Being a huge basketball fan and aspiring coach (I hope I haven't lost anyone already), I decided to have a look at a Netflix show called "The Playbook". Aside from being a fantastic show that unpacked the minds of some of the world's best sports coaches, it also had some really relevant concepts to teaching. One that has really stuck with me came from famed basketball coach Doc Rivers. A very short backstory, Doc Rivers was given the task of bringing a number of superstar players with alpha mentalities together to play more team focussed basketball. They ended up winning an NBA championship, thanks in no small part to a philosophy instilled in the team by Rivers called "Ubuntu". Ubuntu is an African concept/philosophy that promotes the idea that your identity/sense of self is shaped by the relationships you have with other people. It comes from a Zulu phrase "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu", which translates to "a person is a person through other people". "It’s a way of living that begins with the premise that 'I am' only because 'we are.'" - Steve Paulson
In studying and practicing Ubuntu, a huge part of the ideology relates to how humans depend on each other. Their interdependence and willingness to prioritise unity within a group as opposed to divisions are what forms the foundations of Ubuntu. Marvel fans may remember the final quote in Black Panther, uttered by the late Chadwick Boseman, "There is more that unites us than divides us".
It hasn't just been coaches and movie stars that have been active in promoting Ubuntu, some of the world's most renowned leaders have used the philosophy to inspire the masses.
So what would the promotion of Ubuntu look at a school?
From a teaching/leadership perspective, Ubuntu is coming together as a staff and building a consensus around what is most impactful towards the school community. By identifying common goals, the wellbeing of a community becomes a more willingly shared responsibility. Identification is only one part of this process, however, as dedication and commitment to the cause is what really makes a difference. Ubuntu can only be achieved through the collective individual contributions to a community.
This shift in mindset can be difficult for some, especially when burdensome factors of our occupation such as workload and differing mindsets with colleagues come into play. I like to think that it is within everyday actions that Ubuntu can really come to fruition and have come up with a model to help unpack this thought.
The figure above shows the relationship between the benefits our everyday actions have for others (individuals or communities) vs the toll it takes on you (physical, mental or other). To the far left we have actions that take little toll on you, but benefit others in a big way. An example could be taking time out of your afternoon to help with a school fundraising event. If you had no time constraints and taking the time had little affect on you, the toll on you would be minimal. Compare that to the impact that your presence had on the community, both in sharing the workload of the individuals involved and of the benefit to the community the event had. These scenarios should be identified as ones where the Ubuntu mindset can be most easily implemented.
The middle two bars show actions that balance burdens with benefits. Whether the burden and benefit are both fairly minor, or the major benefits take a large toll on you, these are the scenarios where the temptation to prioritise our own wellbeing becomes more present.
Finally, to the far right, we have actions that take a major toll on someone that subsequently benefit others in a fairly minor way. Some individuals will do anything for the people and communities they care about and these people often embody Ubuntu more than anyone. However, the affect this has on ones individual wellbeing can be damaging without real cause or benefit to a community. Ubuntu is present within all these scenarios as it looks at the willingness of individuals to help promote the wellbeing and improved function of other individuals and, subsequently, the communities they are a part of. The point is not to give all of yourself all of the time for others, being well within yourself will still have a positive flow on affect towards them. The point is that we need to be aware of how our actions impact others and ourselves. While there are many things you can do to improve your own wellbeing, there are equally as many (if not more) things that you can do to influence the wellbeing of others and your communities. The key is awareness. Adopting a mindset deeply rooted in Ubuntu will help us find where we can have the most impact on the wellbeing of a community.
I will finish by looking at one last, crucial aspect that relates to my understanding of Ubuntu: Compromise.
Often when two or more people or groups don’t agree or see differently, there are aspects surrounding the issue/situation that are non-negotiable for a number of reasons. These non-negotiables often have a direct connection to one’s well being and can pull all involved into a cycle of dissatisfaction and mistrust. Compromise is the area where both parties are willing to change or alter their ideas, find common ground and work towards a mutually beneficial outcome.
Compromise is all about agreement and figuring out what is really important, which strongly correlates to the Ubuntu philosophy. When we are unwilling to shift our priorities, consider the views of others, or take into consideration what affects other's wellbeing, we impair compromise and require the other individual or group to give up more of what is important to them.
If both parties adopt this self-centric mindset, we are left with even less room for compromise. This is where community breaks down, the priority becomes that of the individual and not of the collective.
But if we take a moment to reflect on what really matters, when both sides put aside prejudice, show understanding, value each others beliefs and work towards a common goal, the sense of community grows. The community starts to achieve as one through the joint responsibility of sharing ones self (strengths, ideas, views) with others.
Ubuntu, in my eyes, is about being hospitable. It is about treating others with respect and dignity, about being empathetic and understanding how actions or small sacrifices can have a huge affect on community. Mā te wā e hoa koutou, until next time!
Pou Tom,
Ora HPE