One of my first big-time assignments at Behrman House about fifteen years ago was to fly to Chicago to lead an all-hands educator meeting about the future of Hebrew education in that city.
I was nervous. I over-planned, over-prepared, and didn’t sleep. Turned out I did just fine. The feedback was good, the educators got what they needed—and I survived. Not just survived, but improved. That’s one of the best aspects of working at Behrman House: we are encouraged, no, required, to step outside our comfort zones and to grow by trying new things.
That’s why this article in the New York Times on February 11, 2011, "Tiptoeing Out of One’s Comfort Zone (and of Course, Back In)" resonates for me. Especially this statement: “Being slightly uncomfortable, whether or not by choice, can push us to achieve goals we never thought we could.” Think of the times you’ve had to do something new, big or small—changing jobs, trying a new gym class, making a speech, letting an employee or even a significant other go—and felt queasy about it. It helps to know that true growth comes from equal parts of fear and excitement.
We’ve recently been helping Jewish education leaders bravely examine how happy their staff and teachers are working for the synagogue, school, or organization. The trigger tool is the teacher engagement survey created by Behrman House Consulting Group metrics specialist Harold Weinstein.
The survey asks teachers to rank statements such as:
• I get a strong feeling of satisfaction from the work I do.
• I have at least one personal friend among the staff and faculty of the school.
• I am frequently given praise and recognition for doing a good job.
• I am paid fairly for the work I do.
We aggregate the results and send them to the education leader who learns how the teachers feel about working in the organization. Only with frank and revealing feedback like this can the education leader build a dynamic, professional education team. It takes guts but these dedicated professionals are willing to seek out what Daniel Pink calls “productive discomfort.” More power to them.
For more information about the Jewish teachers survey, please contact me.
