To Put a Man on the Moon

I rarely praise my boss. It's not that he isn't an exceptionally good leader and manager, because he really is.  I just don't want to look like a suck up. 

When we met last week to discuss my departmental and professional goals, he made a simple request. He asked to attend our next technicians' meeting so he could explain our district's new strategic road map.

I appreciate this.

There is an apocryphal? story about a reporter doing interviews at NASA in the late 60s. He was interviewing different people about their jobs. The response of one custodian was interesting. When asked his job, he said, 'To help put a man on the moon."

If you asked members of your technical or library staff what their jobs were, how many would say, "To educate children"?

And if they wouldn't, why not?

Comments

[carolyn]

Around here, we all say "student achievement" is our first job, regardless of our specific job title. Part of me thinks it is more jargon, but another part of me likes the simplicity, and the fact that all stakeholders (more jargon?) can easily understand and explain this concept.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Carolyn,

I just hope that the cry doesn't become "Higher Test Scores!"

Your post made me worry about this.

All the best,

Doug