This week of BT was challenging. In a group of 50+ coworkers, we knew there was bound to be drama, but I think I expected more professionalism. There is a huge amount of gossip surrounding the students and other teachers that goes on among the staff. I find this disturbing and a few of my coworkers in my family do as well. The director has also caught on and become more aware, however people gossip and say awful things about her as well. When I had a private conversation with her about this topic, she expressed that being a leader is always going to come with some “hate” and backlash. She said it is all about not letting things get through to you, because there will always be people that will dislike you. This really resonated with me. I planned the middle school dance this past Friday and being the comittee head, I was in charge of everything from the playlist to the decorations. Some coworkers expressed negative opinions about the playlist many times, even though I continuously asked for input and song additions. Instead of actually helping me, my fellow coworkers seemed to only want to say negative comments. I was a bit upset but after talking to the director and some of my work friends, I realized that being a leader in this situation I was subject to the same issues that plague most leaders. I kept thinking about Machiavelli and how its better to be feared than loved. While I want everyone I work with to love me, that is completely unrealistic. I cannot please everybody even with something as small as a dance playlist. I am learning so much about working with other people, even people who do not treat me with respect. What I have learned is that while we cannot control others behaivor, we can control our reactions and our emotions for the most part. That is definitely the most important thing for me to remember while in even small leadership roles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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