Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Emails and missed telephone calls should be replied to within 24 hours; emails at work should be free from grammatical and spelling errors; never write anything in an email that you would not say to the face of the person concerned; ask before turning on the speaker of the phone.
These were among the tips on team building given by psychologist Priya Sonpar to the newly appointed principals of CM Rise Schools of the Tribal Affairs Department on Thursday - the fourth day of the five-day Leadership and Management Training Workshop at the Academy of Administration in the city.
The principals were also told that sometimes how you say something is more important than what you say. Communication is the key to team building. A good communicator has to be a good listener. He should be non-judgmental. “The moment you start judging, you stop listening,” the trainer said.
Appreciation should never be conditional. One should never tell a child that one will appreciate him if he will achieve this or that milestone. The child should be appreciated as he or she is, they were told. Children should not be treated as kids, incapable of making decisions for themselves. “It is very important to inculcate decision-making skills among the children,” she told the principals.
The trainees were also taught how to distinguish between self-respect and ego. “Suppose someone doesn’t greet you. You feel hurt. You feel that your self-respect has been hurt. However, the fact is that it is your ego that has been hurt,” she said.
Conflicts should be resolved through dialogue. “If someone has hurt you, approach the person concerned and tell him so. Talk with him. It will remove misunderstandings and restore the relationship,” she said.
The session ended with an exercise titled “Never have I ever…”. The participants were asked to complete the sentence with something which they wanted to do but never have. Among the responses were visits to Singapore, London and Mansarovar; undertaking Char Dhaam Yatra, meeting Big B, riding a horse and driving a car. One participant wanted to learn swimming while another wanted to be a ‘good principal’.
“The group is very receptive. They are taking part in all exercises enthusiastically,” Priya told the Free Press. “I am basically trying to tell them how to build teams and lead them. Good communication skills are indispensable for a good leader,” she said.
Deputy Commissioner, Tribal Affairs Department, Narmadpuram, spoke on ‘Stress and leadership management’.
What the principals say
‘Bringing kids to school biggest challenge’
I have been teaching in a school in the Dindori district for the past 16 years. The biggest challenge is bringing children to the school. Enrolment is not a problem because of various incentives like scholarships, free uniform, free bicycle, midday meals etc. But retaining the children in the schools is a big issue. Yes, the tribal children should be taught in their languages in the primary classes. But even that is not happening currently. This training is helping us acquire new knowledge.
-Bans Bahore Dwivedi, Dindori
‘Staff crunch, poor infrastructure’
There is a staff crunch. Infrastructure is poor. Most of the children come from poor families. For them, livelihood is more important than education. They would rather work than attend classes. I am happy with the training being provided to us. It is updating our knowledge.
-Rewa Rani Pandey, Shahdol
