NBOA President and CEO
I’ve been a film buff for most of my life, ever since I was kid and caught the bug of acting in community theatre. I’ve always loved the movies specifically — the entire experience of sitting in a darkened theatre with popcorn or red licorice. If this admission dates me, so be it! There’s nothing like being completely involved in a story unfolding on the big screen.
In college, one of my favorite classes was “The Art of the Film,” which exposed me to classics like “Seven Samurai,” “Death Takes a Holiday,” “It Happened One Night,” “Chinatown” and “12 Angry Men.” If you don’t know it, the last is a 1957 black-and-white hit that served as a star turn for Henry Fonda and included a legendary actor from the era, Lee J. Cobb, as well as soon-to-be TV standout Jack Klugman. All of this is to explain why I was immediately drawn to the Wall Street Journal’s recent article: “ Want to Be a Better Boss or Team Player? Watch ‘12 Angry Men.’”
For those who haven’t seen the film, it tells the story of 12 sequestered jurors deciding the fate of a 12-year-old boy accused of murdering his father. While little of the plot may benefit today’s independent school leaders, the way in which the jurors build consensus, as explained by the article’s author, Susan Lucia Annunzio, could provide a useful lens for collaboration among your team.
Annunzio focuses on Juror #8, played by Fonda, and how he brings people around to his point of view. She describes his approach as “a master class in how one person can take a group of skeptical – even hostile – colleagues and get them to work together toward a single goal.” I can’t think of a single independent school administrative team or business office staff that I would describe as “hostile,” so it’s likely that many of us are starting out from a more collegial foundation. All the same, no team will be unified in all its views all the time.
Juror #8’s ability to bring the group together stems from “suspending judgment while exploring possibilities and facts,” according to Annunzio. So often, business leaders are expected to enter the room with the “answer,” even when we know that a solution reached by consensus will garner far more support than one that is decided by a single individual.
As school business leaders, we may not win an Oscar for our efforts, but if we can move the needle towards productive consensus among our teams, we will have done good!
The behaviors in the jury room that Annunzio describes could exist on a variety of staff teams. “Does someone assume they’re right and everyone else is wrong? Is someone dominating the discussion? Is someone being ignored? Is there a pecking order?” The author suggests the following to mitigate these behaviors and develop more collaborative discussions among team members:
- “Stay calm. Suspend judgment and explore possibilities.”
- “Ask open-ended questions.”
- “Combine thoughts and experiences to enhance each other’s ideas.”
I will keep these simple but compelling thoughts in mind the next time I lead a meeting and seek an outcome that the entire group will embrace.
Beyond those practical matters, I have a new reason to re-watch one of my favorite movie classics, this time from the comforts of my home, though perhaps still with some popcorn or licorice. As school business leaders, we may not win an Oscar for our efforts, but if we can move the needle towards productive consensus among our teams, we will have done good!
Follow NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields on LinkedIn.
