Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Teamwork, Not Turf

Sometimes turf gets in the way of teamwork.

If it's your "turf"  you may not want to share, or perhaps someone doesn't want to share their "turf" with you.

It's best if we all find ways to work together and rid our organizations of "turf" disputes when it comes to teaching children well.

Program overlap can be positive, but it can also be a hindrance. It's important to look closely at our programs to try to make those programs feed and uplift each other. That's teamwork not turf.

In our shared teaching model, we rarely have issues with turf, and when we do we talk it out. We try to choreograph the programs so they work together in positive ways that support students well.

How can we work to harmonize programs rather than create conflict with programming.

Of course, the first response is lead time for planning and preparation.

When we plan our programs ahead of time, we have the luxury of time to look deeply at how those programs promote the best possible effort and synergy of one program to another.

Good analysis of existing programs including what works and what doesn't also supports this effort. Too often, we are quick to conjecture about what works best and what doesn't without looking deep at the data and outcomes.

To be a team player, you share the turf in targeted, thoughtful, and profitable ways. This is important to remember as we work together to uplift our programs and teach children well.