Right Motivation in Leaders
Recognizing harmful patterns in leadership
Teacher Experience
A contemplative invitation for educators to reflect on before teaching.How can we embody kind-hearted motivation as leaders of our students? Reflect on those teachers who made a positive impact on your life, and consider the attitude and awareness you wish to bring to your students. Contemplate this reflection by Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Recite a simple aspiration prayer for their wellbeing, such as the Morning Aspiration from MWS (See resources).
Student Experience
A contemplative invitation for students to connect with this learning goal.Think of a time when you saw a leader (teacher, coach, family member, or public figure) make a decision that seemed selfish, angry, or unwise. How did their choice affect you and others around them?
Understanding
Students will understand...The three poisons—greed, anger, and ignorance—can drive people to make harmful decisions when they’re in positions of power. Learning to recognize these patterns helps us understand why some leaders cause problems and how we can avoid these same mistakes.
Action
Students are able to...Investigate the three poisons in leadership decisions by observing how greed, anger, and ignorance affect group dynamics, recognizing these patterns in themselves and others, and implementing strategies to transform poison-motivated actions into helpful ones.
Content Knowledge
Students will know...Leaders who cause the most harm are usually driven by what Buddhists call the three poisons: greed (wanting more than they need), anger (making decisions when upset or hateful), and ignorance (not understanding or caring about the consequences of their actions). These poisons affect leaders at every level, from classroom bullies to world leaders. A leader is anyone who influences others. Greed makes leaders selfish—if they want more money, power, or attention for themselves, even if it hurts others. Anger makes leaders mean and destructive—if they make decisions to hurt people they don’t like, even when it damages their whole community. Ignorance makes leaders careless—if they don’t think about how their choices affect others, they accidentally cause problems they never intended. Learning to recognize these three poisons helps us understand why some leaders create so much suffering and how we can avoid making the same mistakes when we’re in positions of responsibility.
Guiding Questions
Implementation Possibilities
Design group projects where students work together to transform poison-motivated scenarios into antidote-motivated solutions, followed by a review of the Band B version of this learning goal, which focuses on the three antidotes. Research current events and historical examples where leaders’ decisions may have been driven by greed, anger, or ignorance, analyzing the consequences for their communities. Create “poison detection” activities where students identify the three poisons in case studies, news stories, or literary examples. Practice self-reflection through journaling about times when they might have acted from greed, anger, or ignorance in their own leadership roles. Establish classroom discussions about recognizing these patterns in peer dynamics and developing strategies for addressing them constructively.
Assessment Ideas
Assess students’ ability to identify the three poisons in various leadership examples through analysis papers or presentation projects. Evaluate their self-awareness through reflection journals that demonstrate honest recognition of these patterns in their own behavior. Observe their application of transformation strategies during group work and peer conflict resolution situations.
