6 things corporate executives can learn from school teachers and classrooms LINKEDIN | 21 APRIL, 2016

1. Speak the truth. By the nature of the task and their job, teachers have to speak the truth always. The area of a circle is Pi r(sq) and the whale is a mammal. There are no two versions possible. In modern day teaching, even complex and sensitive things on human anatomy and behaviour are explained to young children without twisting the truth. Corporate executives revel in hiding the truth. Thus sales performance is never bad or worse than that of competitors. It is “healthy double-digit growth in future businesses weighed down by under-performing legacy businesses”. Powerpoint, Graphs and analytics are active abettors. Plain truth is a rare commodity.
2. Empathise with colleagues. Teachers are trained to be empathetic to the children under their care. Their role is not just facilitating learning, but ensuring that each child feels comfortable at school. At one of the schools that I am associated with, there was a poignant example of this. A seven year old had lost his father, but the mother did not want the child to go through the trauma at home during the wake and the ceremonies. The child was aware but was sent to school every day with a request to the teacher to look after him. The teacher took him under her wings and ensured that he had a near normal life at school even as the mother was grieving. The teacher was the de-facto mother for those days. The corporate executives are often un-empathetic and in fact, very selfish. It is an over-competitive game of one-upmanship and adversarial mindset where a colleague who needs comforting may have to fend for himself or herself.
3. Use simple language. Teachers use simple language to explain complex things. They practice usage of basic terms in order to ensure the understanding is clear. Fourier transform and probabilistic theories are converted to lay language. When helping children in writing practice, teachers teach them the value of short simple sentences in an essay. By contrast, corporate executives have long forgotten simple language. Remember collaterised debt obligations and the like ? Even spoken language has acquired needless complexity sprinkled liberally with double negatives and worse, deceitful narratives and couched traps. Only the economists can beat them. Work with passion. The majority of teachers are in the profession for their passion, love for the kids and the satisfaction of contributing to the noble cause of education. Their reward is the smile on the child’s face and his accomplishments in school life and in adult life. I had college professors who rode bicycles to work. Despite some occasional wage demands from unionized teachers, their heap of peanuts is still peanuts. Corporate executives tend to link all their work to money that they will get. It is an obsession for most people. Personal greed has driven corporate and board room behavior for the most part of the last three decades. We are not done yet. In fact, blue-collar workers have a better sense of belonging and loyalty to their organization, one that is not linked to their pay. Money is important for all, but one wonders if the pendulum has swung too far.
4. Speak kindly and gently at work. Civility of language in classrooms has acquired new dimensions. Even terms like ‘shut-up’ have gone out of a teacher’s dictionary. A reprimand is delivered in the form of positive advice and a gentle call to change behavior. Despite being much older to the children under their care, teachers are not supposed to talk down. Parents can now object legally to use of improper spoken, written or body language. The corporate workplace norms have not changed much. There are many corporate executives who enjoy sarcasm to spite to derogatory references to downright racial or gender slurs. Talking down to junior colleagues is quite the norm. ‘Kind and successful’ is almost an oxymoron term in the corporate world.
5. Be punctual. Teachers have to arrive in class on time, for every class and for every exam they have to invigilate. At 20-30 times a week, that is a high degree of punctuality demand and they seem to fulfill it routinely. I teach at Universities and I do the same thing. I also know that all my colleagues are no different. The corporate record of punctuality for meetings or for reporting to work is not always exemplary. Meetings either start late or start without some members. They also end late. Are executives taking others’ time for granted too often?