Author: chris

While there are some exceptions, most people do not like to be told what to do, especially when it comes to change. Not only does this often lead to resentment, but it can also inhibit people from doing their best work. I am sure many of us can recount numerous instances during our careers when directives have been leveled down by a leader(s). We end up following through with them in many cases because we are subordinate instead of empowered. The latter drives sustainable change leading to transformation at scale. Isn’t that what we all want? 

I shared the following in Digital Leadership :

Leadership is not about telling people what to do but instead taking them where they need to be. Setting an example through your own practice illustrates to others that change is a shared endeavor. It is about the collective, where a title, position, and power don’t give someone a pass. When it all is said and done, leadership is about action, not talk and opinion (or memos and emails in my example). Setting an example and modeling is the first step. The next is a combination of support, accountability, and evidence that leads to efficacy. When everyone sees how the change(s) actually improves teaching, learning, and leadership, the path to sustainability starts.

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The images above tell a powerful story and many of us have seen them in various iterations. Just because you have a title doesn’t mean you are a leader. Motivating and inspiring the masses to be a part of something where there is a shared belief in the endeavor relies on being part of the solution. While telling, dictating, or bossing people might invoke some short-term results, lasting change materializes when the leader sets the example. Modeling is a powerful strategy. However, rolling up your sleeves and doing the work side-by-side with your people in certain situations will pay dividends time and time again. No matter which path you choose, here are some ideas to consider:

• Teach a class
• Facilitate professional learning
• Participate in your own PLC with staff
• Create pathways for staff to provide you with routine feedback
• Write curriculum
• Curate and share evidence of how your work impacts outcomes

Where do you see an opportunity to set an example? What would you add to the list above? The bottom line is as simple as it is profound. Don’t ask others to do what you haven’t done or are unwilling to do yourself.  

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All leaders most likely view themselves as jugglers. Who could blame them when there are always multiple areas to address and the fact that the buck stops with them when it comes to making big decisions?  Here are just a few:

• Accountability
• Morale
• Meetings
• Professional learning
• Stakeholders
• Achievement
• Budget
• Crises

The act of juggling requires concentration and focus. If you place all your attention on one ball, the chances of keeping the rest in the air are very slim. If you watch any juggler, you will see that person looking straight ahead. The reason for this is to veer away from focusing on the movement of each individual ball, with the goal being to keep them all in the air. Basically, a juggler does not focus on the balls as separate entities but instead as a whole. 

It is natural to want to be and do everything as a leader. While the intention is positive, it is difficult, if not impossible, to put the needed effort into multiple moving parts. Instead, the rule of thumb should be to do one thing exceptionally well before dedicating time and energy elsewhere. The question that then needs to be answered is, are you juggling or leading? The best leaders de-emphasize multitasking and attempting to keep everything in the air. They instead clearly visualize the most pressing and vital ball and prioritize one thing at a time. Juggling is secondary, while the ball in front of them is primary. 

It is hard to lead if you are constantly juggling. Consider the following to help keep your eye on the ball:

• Honesty is the best policy. Know what you can handle in an effort to avoid stress, burnout, or things falling through the cracks. 
• Make responsibilities clear. Think about what is needed in terms of time and resources. Leverage the power of delegation to empower others to focus on and attend to balls that are constantly in the air. Everything needs to be clarified. 
• Prioritize to ensure success. Don’t shy away from dumping non-essential items. 
• Seek advice. There is no reason to go at it alone. Be sure to elicit the counsel of those you trust. 
• Plan accordingly. Never discount the importance of a strategic plan that takes into account all the elements listed above. 

If you want to be a juggler, keep that as a hobby. As a leader, zero in on the ball that is of the utmost importance to help you move change forward, support and empower your staff, and become the best iteration of yourself. 

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As a leader, have you ever been so excited about a new initiative or innovative idea only to learn that some of your staff weren’t as equally thrilled? Early in my career, this was more the norm than the exception. I vividly remember getting excited about improving parent communication with, at the time, a state-of-the-art app. Since I saw the inherent value that it would have in the hands of my teachers to get information out readily while building relationships in the process, I couldn’t wait to usher in this change.

I began with a detailed email with attachments and planned a more formal presentation at an upcoming faculty meeting. The time finally came, and I facilitated a demonstration of the tool and then had my staff discuss the merits and possible issues with incorporating the tool across the entire school. To my dismay, at the time, my staff was primarily lukewarm to the idea or totally against everyone using a digital tool for communications .   I felt both blindsided and confused. After meeting with some of my most trusted teachers, I decided not to move forward with the app. However, this was an invaluable learning experience for me, which helped when I tried to lead other change initiatives.

There were times, like the example above, when I did not find success with change. It’s not that they were bad ideas or a waste of time and resources. Instead, it was human nature in terms of a resistance to change that was the cause of reluctance in some of my staff. Fear of the unknown and being comfortable where one is at can stymie even the noblest efforts. As a leader, it was my responsibility to help my staff overcome both of these potential impediments and you can as well.

Know your stuff

It is critical to deeply understand what you are trying to achieve, why this journey is essential to embark on, and how it will lead to better outcomes. Begin embracing a scholarly mindset so you can connect research and evidence when it is time to lay out a path forward. Be sure to be transparent along the way, so your staff knows the advantages of the change and potential disadvantages. Most importantly, look for opportunities to model new ideas.

I shared the following in Digital Leadership .

Leadership is about action. Don’t expect others to do what you have not done or are not willing to do yourself. 

Listen and learn to understand needs

Knowing your stuff also means you are willing to listen to staff concerns to gain greater insight that can be leveraged to overcome reluctance. Consider this a vital learning experience that can be used to influence both the decision process and future implementation. Incorporating feedback and addressing concerns openly can shift the tide. The opposite also holds true. When big decisions are made unilaterally, stiff resistance typically follows.

Instill value

There is no more significant catalyst for accepting change than when people clearly know the why behind the endeavor. It works to help people embrace what is being asked of them and, in the process, increases the likelihood of success. Value can also be secured by supplying clear evidence that the change is warranted and providing ongoing professional learning support.

Human nature can be a fickle thing. Reluctance to change might never be fully overcome. As leaders, it is prudent to be proactive when pursuing anything that bucks the status quo to empower staff to want to be part of the solution.

What strategies have you found to work when it comes to reluctant staff?

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During my training to become a teacher, I was immersed in the work of Madeline Hunter when it came to lesson plan design. Her Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP) model helped me identify the strategies I would use on a daily basis to help my students learn. These included the anticipatory set (hook), reviewing prior learning, checking for understanding, forms of practice, and closure. Every lesson had these elements and I often received positive feedback from administrators on these when they observed me. Closure is something I was incredibly proud of and I always ended lessons with some form of paper exit ticket.   I shared the following in Disruptive Thinking :

While the opening moments with students are crucial, so are the final minutes. Think about this for a second. What’s the point of an objective or learning target, whether stated, on the board, or students having the opportunity to discover for themselves, if there is no opportunity at the end of the lesson to determine if it was achieved? Learning increases when lessons are concluded in a manner that helps students organize and remember the point of the lesson. 

At the time, this model was both a practical and effective means for planning direct instruction and was readily embraced as this was the primary strategy used in classrooms. It streamlined practices in an efficient way that could be replicated day in and day out. Herein lies the main disadvantage of ITIP. It was a one-size-fits-all approach centered on the teacher making all the decisions from an instructional standpoint at the expense of developing competent learners who can think.  

Like many things in education, elements of ITIP still have value depending on how they are used. Closure is still critical, in my opinion, as a means to determine lesson effectiveness and serve as a catalyst for reflective growth. Exit tickets, when constructed well, represent a sound strategy to be implemented at the conclusion of a lesson. In simple terms, these are ungraded formative assessments that assess what students learned during the course of the lesson. The data from then can be used to identify the following:

• Level of mastery
• Areas of difficulty
• Opportunities to reteach
• Gaps in learner understanding 

The information gleaned from them provides the teacher with additional insight as to how the lesson went and what can be done to improve it in the future. A recent visit to Quest Academy Junior High School, where I began longitudinal work on personalized competency-based learning (PCBL), got me thinking more deeply about this strategy. The principal, Nicki Slaugh , is a trailblazer in this area and I am fortunate enough to be providing coaching support to her staff to take them to the next level. While visiting classrooms with Nicki, we saw a slew of outstanding practices in action. However, I was incredibly impressed with the exit ticket created by science teacher Melanie Hueftle, which you can see below.

Not only does this meet the criteria for a well-designed exit ticket, but it also goes much more profound and serves as a more powerful reflective tool for both the teacher and the student. As reported by John Hattie, self-reported grades/student expectations are one of the most effective strategies out there (effect size = 1.44). The exit ticket puts the “personal ” in personalized as each learner determines where they are in relation to the learning target. I also love the fact that they can advocate for support from not one but two different teachers. Knowing Nicki and her incredible staff, what you see above is most likely the norm in many Quest Academy classrooms.

Try This

• First, if you’re already using exit tickets or some other means of lesson closure, that’s great, but take a minute to reflect on whether they’re providing the type of substantive info I’ve outlined here, or if they’re simply making your lessons slightly longer. Consider if your use of closure elements might be tweaked to provide greater value to you and to your students. As you approach future lessons, zero in on what these tasks are telling you about student learning—on an individual basis and as a whole group. Are you seeing any patterns? How might you adjust your instruction to provide more focus where each student needs it?
• If exit tickets are new to you, that’s great, too—what an opportunity! First, consider what feedback would be most helpful to you and your students. The example I provided here is just one, but Google “exit tickets” and you’ll see a number of examples. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Find one that fits your needs and modify it to make it yours. What lesson this week is a natural fit for an exit ticket? Choose one, develop your ticket, and just try it with your class. Then reflect on the information it provides—how does this align with your expectations around what you want your students to understand? What steps will you take to adjust your instruction? Remember, data is great, but it’s what we do with it that matters.

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