LeaderTalk

Using Creative Tension to Move Forward

Cross posted on Creative Tension. A new blog for school leaders.

The gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy. If there were no gap, there would be no need for any action to move towards the vision. We call this gap creative tension.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

I have had this quote hanging on my office wall for years but during the past year it has become much more meaningful to me. More meaningful because the gap between the vision that I have for schools and the current reality seems enormous. This large gap has created a sense of urgency for me that continues to build.  It's extremely exciting and I'm now on a  personal and professional mission to provide the type of  leadership that is necessary to move schools into the future. Fortunately or unfortunately, according to John Legend in If You're Out There, "the future started yesterday and we're already late".

Myvision for schools is one in which:

• teachers and students seamlessly use technology in the teaching and learning process. 
• students are engaged in meaningful and relevent learning experiences using technology just as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, artists, social scientists, etc.
• teachers and students have access to resources from all over the world. 
• individuals  are not constrained by the curriculum and have the opportunity to explore areas of study about which they are passionate.
• students are authors, publishers, creators of knowledge, collaborators, researchers and contributors.

This creative tension has me hungry to seek out ways  to close the gap and this blog provides me with a venue to reflect, share ideas and promote discussions with colleagues and peers who share a common interest. I believe that this will help me grow professionally so that I can provide the type of leadership that our students deserve. Let's use this energy to start closing the gap. The mission begins!

Promoting the Strengths of Others

"At work do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?"

This is one of the 12 questions that the Gallup Organization uses to measure "strong workplaces". We've all experienced those times when we were successful and enjoying our work because we're focusing on using our strengths. Why is it that Gallup's research shows that only 12% of workers answer "most of the time"? What would the individuals in your organization say to this question?

Years ago I read Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and the late Donald Clifton and I was hooked on this idea that we perform best by identifying our strengths and then focusing on using them as much as possible in our daily lives. Since then I've read Buckingham's Go Put Your Strengths to Work and I'm in the middle of reading Your Child's Strengths by Jenifer Fox.

As a principal, I want to know how to create an environment where teachers, students and staff members  can truly use their strengths "most of the time". It seems that lately I've been stuck in the improving on weaknesses model. I want to share one example of what I have done in the past few years and then I'd love to hear others' stories.

Twice now in the past few years I have started the year by having all of the Heads of Departments complete the Clifton Strengths Finder. Each individual shares his/her strengths with the group and discusses how the strengths come into play at work. This exercise was great for our team because we opened up to each other and the emphasis was on the positive. We all saw each other in a different light and we learned to appreciate the others' individual strengths. I then used the information to recruit individuals for various projects based on their strengths.

• The analytical and strategic individuals participated in planning for the future.
• The problem solver solved problems with colleagues and/or customers.
• The positive person organized and promoted the faculty party.
• The empathetic person provided her insight on school climate.

I have also found that it helps two very different individuals understand each other better. The individuals who are impatient for action try to understand me better when I need to be deliberate and vice versa.

What are others doing to promote strengths? I need all the help that I can get.

The Messages that We Communicate to our Community

I often wonder what people think when they see this sign for the Coast restaurant. For those of us who are familiar with the United States we all know what Southwest cuisine is. We would expect burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, etc. The only problem with this restaurant is that it's in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (you may notice that this was taken during Ramadhan). Do the Malaysians and other Asians in KL know what to expect if they eat there?
Last year I took the time to meet regularly with one of our parents who is a consultant and her specialty is communication within the organization. What I learned was eye-opening. Can you guess that there was a disconnect between the messages that we through were going out to the students, parents and teachers and their perception? It was time to revamp our communication plan to the community. I want to share just a few of the ideas that came out of those meetings.

• Begin with your mission statement and select 3 - 4 broad messages that you want to communicate throughout the year. Return to these frequently.
• Present decisions as how they align with your mission.
• Promote successes early and often. Everyone wants to be part of a successful community.
• Take time to plan your meetings with each individual group. Each meeting is a precious chance to communicate with that group. Sloppy meetings send the wrong message.
• Study your communication channels and decide which one works best for the specific audience.  I learned that our electronic newsletter was not being read by many people so I had to look for another way to get info out to the broader audience.
• When negative feedback comes out it is many times best to accept it and promise to get back with the person(s) when you have had time to digest the information.

How do you know if your community members are getting the message that you want them to?

Learning from a Failed Mission

I just spent four days with our 12th graders living in an Iban longhouse in Sarawak, Malaysia. This annual trip is always a highlight for our students and there are so many great educational benefits to this trip. I'll save that discussion for a future post, though because for some reason, while deep in the jungle, I had to think about Scott McLeod's 1 October post entitled, Messianic arrogance from Dangerously Irrelevant. In the post he asks,

"Am I any different than your friend or relative that insists on witnessing to you every time you see each other? Am I any different than the Hare Krishnas at the airport or the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses who knock at your front door?"

This picture is of the chapel that missionaries built for the fourteen families of the longhouse. I had visions of missionaries (like Scott) preaching to the members of the tribe while this chapel was being built. The chapel looks like it hasn't been used in years, because it hasn't. There's actually another dilapidated one near the neighboring longhouse that's a ten minute walk away. The Ibans are animists and the missionaries were unsuccessful in their attempt to convert them to Christianity.

I'd hate for the Scott's chapels (technology-rich schools) to be unused and falling apart years from now and believe that there's much that we can learn from this failed attempt. Below are just a few questions that I'd like to ask the missionaries.

• What strategies did your leaders use?
• What education did you provide? (I'm interested because there are no Iban language Bible translations)
• How did you address the longstanding animist beliefs that have been held by the Ibans for generations?
• What resources where used?
• How long did you predict that the conversion process would take?
• Did you think that if you built the chapel that they would use it?
• Was there a strategic plan in place?
• What next?

Any others you'd like to ask?

Today’s 21st Century School Leader

 This is my first post to LeaderTalk and while as a principal in an international school overseas my perspective on leading a school may be a bit different, I still believe that our jobs are very similar.

 

For those of you who have been paying attention to trends in international schools, you may have noticed that we may be close to reaching a tipping point. What do The American School of Bombay, Surabaya International School, Escuela Campo Alegre, The New International School of Thailand, Taipei American School, Mont’Kiara International School, The American School of Warsaw, and The American School of Dubai all have in common? Answer: They have already established or they are in the process of planning and/or implementing 1:1 laptop programs. The Greaves Group in America’s Digital Schools 2006, reported that the top two trends in educational technology are 1:1 laptop programs and ubiquitous computing. This is an exciting time for schools, and it is apparent that savvy leadership is essential. Today’s leaders require new knowledge and skills to effectively lead the charge. Iowa State University’s Educational Administration professor and author of the blog Dangerously Irrelevant, Scott McLeod stated, “if the leaders don’t get it, it isn’t going to happen.” For “it to happen”, today’s leaders will have to assume the roles of visionary, change agent, educational leader, modeler and manager.

 

Visionary

Much has been written about the rapid pace of technological change and how this impacts the workplace of the future. If we are truly committed to preparing our students for the future, it is essential for school leaders to scan the horizon to project how technology will change the educational landscape in the not so distant future. Visionaries look to the future, promote futuristic thinking with members of the school community and have the ability to connect ideas from other industries to education.

 

Those who excel in this role scan the web by reading and contributing to blogs, wikis and other e-publications. In the community, he/she visits businesses and speaks to leaders about how technology will impact the future of their industry. In the school setting, she/he dialogues with students, parents and teachers about future trends creating an environment where individuals are excited about being on the cutting edge. These discussions encourage others to scan the horizon and share their findings with the rest of the group.

 

Change Agent

The change agent understands the impact that technology has on the teaching and learning environment. The tools change administrative and educational practices within the organization. Couple the initial change with the rapid rate of technological change today, and individuals can drown in the current. Today’s change agent considers the mix of humans and machines and focuses on the human element. He/she knows that changing behavior over the long term can be challenging.

 

Fortunately, there is an abundance of research out there for school leaders to use. By picking one specific model the members of the organization can focus their collective efforts on adjusting to the changes. The astute change agent sticks to the model, is open and understanding with teachers, students and parents, and perseveres over the long haul. Everybody in the school has to understand the process. This understanding comes from open discussion and dialogue that the leader initiates.

 

Educational Leader

School leaders have always had to be educational leaders, but the 21^st century leader must now understand what effective uses of technology in teaching and learning are and he/she must know what the goals are for student learning. With information multiplying exponentially, the curriculum for the future focuses less on content and more on skill development and these skills must be defined. While the tools have changed, many of the fundamentals of good teaching remain the same, so today’s leader has to be less enamored with the gadgets and more interested in the final learning results.

 

The conversations around teaching and learning should not change since the fundamentals remain the same. The experienced educational leaders must first know the curriculum and then utilize the backward design approach. Leaders must ask teachers questions about their goals, process and product. They promote the results of master teachers who use technology effectively and encourage the reluctant to experiment with new tools.

 

Modeler

While school leaders have always had to work to improve administrative tasks, the modeler is constantly searching for ways to incorporate technology in the improvement process. The savvy leader is able to “walk the talk” and show that he/she is willing to learn and take risks with new technology. The modeling may or may not be related to teaching and learning, but it has to assist with improving the leader’s performance. The message that teachers and students receive is that the leader is willing to take the time to learn about new tools and then implement them into his/her daily work. This is certainly appropriate since this is the same process that the teachers go through.

 

A first step can be to determine where improvements are needed and then seek technological tools that will help. The areas may be in streamlining administrative tasks, improving communication, or making data collection and analysis simpler. The learning process generally includes playing around with and asking questions about a variety of tools. The modeler may or may not be considered a techno geek by teachers and students, but they’re viewed as willing to try new gadgets, much like the teachers and students do. The savvy leader goes beyond using e-mail, presentation software and spreadsheets by exploring web 2.0 tools, open source software and cutting edge solutions to improve her/his performance.

 

Manager

In the manager role today’s leader has to have some understanding of the terminology and nuts and bolts. This knowledge is important when making big dollar purchases and when communicating with board members, parents, teachers and students. He/She also has to hire technology support personnel, and teachers who are comfortable with technology so it’s important to be able to ask the right questions and speak the lingo.

 

This is often a role that leaders have limited skills, knowledge and interest in playing and frequently they rely on technology experts to make recommendations. While it is appropriate to rely on the experts, the buck typically stops with him/her so it’s important that he/she have sufficient knowledge of the technology. A first step is to assess personal knowledge and interest and then determining how much to rely on the tech experts. The savvy leader is able to comfortably answer difficult questions from constituents, promote the initiative and make important decisions.

 

While today’s leader has to consider these five roles, no one expects him/her to be highly proficient in all five areas. Today’s leaders acknowledge the roles and make plans to provide the necessary leadership. This model will provide school leaders with guidance when preparing to move schools into a 21^st century learning environment that provides teachers and students with ubiquitous access to technological tools for teaching and learning.

 

More information and resources related to the five roles can be found at Principals of the Future.