Real buy-in Isn’t forced. It’s facilitated.
Last week, I shared a story about the importance of synergy over debate. That conversation started with a visit from Australian teachers and school leaders to my hometown, and a simple but powerful truth:
If you’re pulling others forward, they will almost always resist. But if you shape the right conditions, people start to move on their own.
This week, I want to share a story that taught me that lesson firsthand. It starts years ago, when I was still teaching and also responsible for promoting IT in my school.
The principal called me in and said, "We’ve got budget for two smartboards. Who deserves them? Apart from you, who else?"
I thanked him and said, "Giving one to me would be counterproductive." I said, “Let Harrie have it.”
Harrie was the last person anyone expected. He was known for resisting tech, still writing everything on the chalkboard. But I knew something else. Harrie loved geography, and he loved his students.
So I walked into his classroom.
"Would you like to get rid of that dusty chalkboard?"
He looked up. "Yes, please."
"And wouldn’t it be nice to show more videos in your lessons?"
"Sure."
I told him I’d set it all up. He asked me if I could "wipe the board down" whenever he got himself in trouble. Of course I agreed, and I also added a big YouTube icon to his desktop.
That’s all it took. Harrie took off.
Within days he was showing videos, using the board for maps, and calling colleagues into his classroom. In the staffroom, he wouldn’t stop talking about his new tools. And soon, his enthusiasm became contagious.
Other teachers started thinking, "If Harrie can do this, then so can I."
By the end of the year, we had a waiting list for smartboards. Not because I’d pushed. But because Harrie had pulled.
Not through words. Through visible progress, made by the one person no one saw coming.
Because here’s the thing. Harrie wasn’t a frontrunner. He wasn’t the most innovative or outspoken voice in the team. He was the colleague who surprised the others by growing in a way they didn’t expect.
And that’s exactly what made it powerful.
If I’d chosen the most eager teacher, I wouldn’t have sparked a shift. I would’ve simply transferred the burden of pulling to someone else. But Harrie didn’t feel burdened. He felt trusted. He was supported. And he had the right conditions to succeed.
That’s what changed the culture.
I believe everyone has the potential to surprise their team if we know them well enough, and if we support them in the right way at the right moment. Not the one who leads the charge from the front. But the one who, in the right moment and with the right support, surprises everyone.
Including themselves.
And remember, this isn’t just about colleagues. Your students can be Harries too. With the right support and the right moment, even the most unlikely learner can surprise everyone around them.
Try this for yourself.
→ Where are you putting a lot of energy into pulling?
→ What would happen if you stopped?
→ And what could you do differently to help others move on their own?
We don’t need to pull. We don’t need to be the best at everything. We need to create better circumstances for our learners, both students and colleagues, to excel. And when they rise, we rise too.
Keep influencing the circumstances,
Rob
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