Most of us have to learn how to properly switch hats to play different roles with different levels of responsibility. At home. At work. And elsewhere.
Dolly Parton was particularly adept at managing multiple hats with remarkable composure and distinct intelligence. On this topic, she once commented:
I'm a singer, a songwriter, a businesswoman,
and a performer. People ask how I manage all
those roles, and I say I just change my wigs
and my hats depending on who needs me.
The Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was based on a very real and tragic occupational hazard of hatmaking: mercury poisoning.
Hatters in those days worked in poorly ventilated rooms as they fabricated the materials, inhaling toxic vapors that often manifested:
memory loss,
extreme paranoia,
intense mood swings,
severe anxiety,
trembling, and
a quick temper.
Sounds like a few people you and I have in our work, yet the cause is different. Some figure out how to manage well but many don't. It almost always involves making trade-off decisions where priorities come into conflict. Our influence much too important to be careless here.
If I am succeeding at one hat, I am
usually failing at another. That’s the
real truth about wearing many hats:
you accept the trade-offs.
— Shonda Rhimes
We all have multiple hats. Some have too many. Some are madly confused.
Wearing the right hat at the right time is a measure of professional educators. Clarity about roles, responsibilities, authority, and accountability is a good place to start because vagueness enables culture-killing frustration and friction. That requires an honest review of the org chart, recognizing that dotted lines and multiple reporting structures inevitably lead to greater stress and lower productivity.
Unproductive multitasking, excessive crisis management, and fragile trust are common where the hats stack up and the leadership fails to maintain focus.
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,
or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad,
for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
— Matthew 12:33
Wisdom and respect guide our decisions when wearing various hats, as a board member knows while at the game or a teacher when posting on social media. This requires conversations in advance that anticipate points of temptation and conflict, then identifying best practices for staying on purpose.
When we arrive at home, work hats are removed because the roles differ, with boundaries and values necessarily kept to responsibly honor our commitments.
What’s your favorite hat? That’s the one you wear the most. I have a favorite baseball cap that is dirty and worn out, but it's still my go to—especially on a lazy Saturday morning. Sometimes those favorite hats need to be given away or tossed aside. It's not appropriate anymore .
Our hats and habits are the natural outcome of the spirit and character within.
Be disciplined with your hats this week, my friend, wisely staying on purpose with the heart of your calling.
> Did I do my best to wear the right hats today?
Love'em and Lead'em!
Scott