The leader in me Chapter 8 “Making it happen, one step at a time”

1. The leader in meChapter 8“Making it happen, one step at a time” “Where do I begin? Do we as a school have the right people and the right energy to pull it off? Do I have what it takes?”

2. The 4 imperatives of leadership • There is not one size fits all process for implementing the leadership theme. • Each school and classroom must design and tailor the approach to fit the unique needs of its students and culture. • There are four sequential principle-based steps that will help guide you… • Inspire Trust – What are our current levels? • Clarify Purpose – Form a mission statement • Align Systems – Making it all fit together • Unleash Talent – Putting principles into practice

3. Step one: Inspire trust • Prior to instituting the leadership themes, a school will first want to consider the trust levels that are in existence at the school and look for ways to resolve or remove areas of mistrust. • The Pyramid of Influence • The base of the pyramid is MODELING or example. • Example is what is SEEN. If a teacher or administrator only talks the talk, and does not walk the walk by exhibiting primary greatness, others will see right through them – especially children.

4. Step one: Inspire trust • Prior to instituting the leadership themes, a school will first want to consider the trust levels that are in existence at the school and look for ways to resolve or remove areas of mistrust. • The Pyramid of Influence • The base of the pyramid is MODELING or example. • Example is what is SEEN. If a teacher or administrator only talks the talk, and does not walk the walk by exhibiting primary greatness, others will see right through them – especially children.

5. Step one: Inspire trust • The Pyramid of Influence • The next level of the pyramid is RELATING. • Relating is what is FELT. It is represented by the amount of care, consideration, and empathy that exists in a relationship. “If a teacher has a good relationship with students, then students accept her rules, procedures, and disciplinary action.”

6. Step one: Inspire trust • The Pyramid of Influence • The pinnacle of the pyramid is TEACHING. Teaching is a culmination of what is seen, felt, and heard. • How can we expect the students to accept the habits if we as adults do not understand the habits or are not living them? • Learn then implement….just as we are doing  “It is imperative that they be models of what is being taught. No, perfection is not required, but a strong semblance of ‘making an effort’ certainly is.”

7. Step two: Clarify purpose • Clarifying purpose involves finding answers to 4 questions? • What is our mission? • A mission is not a destination….but a reason to journey. • Why would we want to do this as a school? • Why would this leadership theme help students? • Why would this be worth it to me as a teacher? “We need to summarize our school’s purpose for doing the leadership theme into a concise mission statement.”

8. Step two: Clarify purpose • What is our vision? • Mission is the purpose….Vision is the destination. • The more clearly people can see what is included in the vision and what is not, the more focused they can become in their planning, in their purchases, in the lesson plans,and in their approach to classroom management. “…Translate your vision into a short list of realistic goals and time-specific milestones.”

9. Step two: Clarify purpose • What is our strategy? • Vision is the destination…Strategy is the path. • There are two general types of strategy. • “Hard Strategy” • “Soft Strategy” “Regardless of how compelling or promising a mission or vision may be, it makes no sense for a group of teachers and administrators to heap off their present pedestal without a plan.”

10. Step two: Clarify purpose • “Hard Strategy” • The nuts and bolts of how a school will achieve its mission,vision and leadership theme. • Laying out logical, orderlyand manageable steps and time tables. What priorities will we address first? Will there be a pace? What resources will be needed? Who will be involved? How will it be launched? Is our plans reasonable? Can we execute it?

11. Step two: Clarify purpose • “Soft Strategy” • Represented by the schools values. • Commonly referred to as Code of Conduct. How will we treat each other on the journey? How will we treat students? “Strategies both hard and soft, lose viability is they become too detailed or lengthy. Sometimes less is more…”

12. Step two: Clarify purpose • What is expected of each individual? • Are they to lead out? • Are they to provide support? • Are they to remove obstacles? Clear expectations fall in two categories • General expectations that all people are supposed to take on. • Individual specific expectations. “Regardless of how compelling or promising a mission or vision may be, it makes no sense

13. Step two: Clarify purpose • While all four of the above questions began with WHAT, all four help answer the question of WHY. • “If a person does not know what the mission is, or what the vision is, or what the strategy is, or what his or her role is, that person will never fully know “why” they are being asked to do what they are being asked to do, nor will they feel a passion for it.”

14. Step three: align systems • Alignment PRECEDES implementation. • Too many leaders think they can skip the alignment step and go straight to implementation. • Many do, and that is why change efforts fail. There are 4 key systems-people systems-that are most crucial to the success of the leadership theme…

15. Step three: align systems • Attracting • Who are the key people and stakeholders who can make this happen? How will you get their buy-in? • Involve people EARLY on. • Bring people on board DURING the creation of the mission, vision and strategy. “Their hearts and minds have to be inspired as if they were starting anew.”

16. Step three: align systems • Positioning • What roles do teachers and administrators need to fill to make this happen? What leadership role will students take on? • Team of decision makers and mentors. • Multiple grade levels and specialty areas are represented. • Involve students to come up with a list of student leadership roles. • This can not be shared, because the process of involving students is more important that the list of job titles itself.

17. Step three: align systems • Developing • How will we train people in the 7 Habits and other leadership content? • Most teachers learn in a phase process. • Process for training newcomers • One of the most effective ways to train the students is to involve them in leaderships roles. • Allow them to train other students and their PARENTS. • “It is no secret that the home environment has the largest direct impact on student achievement.” “The greatest learning and sense of empowerment occurs while in the act of creating.”

18. Step three: align systems • Rewarding • How will progress and success be rewarded? How will people be held accountable for inappropriate actions? • Not just that “top achievers” are rewarded – but each child is rewarded for meaningful progress. • Look for ways to reward team, class and school wide efforts. • Find ways to track academic progress, personal goals (data notebook), attendance numbers, disciplinary reports and data on parent/teacher satisfaction. “…while fun awards and public recognition have their place and value, intrinsic rewards tend to be the most motivating and reinforcing.”

19. Step four: unleash talent • Leading by example… • NOT necessarily watching and doing in the same motion and rhythm as the leader. • BUT follow the example set by the leader and demonstrate your own unique techniques. • You are subject to the same principles but now have the freedom to put those principles into practice in their own unique way. “What a wise principal will hope for in implementing the leadership theme is to become a leader of leaders, not a leader of followers.”

20. Step four: unleash talent • Unleashing talent not only applies to teachers but also to parents, community leaders and students. • Give the students responsibility and respect by involving them in the problem solving, using their gifts and trusting them. “The more everyone’s talents are able to be unleashed and empowered, the more successful the leadership theme will be at your school.”

21. Putting the steps together • Inspire Trust • This is at the core… • Clarify Purpose • A natural place to start… • Align Systems • Unleash Talent “Carefully decide how much your school can realistically take on during the first year, and then each following year revisit the cycle and determine what more you want to do, if anything, to expand or refine things at a pace that matches your needs and capacity.”

22. Sustaining change What Works in Schools by: Robert Marzano • Three Principals that are central to creating and sustaining change in today’s schools. The following are how his principles apply to what we have learned so far… • To sustain change to your school, that change needs to be attached to your school. Own it – Place your own signature on the process. • Data Notebooks – monitor individual student data, classroom data, grade-level data and school wide data. • This isn’t a race. Schools should only move forward at a pace that matches people’s ability to absorb change, all the wile maintaining a pace that lets people know that “this is here to stay.”