My answer is, there is no good balance. You sought both, you get nothing. One has to make some way for the other.
However, if you are very highly effective, there will be rub-off engagement, vice versa is true.
In my previous school, engagement is the key to effectiveness, now, effectiveness is the key to engagement.
A fellow colleague from another workplace, told me his boss value , engagement a lot, care a lot of his staff welfare. Nope, it is not lip service, all meetings must end by 3, all official events must end by 5. While I spend 2 weeks after the school holiday starts for review and planning next year work plan, their staff are off to their holidays just 3 days in the holiday. My colleague admits her staff are spoilt now, and will suffer when their boss goes for rotation.
I ask, how is the results. She told me it is improving over the years, the staff go all out for the pupils, since they are not bothered/ burdened by admin. In fact, many managers come to their school as it is the few in Singapore where staff engagement score is an A. Those in the industry will appreciate how difficult it is to get A in they climate survey.
Didn't know there is still such wise boss around. Engagement driving effectiveness. I have seen the other too, effective robots, who are so use to process that they like what they are doing since they know what to expect.
I am gunning for effectiveness now, as my wife says, my clients have change.
Uncle Temperament,
ReplyDeletePersonally I prefer engagement over effectiveness, both as a subject and as a "boss"
However, I learn to realise that there are 2 footnotes to that.
1) do not expect mercy or "engagement" where there is no results.
2) engagement is highly customized to different ppl.
Sillyinvestor,
ReplyDeleteYou sometimes amazes me...
"Didn't know there is still such wise boss around. Engagement driving effectiveness. I have seen the other too, effective robots, who are so use to process that they like what they are doing since they know what to expect."
Your heart and mind both say something in unison; but your action is doing some thing else. Interesting.
" In fact, many managers come to their school as it is the few in Singapore where staff engagement score is an A. Those in the industry will appreciate how difficult it is to get A in they climate survey. "
If we do something that anyone and everyone can do, how would we stand out?
Perhaps there is no difference between engagement and effectiveness?
And if there's no differences, why do we need to make a choice or strike a balance between the two in the first place?
All of sudden, your situation reminded me of the 6th Patriarch Hui Neng's famous poem...
;)
SMOL,
ReplyDeleteRegarding your qn about no difference, then what choice And balance are we talking about.
Remind me about the Song Ming Li Xue 宋明理学，穷理- learning something so throughly that u discover the truth.
Effectiveness and engagement are the same thing if the "subject" know the truth about them, the two end of the spectrum meet, but most of us are anywhere part, in between.
That's why 凡夫俗子，庸人自扰。mortals worries themseleves finding answers, me included
Btw, thanks for the gentle Suan aka poke. Brain stimulating ...
ReplyDeleteSillyinvestor,
DeleteA poke is not a suan.
It's like what you say - stimulate only ;)
以德服人
How does that gel with effectiveness versus engagement?
Or maybe we should do what the Germans say: Trust is good; but control is better!
That's the beauty of life's choices!
If everything is crystal, there will be no philosophy ;)
See the part when the part is important, see the whole when the whole is important, see yourself in part and whole...
DeleteIn the mood to talk nonsense, pardon me
Hi SI,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a couple of comments I made on your posts through my HP didn't really went through.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that for some students, I had to engage them before they can show their true potential. You have to understand them, talk to them, once they like you, they'll try their best not to dislike the subject and hopefully, that's enough to make them motivated enough to do their best in the exams. Usually girls are like that.
Others are strictly no-nonsense. They come to the lesson all prepared to just learn. If you make small talk, it's just a grunt or some monosyllabic answers. Okay, if that's the case, I'll go full power and blast them with knowledge. I don't necessary like this kind of lessons, because it's like I"m teaching the subject, not to the person. But whatever, they learn this way, I teach this way.
Thankfully each year, there's always a few students that will make the week more enjoyable and bearable. I think for me, what keeps me going is the interaction part of the lessons, not so much the regurgitation of knowledge and force-feeding them for exams. I hate that, but I don't have much choice.
Have a great weekend :)
(can't wait for the peak to be over...I'm going nuts with all the work)
Hi LP,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your long and thoughtful comment.
I know what you are doing about, when I teach high achieving or high progressing pupils, I always have the feeling of "transaction". I come and Learn, you come and teach. Don't preach.
In fact, when this area is concerned, I think I am luckier than you since in a group of high achievers, there will surely be pupils who still like the interaction. While I always like teaching, one reason why I didn't go tuition for pure teaching is the reason cite above, the transaction feel. It is particularly strong with money involved.
Next week should be the last week of your peak, if I get the school calendar right.
Take care, have a nice weekend too.