Lawmakers should take dolphin training

I suggest that any legislators serious about improving education, or any part of government for that matter, should first take a course in dolphin training.

Training dolphins, according to Karen Pryor's book, "Don't Shoot the Dog," requires being nice, speaking softly and giving rewards. If you yell, scold or punish dolphins, they will dive to the bottom of the tank, stay there and not respond to commands.

I recommend dolphin training because the way lawmakers have been going about trying to improve education isn't working. Demanding more accountability, adding more regulations and demeaning educators only makes them "dive to the bottom," where they remain until they retire, not responding to any commands. A few poke their heads out of the water at election time hoping for new legislators who have passed dolphin training school.

Over the years, I have observed individuals who have been successful in private life forget all that wisdom once they become elected and convinced they have the power to change the bureaucracy. Not unlike teachers entering their profession, new legislators are going to change the world, and do it now. They are full of enthusiasm and see the many problems to be solved and can't wait to exercise the new found power they have won. They look around and wonder why others in government do not share their optimism. They are sure they will be different. New teachers feel the same; they, too, are sure they will be different.

So when new lawmakers try to use their coveted power, they quickly find that government bureaucracies, by their DNA, are designed to resist change and the people in them start diving to the bottom saying to themselves, "This too shall pass."

Lawmakers, however, are not to be thwarted; after all, they have the power to make change. When they find the bureaucracy doesn't budge, or even ignores them, they quickly become frustrated and impatient. It is then they revert to making demands, are intimidating and begin passing laws thinking that will make a difference; the only thing it does is fatten the bureaucracy and the agency policy manual. Teachers face the same frustration, except they have no power and are stuck in a classroom.

The successful lawmakers and teachers soon realize that change takes patience and, eventually, find that dolphin trainers have it right; the things that make people come alive and respond are kindness, rewards, and acknowledgment.

As Robert W. Galvin, former chairman of Motorola, put it, "[Leaders] … have the courage to take a risk and believe in the abilities of the people in their organization. … Leaders must establish an environment in which workers feel respected and valued." That's just good dolphin training.