In these first few pages, Mr. Clark describes the Runners and their sacrifices before talking about how a leader (in our case, the principal or superintendent) should support and encourage them.
Within every type of organization, it is the Runners...who provide the locomotion.
...I have often heard Runners say they feel guilty about spending less time with their own kids in order to contribute to the organization; yet they continue to make the same choice to put their job first. I have also seen Runners neglect their health in their zeal to put the organization first...
Runners are not without their faults. They still make mistakes. They still get themselves into precarious situations. I like that Mr. Clark says to let things slide. That project or that class is the Runner's "baby". To criticize it is to criticize something very special, and the Runner can be discouraged quite quickly.
As a leader, when you are dealing with these high-achieving Runners, you have to keep in mind the sacrifices they are making. You also have to treat them with some amount of reverence - and by this I mean tempering your criticism and allowing some things to slide, because you don't want to break the spirit of a Runner...
A few years ago, that happened to me. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like pulling up my feet and riding for a while. In fact, I might have even been dragging behind the bus. That's how a Runner feels when things overwhelm him. I describe it a little better in my book, There's No Busyness Like School Busyness, which will be available before the end of this month. In the meantime, get your principal to read Move Your Bus by Ron Clark. If you're a Runner, you can appreciate the care that Mr. Clark puts into his Runners. We would all appreciate that kind of support from our leaders, wouldn't we?
And while Runners are indeed the backbone of an organization, they still need support and direction in order to keep up their hectic pace. They may also need some guidance in terms of how to work with others, particularly their slower colleagues, who may feel some resentment toward them...