My friend the educator Dennis Littky (see my 09.07 Blog on his boffo new book, The Big Picture) reports on graffiti that one of his students left on the side of a teacher’s truck: “Teaching = Listening. Learning = Talking.”
I love that!
TEACHING = LISTENING.
LEARNING = TALKING.
Same for “bossing,” I’d vow. Or how about: “Leading is Listening.” Or: “BAD ‘leaders’ have all the answers. GOOD leaders have the best Questions.”
Whatever.
If “engagement” is the heart of education or developing a Wow Team, then there is no doubt that top leader kudos go to the top listeners. Axiom: The best … ONLY? … way to truly engage someone is to listen to them. (Right??) And … Part 2 … engaged people are … duh … ENGAGED … THAT IS, TALKING.
So, until further notice:
TEACHING = LISTENING.
LEARNING = TALKING.
What do you think? (TALK TO ME! I’M LISTENING!)