Am I listening or solving????

Early on as a young administrator a staff member came to me with a litany of complaints. Receiving complaints is something we’re all accustomed, but what made this an unusual occurrence was from the person complaining. She was one of my positive staff, typically with solutions rather than complaints.

As she spoke, I tried desperately to comfort her, to offer options, solutions, support. The more I tried to help the more agitated she became until she blurted out, “STOP IT! You’re just like every other administrator who thinks you have to solve EVERYTHING….I just need to VENT!”

I learned an invaluable lesson that day. Not EVERY problem needs a solution as sometimes the solution lies in listening rather than speaking…

Be good to yourself