One of those really busy weeks
One of those really busy weeks
Sunday, 8 November 2009
For any school principal, there is no such thing as a relaxing week. For me, this past week has been an abnormally busy one. There was probably an excess of meetings - Student Consultative Council on Monday, Whole Staff Meeting on Wednesday, Board on Thursday, and both Staffing Committee and Faculty Consultative Committee on Friday, each requiring considerable preparation and follow-up. On Friday night, following the two meetings just mentioned, I attended the annual fundraising dinner of the Hong Kong United World Colleges Graduates Organisation - a wonderful and lively event, made all the better by the cultural performances by our students. And on Tuesday afternoon and evening, I welcomed a delegation of about 30 heads of schools from Ningbo, during which (with the assistance of our Senior Chinese teacher, Li Ping), I introduced the College with a Chinese language audio-visual presentation I had prepared.
The past week was made even busier by the commencement of teaching of Theory of Knowledge to the 1st Year classes (of which I teach two), as well as some ongoing correspondence with the International Office on a few issues, notably some proposed changes to the way United World Colleges will be branded in the future. And yet, through all the busy-ness, it was a great week, with some significant achievements as well as the ongoing discussions. For example, the board meeting was extremely significant in sorting through some important details of the construction of the new auditorium, which will be a fantastic asset for our College community when it is finished.
I very seldom count the number of hours I work, but I did the exercise this week when a board member noted that I seemed to be spending many hours in board and committee meetings. In fact, the number of hours worked last week was fewer than I had feared - about 85 - which is more than usual but not markedly so. More importantly, however, when the work is important and necessary for the benefit of others, as much of it was this week, I find that it actually energises me.
When I have abnormally busy weeks, I find that some things are important to maintain balance. The obvious one is sleep, but that is easier said than done. Another is exercise, and I have been making a point of waking up each morning before 6 am in order to have a bicycle ride - usually about 11 kilometres, but if I can’t fit that in, then I aim for a minimum of 6. And the other element is finding external mental stimulation through reading. During busy weeks such as this, reading tends to come in short bursts on a ‘grab the time if you can’ basis, so non-fiction rather than fiction becomes the priority.
I found two things that I read this week especially helpful. The first was an extract from the book “The Four Agreements – A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom”, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Based on the traditional wisdom of Ruiz’s Toltec ancestors, I was deeply impressed with the sentiments, which I feel have much to teach about relationships with others:
1. Be Impeccable with your word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t take anything personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t make assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always do your best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.
The second reading that I found helpful this week was Part 4 of the book “The Chinese Mind”, by Boyé Lafayette de Mente. The fourth section of the book outlines key words and expressions that reflect and reveal the emotional, intellectual and cultural character of the Chinese people, especially as shown in formal situations such as meetings. Some of the concepts I found interesting included:
Bi - unity and harmony the Chinese way
Bu he luo ji de - fuzzy logic
Bu zhi dao - literally ‘I don’t know’, but a way of avoiding responsibility
Chou - criticism is not taken lightly, and should be conveyed in certain ways
Dao qian - the importance of the apology
Di san zhe - the importance of third parties
Fu ze ren yuan - finding the responsible person
Ge - maintaining balance during interesting times
Gong we - the importance of flattery
Guan - contemplating things deeply
Guei mei - staying out of trouble
Hong - looking at things holistically
Hou men - the back door
Jiao liu - the role of mystery in communicating
Kao lu kao lu - ‘We’re looking into it’ as a discreet way to say ‘no’
Lun li xue - policies rather than ethics
Mian zi - face comes first
She hui deng ji - social status counts
Song - knowing how to avoid conflict
Tai - when harmony and prosperity prevail
Wang ming - the obsession to achieve (total dedication, total commitment)
Xiao guo - attention to small details
Xin - what you see may not be what you get
Xu - the art of calculated waiting
Zhen cheng de - the measure of true sincerity
Zhen shi - situational truth
Zhong cheng - loyalty
If this list seems like a load of meaningless gobbleygook to you, then I suspect you have never lived or worked in China, or if you have, then you may have not engaged with local people or the culture in a truly meaningful way. Personally, I could resonate with all these terms in one way or another, to a greater or lesser extent.
Of course, that does not make me a zhong guo tong, or ‘China Expert’. As I often say, anyone who claims to understand China is really telling you very powerfully that they do not!
Some of the visiting School Principals from Ningbo (China) with our Chinese teacher, Li Ping (front row, 3rd from the right) and me (back row, 5th from the right) this week