March 2011

Building a Culture of Excellence

The last eight years have seen the meteoric rise of Indus Bangalore. The journey was bumpy at times, but that only re-doubled the grit of the school leadership under Sarojini Rao, to steadfastly hold on to the vision of whole-education, and seek continuous improvement. This would not have been possible without the sage advice of trustees, intimate support of parents, and dedication of teachers.

Today is an appropriate occasion to talk about Excellence, a great value, that we are pursuing to transform Indus into a great institution. There are many definitions of excellence. Excellence is not about perfection; that is unachievable. The only perfect person is an imperfect person. Excellence is a way of life, a habit; an attitude, and above all, a great passion to reach out beyond one’s grasp. That’s what heavens are all about

There is a story. A sculptor was making an idol of God. Lying next to him was another identical statue of God. A passing visitor asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same God?” He replied, “No; the one lying on the ground has a defect. It has a scratch on the nose.” The visitor was quick in pointing out that once the statue was placed atop a tall column, no one would know about the scratch. “I know,” replied the sculptor.

The journey towards excellence starts at school. A school is a culture with a distinct identity of its own, and the burning desire to improve continuously. Culture is the way we do things here; a distinctive personality; a set of traditions; and a code of unwritten rules that govern the work life of teachers, students, and parents alike. I would like teachers and students to keep four fundamental strategies in mind.

The first strategy aims at instituting systems and processes in every aspect of school life - from classroom, to hotels, to playing fields. Systems and processes ensure that the future of the school is not dependent upon individual personalities.

The second fundamental strategy in developing a culture of excellence is motivating students in setting goals. To succeed in examinations as well as in life, students need to be trained and motivated in setting a range of goals, from academics, to sports, to arts, and self development. Goal setting skills will ensure high student achievement, and motivate them to continue excelling even after they leave school. When this happens, excellence is born.

Thirdly, excellence arises through repeated practice. As Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Nobody started out as a genius, be they Mozart, Bobby Fischer, the Beatles or Steve Jobs. The scientific community now widely accepts what is called the 10,000 hour rule. To master any subject or art one should first discover one’s passion, and then be prepared to put in nearly 4 hours of hard practice every day for ten years, especially by the time one is 20 yearsof age. That is the mental and physical effort that is required for an individual’s neuronal circuits to bond effectively

Fourthly, setting goals and putting in continuous practice cannot happen unless students and teachers pursue their mission with passion. A leader's courage to accomplish his vision and goals comes from passion and not the position he occupies. Passion is a consuming zeal and an intense over-powering emotion that gives us happiness and meaning in life. Doing becomes the primary drive for a person, the results are secondary. We excel when we pursue our passion.

Parents and teachers are leaders. As leaders they are directly responsible for helping children find their passion, and enable them to live it too. Teachers are expected to visibly demonstrate a passion for learning and teaching. This is a key function of teacher-leadership.

There is one aspect of excellence and leadership that is often overlooked. A defining quality in a leader and a teacher is the ability to create infectious optimism and enthusiasm in others. The leader does not merely pursue excellence for his personal accomplishment. He seeks and draws out excellence in those he is responsible to lead. This is motivation. This is leadership.

John Lennon once recounted his story of passion. "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy.' They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."