Adam Robbins Education

This blog is a sort of sequel to last weeks blog on Graham Nuttal’s hidden lives of learners.

One of the privileges of my work as a leadership coach has been seeing how differently people respond to the same situations. It has reminded me of something we often forget as leaders: we never have all the information.

The Hidden Contexts of Staff

Just as students bring hidden contexts into the classroom, teachers bring hidden contexts into their professional lives. These unseen factors, personal circumstances, prior experiences, emotions, values, often shape behaviour more than we realise.

The trap for leaders is to mistake what we see on the surface for the whole story.

Imagine a teacher you expect to be open to feedback suddenly becomes defensive. The temptation is to assume the issue lies in their character. We label them as moody, resistant, or difficult. In reality, we may be missing crucial context. This is the fundamental attribution error; the bias that leads us to overestimate character and underestimate circumstances.

The Danger of Certainty

We cannot eliminate cognitive bias, but we can choose habits that limit its impact. The most important habit is to resist certainty.

Recently I watched the film Conclave, and a passage delivered by Ralph Fiennes’ character Cardinal Lawrence struck me deeply. It comes from Robert Harris’s original novel:

..let me tell you that the one sin I have come to fear more than any other is certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end……..Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and if there was no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.
Robert Harris, Conclave

I am not a religious man, and I had some issues with the film*, but this idea resonated with me. Certainty closes down curiosity, and when curiosity disappears, so does our ability to lead with fairness and empathy.

Curiosity as a Leadership Superpower

Curiosity changes the conversation. Instead of labelling a teacher as “difficult,” a curious leader wonders why they are reacting that way. They ask questions, listen, and try to uncover the hidden context. The explanation may or may not excuse the behaviour, but at least the leader now has a fuller picture on which to base their decision.

Curiosity builds trust, strengthens relationships, and helps leaders avoid mistakes born of assumption.

A Resolution for Leaders

If you are looking for a new school-year resolution, make it this:
When a colleague behaves in a way that frustrates you, resist the urge to blame their character. Pause, hold back from certainty, and get curious instead.

Because in leadership, as in life, certainty is easy, but curiosity is powerful.

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*Partial spoilers!
Ok so I was hoping for a different ending. All I will say, to avoid spoiling too much, is I would keep the bomb but pivot more towards a Homeland season 1 type ending of it all being more connected to secure the new Pope in office.