LEADERSHIP COACHING: ERADICATING AVERAGE

The thought of schools using measures of success based on the status quo is frightening, especially when we consider what a mediocre culture means for our children, our teachers, our schools, and ultimately for our school communities. As I began this work on examining the critical role educators play in “culturizing” schools, I asked teachers, support staff, principals, and superintendents alike the following question: “Where does average exist in your organization?”

As school teachers and leaders, it is our responsibility to prohibit average from becoming our standard. We must take time to reflect on and be willing to be vigilant in examining our school cultures through the eyes of students and staff and ask:

·       Have we reached the point where we are willing to allow an average, typical culture to determine our students’ or schools’ potential for success?

·       What if we were to pause, step back, and view our culture through the eyes of every child, every day? What would we see?

·       Are we willing to do whatever it takes to culturize our schools to a level that defines excellence?

Taking responsibility for cultural dilemmas is a good start, but it’s only the first step. Once we’ve identified the source of the problem, the question we should ask is this: What are we doing about it? Until we take action, nothing changes.

Each week I share out 1 Reflection, 2 Ideas, and 1 Resource for you to consider that I hope will encourage you to explore new and better practices in your daily work. My aspirations are to support you and others in developing your skills and shifting your thinking so you will invest in your own development and maybe, just maybe I can inspire you to want to live your excellence so you can bring your best self to school every day!

Live your excellence…

Jimmy

ERADICATING AVERAGE: 121

1 REFLECTION

Don’t try and convince others to buy-in. It’s not about selling something. Approach it in a way that makes others want to invest in what you are doing. This fosters commitment and is more sustainable and healthier for your culture.

2 IDEAS

Whether you are a classroom teacher or a building administrator, your effectiveness as a problem solver and decision maker will be greater if you use a collaborative approach that allows the ideas, experiences, and perspectives of others to support both you and them in resolving issues. This model can also be used as a way to change a good idea into an excellent one that has the greatest impact possible on a change of practice. Here is an approach that I have seen used efficiently and effectively by teachers and administrators:

The 15-Minute Collaborative Model

·       Gather a group of four or five people to resolve an issue or improve upon an idea or process.

·       Take two minutes to share the problem or idea. The rest of the group members are to listen only.

·       Group members get three minutes to ask clarifying questions for more information. The presenter writes down questions. (Important to note that group members are not to offer suggestions or ideas of their own at this time; this is strictly a time to only ask questions.)

·       The presenter gets three minutes to respond to questions. Again, group members only listen.

·       Group members then get three minutes to rapidly fire ideas and suggestions to support the work of the presenter. The presenter quickly jots down the new ideas shared.

·       All group members now get four minutes to dive deeper into new ideas presented, followed by more clarifying questions and comments from all group members to help craft the original issue or idea to a level of excellence.

The strict structure and time limits in this process reinforce a couple of valuable qualities from which we can all benefit when it comes to working collaboratively with others. First, it helps us develop our listening skills. Too often we want to jump right in and try to resolve an issue or generate a new idea before we really have time to digest the original concept or problem. Second, it reminds us of the truth behind the unconference model that the smartest person in the room is the room. Use this approach and watch how, in fifteen minutes, you can resolve an issue or improve upon an idea or process while building a stronger capacity for your organization and you.

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When was the last time you felt it was important to build consensus in order to move forward, but then found yourself moving forward anyway because you couldn’t come to consensus and get everyone to agree? It’s easy to fall into the mindset that people either need to get on the bus or the bus will leave without them. The problem with this approach is that those who don’t get on will create negative undercurrents in your culture and in most cases, leaders will blame them, but not recognize, they in fact, created the undercurrent by lacking an effective process to get everyone on the bus. Building consensus requires us as leaders to develop a disciplined, systematic process for getting all members of the team on the bus and inspiring them to invest in what we are trying to accomplish.

Fist to Five Consensus Protocol

·      Explain the value system as follows: 5-All In, 4- In Agreement, 3- On the Fence, 2 – Not Convinced, 1 – Unlikely, 0 (Fist) – Cannot Support.

·      Post discussion and before moving forward with a new idea, initiative or decision, each member of the team visibly shares out a number based on their level of support. Transparency is key. Everyone can see where everyone stands.

·      Investment-approval to move forward requires all members to vote with a score of 4 or 5 for consensus to be reached or discussion continues.

·      Leader facilitates discussion by allowing members of the team to explain their voting level. Team members voting in the 4-5 range are responsible for moving all members of the team to their level through persuasive conversation. When conversation comes to an end, leaders requests a new Fist to Five vote. Leader then asks remaining members who are not a 4-5 level what it would take to move them to that level for approval. Discussion begins again until leader calls for a new vote.

·      Consensus is not reached until all members of the team reach a 4-5 level of agreement and confidence. If this cannot be reached at this time, then the decision is tabled and the process begins again.

It is my belief that moving forward without consensus (100%) investment leads to an increase in undercurrents in the organization. By implementing a process where every voice matters and dialogue is encouraged, supported, and valued, leaders are able to better understand why some staff struggle to offer their full support and more importantly, they minimize negative undercurrents. When we model and teach fair processes, we create a healthier culture of dialogue and trust where everyone is excited about getting on the bus.

1 RESOURCE

 4 Step Process to Become a Better Listener and Problem Solver

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