teachers known to give the least amount of homework. As parents we hope for the teachers who send them home with more to think about than just homework. Over the years I have really come to appreciate that like any other profession the "Great Ones" aren't just born with such talent, they work at it. It's the little things they do continually that make the difference.

My son Morgan noticed that "difference" right away one year. He came home and said "You'll never believe what happened at school today!" (Ahem, it's never good when he begins his story that way.)

"Remember we worked on that big project with the sand, cardboard and stuff? Well, it kinda fell because our group kicked the table by accident. It fell all over the floor, like, man, it was completely destroyed and made a big mess!" he continued. "You know what our new teacher did????"

(My jaw tightened thinking the worst: She resigned from teaching.)

But then he jubilantly reported, "She laughed so hard, she thought it was funny and didn't get mad. She said mistakes are a big part of science because you learn stuff from your mistakes. So now we are going to build it even better."

And then added, "Isn't she the greatest teacher in the world?"

I imagined how she somehow managed to rise above her student's "mishap" and turned it into an opportunity to explain the concept of serendipitous science. What kind of freak was she? Mrs. Doubtfire? Ms. Frizzel from Magic School Bus? I was in awe.

Thereafter, the sun rose and set with his new teacher and Morgan frequently came home excited to tackle homework and would tell me how she cleverly made schoolwork funny and interesting by doing such things as connecting the curriculum to TV programs they watched or sports they played etc.

The next time I saw her, amidst a loud spring fair, or a noisy hallway (I can't quite remember which) I told her to keep being "the greatest teacher in the world."

Naturally she was puzzled, so I shared the disastrous project story, and how she inspired Morgan to do better academically all term. To my surprise she had tears in her eyes as she choked out a thank you, then both of us ran in search of Kleenex.

One might ask why the tears? One theory could be that I reminded her of such a painful day that she had to run off to seek more therapy, but another theory (and the one I personally prefer) is that I truly recognized her extra effort and that her hard work "made a difference".

The potential to "make a difference" in others exists in many professions, especially in the role of supervisor or manager. When their employees develop to more than they were, that is "making that difference".

To accomplish that feat, however, is not easy. Great leaders like great teachers aren't just born, they work at their craft. They do the little things that count diligently day in and day out, like taking the time to plan, communicating regularly, following up on developmental tasks, making sure tasks are interesting, and regularly attending to employees' needs to ensure they are engaged and connected to the goals of the company.

All of those things take time, effort, thought and hard work -- the "great ones" know this and do it.

So to all of the managers, leaders and supervisors "making a difference" and inspiring employees to be more, keep it up! Also, to all of the "great" teachers going back to class, keep in mind we notice all that you do. And hopefully my children will be in your class!

n Monique Brennan BA, MSc. is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) who works with companies to improve their workplaces. If you would like to receive her free newsletter or share comments feel free to contact her at: 388-0011 or mqcoach@nb.sympatico.ca.