When I was a young man my dad said to me, “You can learn something from everybody you meet, even if it is what not to do.” I took that advice to heart and when I encounter somebody who I think is a positive role model, I watch carefully what they do and try to integrate what I learn into my own attitudes and behavior. I have met a number of great administrators. The ideas I found useful came from my observations and interaction with those administrators who  were successful in their jobs and in their personal lives. I learned to pay careful attention to my surroundings. I learned to listen thoughtfully and try to make my decisions based on the merits of the requests and not let my personal impressions and ideas influence me. I learned that you could like, and even admire somebody, but not give them what they request because their request was not justified. I learned that you need to treat all of those who report to you equitably even though they think about the world differently than I do. I learned that a good administrator makes decisions that benefit the organization they work for and those that report to her or him. I learned to hire people for talent and loyalty and to mentor those who work for me. I learned to be open to feedback and to be willing to change my decisions when the evidence presented to me suggests I do. I learned to make connections and understand the issues and problems of those I encountered every day. I learned to listen to the concerns of those who I dealt with every day and tried to give the best advice I could. I learned to ask for feedback on the decisions I made and tried to understand the consequences of my decisions. I learned all of this from those who I saw as competent and successful administrators.  

I have also met administrators who acted in a way contrary to everything I hold as important. Those administrators practiced the opposite of all the things that I found helpful. They rarely paid careful attention to their surroundings. They did not listen thoughtfully to those who reported to them and made decisions based on their personal likes and dislikes and not what was best for the people and the organization for which they worked. They did not treat all of those who reported to them equitably and that they did not tolerate the ideas of those who thought differently than they did. They did not take the time to understand the issues and problems of those who they encountered every day. They rarely asked for feedback on the decisions they made and that they did not try to understand the consequences of those decisions. I learned all of this from those that I saw as not being competent and successful administrators. I watched those administrators lose the respect of those that reported to them and what they did eventually hampered the efficiency and productivity of all of those they encountered.  I thank those administrators for teaching me what not to do. My dad was correct, you can learn something from everybody you meet, including what not to do.

Written by Louis H. Primavera, Ph.D.