Teaching Appreciation for Differences

“Leaders of early care and education programs must have the ability and skill to help people understand and appreciate the value of different perspectives,” reports Paula Jorde Bloom in The Director’s Link (Spring 2006; The McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership; http://cecl.nl.edu).  Bloom cites examples of what an administrator can do to help staff expand their perspectives…

Model tolerance
To be tolerant, one must embrace the notion that different points of view are not only important, they are essential in growing, thriving organizations.  Tolerance goes hand in hand with flexibility — a willingness to consider that there is often more than one solution to a problem.

Engage in learning conversations
A learning conversation begins with the premise that we each have something to gain from hearing the other’s opinions on an issue.

Help staff disentangle intent from impact
We have all made the mistake of assuming that we understand someone else’s intentions.  Not surprisingly, we are often wrong in the assumptions we make.  We infer intentions from the impact that an action or behavior has had on us.  And frequently we assume the worst.  Intentions are invisible.  It is only through a learning conversation that we can really understand someone’s intent.