5 Ways to Deal with a Red Light/Green Light Leader

For most educators it’s hard to not have at least one working experience with a typical Red Light/Green Light administrator.  It usually starts with a stroke of inspiration while relaxing with coworkers on Friday night or if you work in Asia in the middle of a foot massage.  You’ve just discovered the solution to a nagging school problem.  On Monday, after the morning rush has passed, you walk into the “gate keepers” office (principal, headmaster, department head, etc) to lay out your sweeping vision for the school.  Oddly enough, they don’t seem as excited about it as you were when you first thought about it.

So what’s wrong?  Well it could be a number of things.  Maybe your idea just isn’t that good.  Or maybe something else needs to take priority right now.  Or maybe you’re working with a Red Light/Green Light leader; a leader who instead of encouraging colleagues to be creative, take risks and solve problems, demands “veto power” on all potential projects.**

Don’t be discouraged.

Here are 5 ways to deal with a Red Light/Green Light Leader:

1.  Experiment Within Your Sphere of Influence

If you’re like me you feel surrounded by problems that are begging for a solution.  Here in the Philippines I see intense poverty, pollution and wasted resources outside of school, and in school there’s a whole different set of of problems.

Whether working with Red Light/Green Light leaders or not one should first ask whether the issue is within my sphere of influence.  aAsking this question will focus your time and energy on projects that you hold some sway or authority over.  It’s hard to blame a school leader who ignores your ideas about the upcoming school musical when it’s not your expertise.  That’s not to say you can’t have great ideas, but start in an area that you can directly effect.

2.  Show That It Works Before You Present the Idea

Many school leaders in established and successful schools face a dilemma about whether they should risk experimenting on new ideas.  I’m sure there is a lot of pressure at the top of a school that has created a successful legacy of learning.  Even at lower levels of leadership (department heads, etc.) the pressure to produce consistent results is noticeable.  Sometimes a person needs to see it work before they can get behind the idea.  If possible create small and measurable experiments with your idea to prove its success.

3.  Try to Understand the Leader’s perspective (Emotional Intelligence)

As I mentioned earlier it can be easy to identify problems, but it’s also important to prioritize resources.  Instead of picking at the “low-hanging fruit” problems we must understand what issues are below the surface and ask our leaders what we can do to help solve the problems they see.  Maybe if we can be successful in solving an issue they’ve prioritized, they’ll prioritize what we’ve noticed next time around.

4.  Serve the Original Purpose That Your Were Brought In For

International teachers and administrators are expensive.  I once spoke with a member of the recruitment team at a prominent international school who said that they estimate a $40,000 investment for each expat they hire.  Therefore we need to honor our job description first before we expand into different ideas.

5.  Collaborate and Create Your Own Team to Create a Wave of Change

The best ideas I’ve been a part of have alway come through collaboration with others.  Working with others to solve school problems isn’t just a natural method for working within a community but it might be an antidote for a Red Light/Green Light leader.  Invite others in on your ideas and concerns and you’ll discover new perspective you’d never seen before.  Start a professional learning community, data team, peer observation group, etc.

It can be frustrating working in an environment that doesn’t outwardly encourage creativity and risk taking, but with some patience and strategic problem-solving it’s possible to create a wave of change that just might change the school culture as a whole.

**Disclaimer:  I understand that schools are complicated and school communities are well served when leaders galvanize and focus the school’s resources on a particular mission, but that still doesn’t mean that this leaders don’t exist.