Are schools vibrant workplaces?

A friend recommended that I read First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. Since the principalship is a classic middle management position, I thought I would check it out. So far it’s pretty interesting – the authors’ findings are based on interviews and other data collected by the Gallup Organization over the past 25 years from over 1 million employees and over 80,000 managers across a broad range of companies, industries, and countries.

Using factor analysis, regression analysis, concurrent validity studies, focus groups, and follow-up interviews to sift through the incredible mountain of data, the authors note that the strength of a workplace can be narrowed down to twelve questions that measure the core elements needed to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees.

As I look over this list, I wonder how teachers would respond to these questions? How strong and vibrant is the workplace we create for most educators?

[It would be interesting to have a couple of school districts give this survey to their employees, maybe breaking out the results by school building or job category. If anyone’s interested, I would be willing to host the online survey for a few districts and have made an example survey. Contact me if you would maybe like to do this.]