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When I lived and worked in New Zealand some years ago, a good friend who was a suburban doctor (a General Practitioner, or GP) explained to me that whenever a patient came to see him with a new health issue, he would invariably refuse to prescribe any medication. Instead, he would instruct the patient to wait and see how the condition progressed and come back in 10 days if the symptoms persisted. His rationale was that more than 70% of medical conditions that are brought to GPs heal themselves without intervention within a week or so. By taking this approach, my GP friend was avoiding giving patients medication they didn’t need, and for about 30% of his patients, he was receiving income from a return visit that may not otherwise have been made.
The bursar (CFO) of a school in Australia that I worked closely with has a similar attitude. When financial problems arose, his approach was usually to leave them alone – often for months on end – in the hope that they would rectify themselves. Occasionally they did, which gave him intermittent reinforcement that his ‘hands-off’ approach was working. Eventually, and predictably, some financial problems arose in the school which did not fix themselves, but rather they escalated – which helps to explain why the bursar is no longer employed at that school.
The US speaker and author James Clear described the approach taken by this school bursar and my GP friend as the “muddy puddle” approach. A “muddy puddle problem” is one in which leaving it alone can make it clearer. He contrasts this with a “leaky ceiling problem”, which is a problem that becomes worse if it is ignored and left alone.
In brief, muddy puddles can be left until they become clearer, whereas leaky ceilings need urgent attention. To quote James Clear in his own words:
“Some problems are like muddy puddles. The way to clear a muddy puddle is to leave it alone. The more you mess with it, the muddier it becomes. Many of the problems I dream up when I’m overthinking or worrying or ruminating fall into this category. Is life really falling apart or am I just in a sour mood? Is this as hard as I’m making it or do I just need to go workout? Drink some water. Go for a walk. Get some sleep. Go do something else and give the puddle time to turn clear.
Other problems are like a leaky ceiling. Ignore a small leak and it will always widen. Relationship tension that goes unaddressed. Overspending that becomes a habit. One missed workout drifting into months of inactivity. Some problems multiply when left unattended. You need to intervene now.”
For boards and leaders dealing with the typical challenges that arise in schools, resolving the problem effectively could begin by asking this seemingly strange question – “Are we dealing with a leak or a puddle?”.
It is an important distinction. When my children were little, they would love jumping into puddles with their friends, splashing the water, stirring up the mud and making themselves filthy. As they jumped more and more in the puddle, the sediment was stirred up more and more and the children became muddier and muddier, making the job of cleaning them up even more difficult. That may be cute (if irritating) behaviour for little children, but it is a terrible metaphor for effective problem-solving in a school. When the children’s puddle jumping antics finally finished, the sediment would settle, and the water would become clear.
By contrast, a leaky roof will have greater and greater consequences the longer it is left unchecked. A slow drip grows into a trickle which grows further to become a steady stream of water. If nothing is done, the paint peels and then the material of the wall of itself may disintegrate. At its most extreme, the building may flood or even collapse – another terrible metaphor for effective problem-solving in a school!
Determining whether to intervene immediately or just wait and observe is an important decision that demands accurate discernment. It is not always easy to distinguish between a “leak” and a “puddle”, so the decision depends on the specific problem and its potential impact on students, staff, and the overall school community.
Examples of “muddy puddles” in schools are usually fairly minor issues such as trivial or isolated behavioural issues, temporary academic struggles, or the initial implementation of a new policy, program or organisational structure.
On the other hand, examples of “leaking ceilings” tend to be more significant priorities such as safety concerns, significant or persistent academic decline, severe disruptions to the learning environment such as behavioural issues, and legal or policy compliance issues.
In summary, the decision to intervene immediately (fix the leaking ceiling) or wait (let the muddy puddle settle) depends on the nature and severity of the problem, its potential impact, and the likelihood of resolution without intervention. School boards, leaders, and staff must assess each situation carefully and consider the best course of action to support the well-being and success of their students and school community.
Recognising the difference between the metaphorical ‘muddy puddle’ and ‘leaking ceiling’ is a great starting point for wise discernment.
- Dr Stephen Codrington
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