As a newly confirmed junior in high school, my mom gifted me with an book that attempted to show the universality of our faith by taking prayers from other faith traditions and connecting them to Catholic beliefs.
One such prayer from the Buddhist tradition resonated with my adolescent insecurities (the following is a paraphrase from my memory):
We are what we think. With our thoughts we make our world. Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you as unshakeable as your shadow.
We inherit similar guidance from St. Paul in our Catholic tradition:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)
Put even more simply, our words create our world.
This speaks to the importance of clarity on your school's mission, beliefs, and values and communicating them, reinforcing them, and overcommunicating them.
For some examples, consider these statements and follow-up actions/behaviors:
- We encourage one another and our communities. One of the ways we do this is by presuming positive intentions.
- We creatively look for third options. One of the ways we do this is by reframing challenges as opportunities to lead and minister.
- We offer clarity about the school's mission, priorities, and values. We do this by focusing on the mission of our schools, building a cohesive leadership team, reinforcing clarity (mission and values), and overcommunicating clarity (mission and values again and again and again...). We also do this by separating the important from the urgent - doing what requires our top license, delegating what others can and should do, and dumping things that do not align with the mission and values of our schools.
- Every person is a gift from God. We look for ways to pray for each other, honor their roles, and celebrate their accomplishments.
- Collaboration multiplies our forces. We invite others into our work as thought-partners, co-generators, fellow work-shoppers, and coordinated task completers.
- We strive to be authentically human. We eat with others. We connect with others. We take time to rest - and encourage others to do so as well. We honor our primary vocations.
Using these statements repeatedly and explaining their underlying meaning will help us to more consistently and effectively work together as teams within our schools. Using them as our compasses will provide direction and guidance in moments of tension, surprise, and complexity.
Our words create our world. Through the keystone words we use at our schools may we create the world God desires.
