May 2011 Archives

May 20, 2011

10 Reasons Your Educators Are Resisting Your Change Initiative

NoHere’s a little something for you to think about over the weekend. Those resisters and naysayers in your school organization? You know, the ones that are pushing back against your change initiative? The ones that you like to complain about because ‘the train is moving’ and they’re not ‘getting on board?’ What if they’re right?

10 Reasons Your Educators Are Resisting Your Change Initiative

  1. Surprise, Surprise! Decisions or requests that are sprung on administrators and teachers without notice.
  2. Excess Uncertainty. Not knowing enough about the change will result in the "walking off a cliff blindfolded" syndrome.
  3. Loss of Control. Feeling that changes are being done to, rather than done by, those affected.
  4. Loss of Routine. Concerns that change will require administrators and teachers to question familiar (and comfortable) routines and habits.
  5. We've Seen This Before. Expectation that the initiative is temporary and it will stay incomplete, meaning the best strategy is to lay low and not contribute to success.
  6. Loss of Face. Change implies that the former way of doing things was wrong. Some administrators and teachers may feel embarrassed in front of their peers or staff.
  7. Concerns About Future Competence. Educators can question their ability to be effective after a change: Can I do it? How will I do it? Will I make it in the new situation?
  8. Ripple Effects. Change in one area can disrupt other projects or activities, even ones outside of work.
  9. More Work. Organizational change often increases workloads.
  10. Sometimes the Threat Is Real. Change often creates real winners and losers, and people worry about where they will end up when the project is complete.

Additional thoughts

As a school leader, if you want your change initiatives to be successful, you MUST address these issues. More important than whether you think you’ve addressed them is whether the resisters believe that you’ve addressed them. It’s what is in their heads and hearts, not yours, that’s important.

What else might we add to this list? I’d probably add:

  1. Under-Resourcing. The initiative is not accompanied by sufficient resources (e.g., time, support, funding, training) to actually make it happen. So why should we bother?
  2. Innovation Fatigue. Too many simultaneous initiatives. [this contributes to both 5 and 9]

Source

FYI, the “top 10” list comes from IBM’s online Change Toolkit for educators, which is built on the work of Rosabeth Moss Kanter. The Change Toolkit is a powerful resource for school leaders who are interested in better facilitating organizational change. Learn more and sign up for a free account!

Image credit: It’s a No!

Scott McLeod [cross-posted at Dangerously Irrelevant]

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 9:58 AM | | Leave a comment | Recommend

May 15, 2011

Peace in Ourselves, Peace in the World

A teacher shared a story with me about one of her students who asked her how she felt about the death of Osama Bin Laden. She, in turn, asked the students how they felt about the latest news. One student was brave enough to tell the class that he is afraid of what could happen to the United States as a result. Another student shared that he was happy and wanted to celebrate. Naturally, this began a deep discussion among the students, who, at the time of the September 11th attacks were only three-years old.

It seems like as good a time as ever to stop and think about our students and how current events can contribute to lessons--life lessons--we can teach them. In an article titled “Osama Bin Laden Dead: A Mindful Response,” Goldstein quotes Dr. King:

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Dr. King’s quote can be applied to a variety of situations and emotions that our students (and we) may feel for any number of reasons; however, it reminds individuals to reflect upon their own reactions and responses to the news about Bin Laden. The lesson to be taught and learned is a difficult one, perhaps, but one that reminds individuals that while justice may include the murder of an evil man, it may not include a celebratory or joyous response.

The lesson here for our students and for all people is exactly the message that Dr. Goldstein writes: “We need to learn how to take a good look at the wars we have raging inside each and every one of us in response to our own personal traumas in life--whether that’s the death of a loved one, harm inflicted on us, or some form of emotional trauma--and learn ways to create peace within ourselves.”

How, then, do we teach our students (and practice what we preach) to not hold onto feelings of hatred, revenge, bitterness, fear, or any other negative emotions that create brain clutter? One way is to teach our students to be mindful. Mindfulness, in brief, is a system of mental training that positively impacts the way individuals perceive and respond to themselves, their relationships, and the world.

Studies of students who have had mindfulness training show that students’ overall health and well-being are improved, including a decrease in depression, anxiety, and anger; and an increase in self-confidence, self-control and self-regulation. Some reports also include an increase in student academic performance.

Goldstein asks, “How long will it take--what will it take--for us to recognize that we are all connected to one another?” Mindfulness is one approach that can be used to teach and/or remind each of us that we are all connected to each other and should, therefore, work toward creating a more peaceful world within ourselves and among one another.

Our students’ world is changing at a rate many adults cannot fathom. As educators, we are inundated with the changes in education and doing everything we can to keep our own heads above the water and keep our schools at or above proficiency. When events occur in the world, anywhere from natural disasters to the killing of an evil man, we should be prepared to to work with our teachers and our students; pause--with them--and understand that in order for effective teaching and learning to take place, students and educators need to learn the skills required for managing emotions, thoughts, and developing resilience. These are the foundational skills upon which all other skills can develop and grow.

Teresa Ivey

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 6:12 PM | | Leave a comment | Recommend

May 14, 2011

Complacency: A Leadership Imperative

by Ryan Bretag | @ryanbretag

The Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines complacency as "self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies." More importantly, it is a critical blind spot for leaders that left unchecked can easily tumble organizations into dangerous waters.

Herb Kelleher stated it best: "The Number one threat is us. We must not let success breed complacency. A company is never more vulnerable to complacency than when it’s at the height of its success" (Freiberg, pg. 60).

What happens when organizations begin to settle for a "business as usual" mindset? What are signs that an organization is heading towards complacency? Has your organization become complacent? Have you?

Ten Potential Indicators of Complacency

  1. Difficult Conversation Are Avoided

  2. Fishing Down the Hallway (Risk Taking and Innovation) is Met With Cautious Tones

  3. The Status Quo is Celebrated

  4. Learning is No Longer a Priority

  5. Management and Day to Day Tasks are the Focus

  6. "Hubris Born of Success"

  7. Areas of Potential Growth are Ignored

  8. The Creative Spirit, Energy, Joy, and Passion No Longer Exist as the Norm

  9. The Hairball Is Celebrated and those Orbiting It Are Dismissed

  10. External Influences are Utilized as Excuses

And, it is these indicators of complacency that leaders must recognize, resist, and challenge. For if they don't, the innovative energy that leads to sustained excellent begins to fade; the community spirit that leads people towards a common vision begins to dissipate; and, the powerful learning that lies at the heart of education begins to regress.

After all, leaders set the tone and it is our responsibility to avoid organizational complacency while igniting the passions of individuals who have become stagnate. As Disney said, "Around here we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." That is leadership. That is what will ignite the passions of our learners, teachers and students alike, and propel learning communities to new heights instead of drifting in complacency.

(Image: Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from dpicker's photostream)

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 10:37 AM | | Leave a comment | Recommend

May 09, 2011

The Real Change Agents

Ryan Bretag | @ryanbretag

Over the past six months, I've asked the following question to numerous teachers, administrators, and librarians in Texas, Illinois, New York, Wisconsin, and Florida: "How many of you are having ongoing conversations with students about school - a genuine conversations about learning, leading, and teaching?" The results have all been the same: few, if any, claimed to be engaging with their students.

This breaks my heart because they are a critical mass for organizational change and tapping their tremendous insights is imperative to their engagement.

It is also counter to the many discussions that have students at the center. In fact, many ideas flow from good intentioned adults about what our students want, who they are, and what they need without their voice represented. We make sweeping generalizations and we coin phrases about them.

Sadly, however, we don’t engage them in the very conversations in which we are putting them at center stage. Why when they offer so much:

  • Students can inform us of bias, of misconceptions, of exaggerations, of local realities, and of blind spots that inform our directions.

  • Students help us to see where our policies and practices are not aligned with our beliefs.

  • Students bring another dimension of innovation to the discussion as a critical stakeholder in the community.

  • Students represent the largest population of an organization and are vital for organizational change

Their voices are key; they are an essential stakeholder that we can no longer afford to have adults as the sole speaker on their behalf. Students deserve their own voice especially if we are going to continue saying it is about them.

In fact, here is my hard-line: stop saying it is about the students if you haven’t asked the students what they need, what they want, and what is the reality of their world. Just say it is about you or the school and what you find relevant. If you are okay with that, great.

Personally, I’m not.

The voices of change rest with the scholars in your building, every student that enters those doors each morning. Are you listening? Are you bringing them to the table and leveraging their insights? If you want real, lasting change, the answers can only be yes.

And, when you bring them to the table, are you vested in their thoughts? Are we willing to challenge our own beliefs about learning and teaching based upon their beliefs? Will we leverage their ideas to shape a better present and future?

The time is now to tap into the potential of students as leaders, as change agents, and as powerful voices with amazing ideas and unmatched enthusiasm.

 

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 11:42 PM | | Leave a comment | Recommend

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The opinions expressed in LeaderTalk are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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