Emails poured in yesterday and one theme was in essence, "what now?"
The damage has been done. The layoffs have occurred. The way it was handled was the way it was handled. The timing was the timing. So, we cannot change it. We cannot alter the past.
We can though alter the future by the way in which we handle today. Now is what matters most. And, now will be what allows the future to be different rather than a repeat.
Moving forward Agora must do the following:
Repair -- Restore -- Rethink
Agora leadership needs to work to repair relationships with families, students, teachers, and staff. Families feel betrayed, hurt, taken advantage of, and they are in pain. Students are confused. Teachers and staff that remain are afraid -- and operating out of fear never leads to sustainable success.
Agora leadership also needs to restore trust. It is sorely lacking right now from those that matter most. Trust must be the underlying foundation in any relationship. Restoration of it will take time and only actions will matter. Words no longer count.
Agora leadership must now rethink the future and build different -- not just what is built but how it is built. Transparency and even vulnerability must play key roles in the building of the future. If you want parents to be in this with you, if you want teachers and staff to be in this with you, then you must allow them to be in it with you.
Finally, to those who emailed me. Turn this circumstance into an opportunity and seize it for yourself. Choose yourself, and determine what you want most to do and be in life. I know the emotions of it all are raw right now and it feels unfair -- don't let them guide you though. Don't let your emotions drive your decisions.
When it is cold the one sure way to remove the cold is to bring heat. Thinking about how cold it is will not make it any hotter. Searching for a heat source, lighting a fire will bring heat. What happened and the emotions that go with it are the cold. Focusing on them will not make it any hotter for you. So, think and seek heat. Replace the cold with heat. You have the power to do it.
houston@figment-consulting.com
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