Leading by Convening: The Power of Authentic Engagement

1. Leading by Convening: The Power of Authentic Engagement Joanne Cashman, Ed.D. Director, The IDEA Partnership at The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)

2. I am glad to be here!Let’s find out….Who is here? • Very briefly, • Name • Current Role • Other roles you have held in education that shape your perspective

3. Do We Have with Us Those That Are … or Have Been • Teachers • Special Ed … General Ed • Early Childhood Providers • Related Service Providers • Administrators • Special Ed … General Ed • State Ed Agency • Special Ed…General Ed • Parents and family members • All kids … Kids with disabilities • Community Leaders • Professional Association Leaders • Family Group Leaders • Other ... As we talk today ... let’s be aware of the perspectives that are … and are not …in our experience.

4. Out Time Together... Habits of Interaction Coalescing Relevant Participation Doing Work Together New Leadership Competencies Becoming a Leader and a Learner Creating ‘two-way learning’ Establishing a rhythm of Interaction Engaging everybody Developing ‘other leaders’ Building an ‘ally relationship • Perspectives that shape identity • Identity and role • Engagement as Strategy • Leading by Convening • New leadership • New skills

5. Identity • We define who we are by what is familiar and what is foreign. • We define ourselves by what we are not as well as by what we are. • These relationships change. In changing, we carry a bit of each as we go around. • Our identities are not something we can turn on and off. • You don’t cease to be a parent because you go to work. • You don’t cease to be a nurse because you step out of the hospital. • Multi-membership is an inherent aspect of our identities.” Source: Etienne Wenger, Organization, 2000 Do you have a multi-membership identity?

6. About Your Identity... • To what extent does limited or extensive past roles influence your current role? • To what extent do you believe that others can change perspective if they have different experiences?

7. Think about It… • Do you have a ‘sticky’ trait? • What one skill or trait has persisted across the years to help you achieve what you have achieved?

9. As people we know the ‘human side’ is important to gaining our support and sustaining it. Does that understanding carry over to our role as SEAleaders?

10. How Will We Meet the Challenge? • Is information enough? • Is evidence based practice enough? • Is implementation fidelity enough? • Can we make sustainable progress without the active engagement of those at the practice level? • Our current and multiple identities can help us bridge the gap.

11. Consider this... , “ …teachers were the least likely of any profession surveyed on workforce engagement to respond positively: whether they feel their opinions at work count, and whether their supervisor creates an "open and trusting environment."  "State of America's Schools" Gallup Poll, 2014

12. Engagement as Strategy • Strategy is more than a goal, an objective or an activity. It is a course of action that impacts change at many levels in the desired direction. NASDSE, 2014 • We need a new way of working • recognize the value of stakeholder engagement • a new role for state and local agencies – leading by convening • We need to draw attention to the power of relationships and the strategy of convening • We need to pursue engagement as strategy at national, state, local and building levels

13. Importance of Relationships in Change There will never be enough laws, policies, processes, documents, etc. to force change. Change is best realized through the relationships we build with those people and groups that have a common interest toward solving a persistent problem or seizing an opportunity. Bill East, NASDSE, 2012

14. Living the Logic • Multiple stakeholders • Multiple perspectives • Multipleagencies and divisionswith multiple initiatives • Building the relationshipsthat help us cross boundaries • Reaching out to those with influence an those in authority • Reaching out to engage each other!

15. Leading … and Leading by Convening • Many want to be more inclusive in their leadership style • There are specific behaviors that advance or are constrain engagement • We can learn to be aware of and change those behaviors • Engagement is a habit that can be cultivated! • Leading by Convening: A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement is designed to convey the lessons learned over 15 years • General and Special Education • Educators and families • Education agencies and related state and national agencies

16. Convening as a ‘New Discipline’ Convening is: • More than a meeting • More than facilitation • The beginning of a relationship focused on practice change

17. Persistent Challenges • Technical Challenge Requires information, knowledge or tools • Adaptive (Relationship) Challenges Requires understanding and a willingness to make behavior changes Source: Heifetz and Linsky, Leadership on the Line, 2002

18. The Leadership Challenge • Learning that technical solutions are necessary but often not sufficient • Knowing when a persistent problem needs a adaptive (relationship) solution • Building adaptive (relationship) skills as a part of strategy

20. Coalescing around Issues

21. Ask Yourself….. • Which side might be the most challenging? • Where might youbegin? • What could go wrong?

22. Coalescing Around issues

23. Let’s look at the tools for Coalescing Explore: Four Simple Questions Meet the Stakeholders

24. Ensuring Relevant Participation

25. Relevant Participation Has Several Faces:Range, Frequency, and Role In your own words … If we want to create relevant participation…what do we need to pay attention to ? On the technical side • Could these actions be addressed with a tool, a protocol or a plan? On the adaptive side • What does the adaptive side require that the technical side does not require?

26. Ensuring Relevant Participation

27. Let’s look at the tools for Relevant Participation Explore: Engaging Everybody

28. Doing Work Together

29. Think about it….. Look at the technical side …. • Is it primarily one-way or two-way interaction? Now….look at the adaptive side. • If you were to rank the statements…how would you rank them … starting with the most important?

30. Doing Work Together

31. Leading by Conveningmeans we….. • Meet people ‘where they are’ on the issue. • Bring people together to build support for addressing the issue. • Convene the stakeholders to discover why this is important and how it will improve practice. • Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute. • Help people ‘lead in place’ regardless of role, position, or title. • Create new knowledge together. • Solve complex issues that need the various perspectives/aspects that contribute to problems/solutions. • Build a personal commitment to working in this way because we believe inclusive work is better and more sustainable work. • Cultivate the habit of collaboration. • Integrate collaboration into the identity of the group and the individual. • Other…..

32. Group Change: Toward a Culture of Collaboration

33. Individual Change: Toward a Different Identity as a Collaborator