School Principals need to tell stories. True stories and lots of them. A Principal who is out of their office is in a much better position to both hear and repeat stories.

So let me tell you a story…
I was assisting a school with a marketing project. To help me learn about the school I went on a tour. As I went around I talked with teachers and students. I was interested. It was a slow tour because I wanted to hear their stories. I wanted to hear what they enjoyed, what they thought. Seeing some of the student work was good but hearing the stories behind it was far better.

In a few minutes I was hearing stories the Principal had never heard. Why? Simply because I was in a position to ask, linger and ask again. I was a stranger. It was unthreatening. It wasn’t a formal interview. They were not being reviewed.

Importantly the teachers were not in class so were not in a rush. The teachers appreciated my enthusiasm and interest. The stories were not of the brightest, fastest or most brilliant students. They were about what was memorable.

Some teachers had been there for many years. They still had a passion.

I was able to share with the Principal some of the stories. Some of them were stories he could have been using to share with local media. They were human interest stories. Certainly they could be in the school newsletter.

Part of the problem was simple. The Principal’s office and the lunch room were physically far apart. Everyone was busy. They ate in different locations. Telling a story was physically more difficult. Only the spectacular stories made it the distance.

Hearing stories takes time but is invaluable. It requires a change of habits. It requires creating simple mechanisms to share stories.

Another school I assist is different. The Principal is often wandering the playground or in the lunch room. He has a great team which allows this to happen. He hears stories. He tells stories. He is interested and curious. Students, staff and parents know they can approach him.

A Principal can tell a prospective parent “Yes we offer extension English”. Yet far more powerful would be embedding that reply in a story like… “Yes we offer extension English. Each year we also invite a top author to speak to students. Last year the author was Scott Monk. Scott wrote some of the HSC novels like Raw. Students go away for two days of writing and learning. Scott’s story is inspiring because he hated English. For a school project he had to write a 20 page short story. He became hooked and wrote 220 pages. Now he helps others fall in love with writing. I love reading some of the student stories from these camps”.

By mentioning a name it becomes real. By sharing not just the “what” happens it adds some life. Finally by saying he has read some of the work says to a parent that what the students do is important.

Yes telling stories takes more time but they are more likely to be repeated!

What stories are you missing out on by sitting in your office?