Museums and Women: Work Isn't You

Remembering Coach Pat Summitt. One quote particularly struck me, in part, because of an experience I had earlier in the week. First the experience: A female colleague of mine asked me to read a piece she had written. She is a good writer, and like all writers she wanted a second pair of eyes especially since her subject was institutional history, a combustible mix of facts, nostalgia, and personal experience at least in our 125-year old institution. Now, the quote:

LINDA WERTHEIMER, BYLINE: Did you ever think you were too tough?

SUMMITT: Not really (laughter). You know, I think you can challenge people, but you don't want to break people down. But you've got to sometimes just pull them aside and say, you know, you're OK but you could be better.

Perhaps you've already figured out, reading my colleague's paper didn't go well. As I've said, she's a good writer, and some days, she far exceeds good. But not all of us are good all the time. And one thing I've observed about women in the workplace--myself included--is too often work and self are intertwined so if you're challenged, it's as if YOU are challenged, not the work, which even on the best days belongs to the organization, and more to the point, was created in its service. So, in a perfect world, criticism of a project/piece of writing/exhibit/you-name-it, is an exercise in how to make it better because in perfecting whatever it is, we aid the organization.

What does this have to do with the University of Tennessee's late basketball coach? Think about her statement above. If you are a museum leader, think about challenging without breaking people. Some of us have had bosses who believe leadership is about domination. I worked for two different people, a man and a woman, who seemingly weren't satisfied unless an employee left their office in tears. Clearly that's not what Pat Summitt meant. She saw her role as pushing players to do their best, and the flip side of that is letting them know when their lack of effort let the program down. None of us is perfect, and it's comforting to know that your director, department head or board chair, cares about you enough to help you do your best work.

If you're an employee, you know when you've done something well--when your idea was a game changer, when your exhibit label said it perfectly--and you know when what you've done is mediocre. So step back. Breathe deep. And be ready not only to acknowledge what went wrong, but to hear your direct report when she offers suggestions for the future. She isn't saying you're a bad person, only that you are capable of more. Nor does one less than stellar project equal a judgement on all the work you've ever done. If you're a good museum educator when you go into your director's office, you're still a good one when you come out, just one that needs to reflect, and go forward, having made some changes. Challenge yourself to de-personalize. It's not your project, it's the museum's. It's far easier to fix what you don't "own."

Be well,

Joan Baldwin