Tag Archives: leadership

The Dead-End Leader

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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by bennylin0724

Having a conversation with a good friend and talking about my own experience, we shared some stories about leadership.  The one thought that kept popping up in my head is the notion of the “Dead-End Leader” and how life-sucking these experiences can be in our profession.

Example…

You are having a conversation with your principal talking about a new idea and they tell you all of the reasons why it won’t work.  That is essentially saying “no”, or else, “too risky for me to back it.” This puts you in the position of either not doing it, not feeling comfortable being ‘subversive’, or making it happen in spite of your administrator.

Take the same idea with the same risks, and your leader says, “I’m not sure, but have you thought about these things?”. Or saying,”I don’t know enough about this, so please tell me more.”

Great leaders continue the conversation.

They empower you.

They show trust in your ability and knowledge.

They don’t stop the journey, but make you think about your course.

This is more than great leadership, but this is also great learning.

This (for me) goes back to the question…are you a fountain or a drain?

(As I wrote this, I thought of this video and post shared by Dean Shareski.  Take a look at it because it is definitely worth the time.)

 

The First Step to Change

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I get a lot of emails asking about creating the conditions for change and recently was asked, “As a new principal, what is the first step to create a better learning environment in our school?”

Here is my answer…do nothing.

Too many times people walk into buildings and have some great ideas and they start trying to tweak this, and change that, etc., yet that often alienates the people that you want to get better.

What I would strongly suggest is that you sit back, watch, learn, and figure out what people are great at already and build from there.  You will build relationships and people will trust that when new initiatives begin popping up in your school that you already value their skills and abilities.  Also, this will create a team approach as opposed to the “admin vs. teacher” culture that is prevalent in many schools.

“It takes far less energy to move from  first-rate performance to excellence than it does to move from incompetence to mediocrity.”  Peter Drucker

3 Important Trends That We Should Focus On in Schools

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In our world, parents and students now have access to the same information that educators do, and the hope is that this would improve the learning that happens in school.  The reality of this is though, that educators have access to information outside of schools and we should be looking towards different organizations and industries, and what they are focusing on and improving their practice.  Many educators are doing this now, and you will see things like Google’s “2o% Time” implemented at both the classroom and organizational level with great success.  As educators, I really believe we need to look both inside and outside of schools to create the best opportunities for our students.

Here are a few focus areas outside of education, that we should be looking at in schools and make more explicit in our practice.

1.  Research and Development

Having a conversation at a recent meeting, the presenter continuously talked about “R & D”, while many sat in the room curious to what the initials stood for.  Why is that?  Why do we put such little emphasis on “Research and Development” in schools, while others organizations put a much larger emphasis in this area:

“Anthony S. Bryk, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has estimated that other fields spend 5 percent to 15 percent of their budgets on research and development, while in education, it is around 0.25 percent. Education-school researchers publish for fellow academics; teachers develop practical knowledge but do not evaluate or share it; commercial curriculum designers make what districts and states will buy, with little regard for quality. We most likely will need the creation of new institutions — an educational equivalent of the National Institutes of Health, the main funder of biomedical research in America — if we are to make serious headway.”  (From “Teachers: Will We Ever Learn“)

Obviously, research is a component of what we do in our classrooms, but are we creating from that process or are we simply reporting?  Teachers should be continuous learners and active research should be a component of this (obviously administrators should be finding time to ensure that this happens), and we are more likely to create this experience for students if we experience this ourselves.  Actively researching best, new and innovative practices, would only improve our schools.

We spend a lot of time having our students look back at the past, but how much time do we give them to create the future?

2.  Entrepreneurial Spirt

The term “entrepreneurial spirit” is something that has been a focus for Alberta Education:

“Entrepreneurial Spirit: who creates opportunities and achieves  goals through hard work, perseverance and discipline; who  strives for excellence and earns success; who explores ideas and challenges the status quo; who is competitive, adaptable and resilient; and who has the confidence to take risks and make bold decisions in the face of adversity.”

Or their simple definition for students:

“I create new opportunities.”

I have seen many amazing things that have been created in schools only because I happened to be in the school.  If students are able to develop an “app”, should they not also have some understanding of how to market it as well?  This just not go for the “business minds” in school, but in any and every aspect.  A student can be the most amazing artist, but if no one ever sees their work, could they ever end up doing this for a living?  I am a firm believer that we should try to give opportunities for students to follow their passions and hopefully make a living from what they love.

Dan Pink shares his belief that all people are in some capacity need the ability to be able to “sell”:

“Physicians sell patients on a remedy. Lawyers sell juries on a verdict. Teachers sell students on the value of paying attention in class. Entrepreneurs woo funders, writers sweet-talk producers, coaches cajole players.”

If you think back to your own post-secondary experience in becoming an educator, were you ever actually taught on how to get a job?  This is more important than ever with “digital footprints” becoming a large factor in how people in all areas are getting jobs.

We want our students to be able to create amazing things; how do we help them share those creations?

(Check out SCH Academy’s “Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership” to see a very innovative program that is really trying to push the envelope in this areas.)

3.  Leadership Development

This is probably a no-brainer for many, but still something that schools need to focus on for their entire community.  When I talk about “leadership”, I am not thinking of “being the boss”, but the ability to empower others and be a part in creating a positive culture.  I also believe that leadership has to do with ownership, and things that we do in isolation also help us in this pursuit (Sir Ken Robinson is considered a “leader” in education but how many of you know of any affiliations that he has with any single organization?).

Developing leaders should be something that we continue to focus on, or the first two areas that I have discussed will end up being moot.

Although there are “electives” in schools in the above areas, should there not be elements of each in the work that we do everyday?  As stated before, this is not just about students, but for it to be successful, these are initiatives that should be available to educators as well.  Experience is the best way to create new learning, and if our staff does not understand this, how will our students?  We should also look at what we do already in these areas and make some of these initiatives more explicit to our public.  Changing the terminology from “staff days” to “Research and Development Day” (or whatever the time length), better communicates the work that we are trying to do, and perhaps creates a better focus for ourselves on what we are trying to do with our professional learning time.

Although a lot of these terms are related to “business”, I see them as valuable opportunities for learning and to create opportunities for our students, not only in their future, but also their present.

I look forward to your thoughts.

So Much More Effective

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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by kevin dooley

Jimmy Casas is my hero.

I was able to sit back, and watch one of the most effective principals I have ever seen in my career.  Seeing the pride that he had in every element of his school, whether it was in the displaying of student work throughout the school, ensuring that the floors were so clean that you could eat off of them, or treating every single person in his school like a family member (staff, students, visitors, everyone), I was so impressed with what he was to everyone, and what that led to in his school.

As he ensured that I was checked into my hotel, a former student that worked the front desk refused to shake his hand, because he HAD TO come around and hug him for all that he did to ensure that the kid was successful.  The former student told me the story of how he was kicked out of school 3 times, and at 20, he came back and asked for another chance to get his degree and promised he wouldn’t screw up again.  He didn’t, and he graduated.  It takes a special kind of person to be able to kick someone out of school three times, yet have that same person come back to hug him, and that is the kind of person Jimmy emulates.

I saw this love and care in every interaction Jimmy had, but one moment stood out to me.  As they have a “no-hat” policy in the school (which I had been brought up and taught as a sign of respect), Jimmy passed a student wearing one.  As he looked at the student, the student smiled and Jimmy said, “If I had the hair you did, I would never wear a hat.”  As the student smiled and took it off while surrounded by his friends, Jimmy acted in awe of the student’s beautiful hair and made him feel special in a time where he could have easily embarrassed him in front of his peers.  He had the same end result if he would have scolded him, but this way was so much more effective.

As I sat and watched interactions like this over and over again, it reminded me of my parents and how they have always went out of their way to make everyone feel special.  I likened Jimmy to my dad, as he acted like a successful restaurant owner that everyone loved because of how he made them feel.  Although everyone felt special, they also knew Jimmy had extremely high expectations of them, which I am guessing they meet more often than not.

If every principal and leader carried themselves this way, schools would all be the places we dream of them being one day.   Thank you Jimmy for the invitation, but more importantly, the inspiration.  You are amazing to people, and that should not be the exception, but the norm.

4 Leadership Qualities That Need Follow-Through

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There are a lot of “qualities” of effective leadership that are discussed, yet important elements are left out that leave these qualities lacking.  When I think of what I want to see in leaders, and what I do my best to aspire towards, I try to think of certain qualities and the corresponding actions that make them whole.  Here are a few below.

1. Words without action – This one is so plainly evident, yet it has to be stated.  Leadership is not simply being a “thought leader”, but someone who gets things done.  This quote sticks out to me:

“Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference.” Nolan Bushnell

Have you followed through on your promises?

2. Being “heard” without follow-up – I will have to admit, I look for more than just being “heard” by someone when I have a concern or an issue.  I want it to be a conversation.  Being “heard” and “agreeing” are two different things, yet often times common ground can be found. It is essential to listen to all of those that we serve, but how do we follow up? Sometimes after these tough conversations, I wait, go home, think about it, and either respond in detail through an email or have a follow-up meeting to share what I heard, and talk about next steps.  It is way easier to take a side in the heat of the moment, but if you are an effective leader, you will work to find the “best” idea, not “your” idea.    Take time to share that thought process to ensure that you show others no they are an important part of your team.

3. Vision with no clarity – Every school or district has some mission statement, and after awhile, they seem pretty generic. If you want to see progress, start breaking these statements down and talk about what it looks like in the classroom.  If you want to find out if a school leader has a clear vision, ask them what learning should look like in the classroom.  If they can’t give you some ideas in the classroom, we have a problem.  A moving target is pretty hard to hit, but not as tough as a target that doesn’t even exist.

4.  Promoting “risk-taking”without taking risks – “Risk taking” is something that is often talked about and encouraged at the leadership level, but does it happen often?  If an educator does not see their administrator taking risks in the work that they do, that teacher is not going to feel very comfortable doing it in their job, which will often relay down to the students being risk averse.

Here is an example.

I have visited many schools and seen a lot of staff meetings that look pretty similar.  Administrator at the front, educators sitting down (either by themselves in groups or individually), information being dispersed, and group talk that is often at task.  There is often a lot of complaining about the process, yet things don’t seem to change.  What if the administrator decided to change things up, or tweak, or turn things upside down, and embody trying to do something different that is better?  If it doesn’t work, we try again.  Honestly, if staff meetings don’t change, you can forget about classroom learning changing.  People are not likely to change when you tell them something; they are likely to change when they experience something.

When I think about the work of effective leaders, it shouldn’t be complex, but a lot of work.  Great leadership takes time to build relationships through trust and actions.  Being charismatic and effective communicator are not the qualities that many look for; they want credibility.  Follow-through is essential and can take leadership to the level that we need to reach.

Ownership and Leadership

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When I first started teaching, I remember a student election that was quite controversial.  One of the “bad” kids decided to run for president and he was very likely to win.  This was not a kid that cared about necessarily improving the school, but wanted to prove that he could win the election because that is how little “student leadership” meant to the students.  His platform was run on the idea that he would win the election, and then do nothing.  He eventually bowed out but he had made his point. To be honest, the student council was a joke to many and this student was just proving it.

So why did the kids consider it a joke?  Most likely because student leadership in school had no real ownership over anything (at the time).  Yes they would organize dances (based on how many we would let them have and only if teachers would supervise), but other than that, there was not much the students could do.  They had no say in how things were taught in school or could they really talk about how they would want to learn.  There were a lot of active kids that would organize things, but only if they were allowed.

Without ownership, there can be no leadership.

When I came to my current school division, I remember my first principal putting me “in charge” of technology within the school.  I had heard similar sentiments before, yet when it came to decisions in my past schools, I was not asked for input.  That was a role for administrators, not for “teachers”.  Throughout the year though, I was continuously asked by my principal on my thoughts, and saw my input not only being valued, but also use for implementation.  At the end of the year, when the budget was put together, I was asked to look after the technology portion and make the decisions for purchasing.  At first I was astounded by being able to “oversee” this, and my principal simply told me, “I have hired you for your knowledge in this area and it only makes sense that you make the decisions.”  My dedication to the school rose exponentially because now if initiatives succeeded or failed in this area, it was my responsibility.

I continuously have been given leadership opportunities within Parkland School Division that are tied with the ownership over the process and results.   When I became principal, my hours were much longer, because I cared a ton about the success of the school, but I was okay with this because I loved what I was doing.  With that being said, my focus was to transfer the ownership to our school community to build leadership.

When I realized how much more job  satisfaction I had, when I was trusted to help move our school forward (in all my positions), I wanted to give as many people that same ownership that I felt and continuously develop leadership.  Not only did my staff lead our professional development, but they also defined the goals for the school.  If the goals were not achieved, it was on all of us, not just the principal.  People stepped up and did an amazing job for our school.  There was no more “passing the buck” to someone else; these was our goals, our implementation, and we all shared in the success and failures.

We often talk about developing leadership, but if people do not have the opportunity to own it, how far can they really go?

Questions and Ownership

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cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo shared by alexanderdrachmann

I have had some great conversations with some really smart educators over the past few days, and one in particular has stood out.

Frustrated by the slow pace of change in her building, an administrator asked me for some advice on how she can help move her staff forward on any issue and how they could adopt a more positive culture in the building.  I asked her to explain her vision to me, and she had some really great ideas for what her school could look like, and I followed it up by asking her if she has shared this vision with her staff.   I then asked her what were the questions that she asked of them about this topic, and honestly, she hadn’t really asked much.

The problem with that is as administrators, no matter how smart we are, we shouldn’t have or give all of the answers.  If you think about this, as a teacher, you are most likely the smartest person in a room full of students, but we need kids to figure out the answers, not listen to them.  What do we as administrators embody to our staff that we want modeled in their classroom?

For example, I brought up the conversation about teachers standing outside of their classroom to welcome their students.  There are so many benefits of doing this to improve the school culture and climate, yet if we simply say this as administrators to our staff, it may not be embraced by our staff.  Instead, why not ask a question similar to the following:

“If we stood outside of the classrooms in the morning and greeted our students, what do you think that would do for the culture of our school?”  

Instead of always being on the defensive and trying to justify answers, why not listen to staff and have them say why or why this wouldn’t work?  Too many administrators spend a lot of time defending their great ideas, but we need others to take ownership for these ideas and share their thoughts, both positive and negative.

After this conversation, there is an important follow up question:

If we feel this would improve the culture of our school, what do you need from me to ensure that you are successful?

I hear the term “servant leadership” used by many, but modeled by few.  When you want any initiative to work in your school, you must be able to share what you will do to ensure that your staff that YOU serve will

I have said this before, that great leadership should model the same things that great teachers do.  If you are the leader or teacher with all of the answers, what happens when you leave?  What have you built within your school or classroom?  Even if your school moves forward because of the wisdom of one person, that is a culture of one, and that culture will die when you leave.  We have to figure out better ways for our staff and students to own the culture and learning, and follow up by doing what we can to empower them to be successful.

Our work is about making others better, not displaying our own intelligence .

Slowing Down Change

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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by kewl

Sometimes I wish that I had more great ideas. I wonder when an awesome idea will pop into my head or I will be inspired and I can share it with our staff and get them really excited about some new learning that can happen in their classrooms. Lately though, it just doesn’t seem the wheel are turning and I am starting to wonder why. I know that I have helped to push some great learning initiatives within our school division, but it doesn’t seem that there have been any new ones coming from my office lately.

So I started to wonder, “why is this happening?”

I started to look at the way I attend conferences and the articles that I read. My interest in information that goes outside of what we are doing already seems to be waning and I just do not have the time to read everything that comes my way. I also do not go to sessions that I don’t believe will make an impact on my work right now and I haven’t done anything “new” in awhile.

In my title, “innovation” is an important part of the description and to me, it means “new” and “better”. So I guess I am starting to understand why I have felt a bit stagnant. I am not really focused on “new” at this point until I see the work that I am doing is making learning “better”. In a role of leadership, I often hear teachers say things such as, “we can just wait for this to pass”, and to be honest, I do not want to bring initiatives to our division that people can just “wait out”. I want to bring initiatives to the division that are long lasting and transform the way that our students and staff are teaching and learning, not just bring in something flashy. I am watching teachers in my school division do some amazingly innovative things and I am extremely supportive of this. We need to allow our “innovators” to be innovative and I am always supportive of that.

It is important to be visionary and forward thinking but it is also important to be supportive and patient. The best leaders will find the balance between the two.

Change is good when it is needed and as leaders we should always be aware of trends in our world and education, but we also have to recognize when it is time to stay the course.

4 Attributes of a Great Assistant Principal

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A good friend of mine has just become an Assistant Principal (Vice Principal), which was probably one of the best jobs that I have ever had.  Often you get to help guide the direction of the school but you still have many opportunities to be in the classroom and connect with kids, more so than a principal.  That being said, I believe that a principal can still connect with kids in many ways, but in my experience, they have a lot more meetings and have to be out of school a lot more.

I have been blessed to have worked with an amazing principal who had taught me a lot and even though we would argue (a lot), it was always about figuring out what was best for the school.  To be honest, he encouraged the push-back because he cared more about “what was right” as opposed to “being right”.  My two years with him was probably one of the best learning experiences that I have ever had and I still connect with him all of the time when I need help because he always focuses on what is best for kids.

On the other side of the coin, as a school principal, I was blessed to work with amazing vice principals who pushed me to be better.  They challenged me to be better, but they were also sponges.  They were always open to learn and develop; not only from what I would share to them, but from the experiences that they had with staff, students, and parents.  I expect (these are non-negotiables) that administrators focus on building relationships with the entire school community, are approachable, are change agents, and ALWAYS have the idea of “what is best for kids” driving their decision-making.  My “administrative team” colleagues have had these qualities in spades.

Thinking about the work that I have seen from many staff in Parkland School Division, here are some of the other qualities that I noticed the most successful ones have all had:

1. Self-starters – There is often a misperception that a principal should be delegating tasks to the leadership team and I guess sometimes this does happen.  With that being said, I rarely had to ever ask my leadership team to do anything because they were already jumping on every opportunity to do different things for our school.  One of my proudest days as a principal was when our school started “Identity Day“, not only because it was such a great day for our school community, but this was an idea that was started and lead by my assistant principal.  Not only did she come up with the idea, but she worked with every single grade to ensure that the day was a success.  Being able to be actively lead initiatives and work alongside teachers gave them instant credibility.

They did not only do the “fun” jobs, but my assistant principals jumped up to take on some of the boring stuff to ensure that we would all work together to better their school.  Did they love doing that work?  Probably not.  But they knew what my strengths and weaknesses were and we would do things that would compliment one another as opposed to say “that is a job for the principal”

2. Determined to work towards success. – I have always been adverse to say things such as, “I am okay with failure”, because of the people that I have been blessed to work with.  I think of Jesse McLean and “Innovation Week“.  When he shared his thoughts with me about the week he was determined to make it a success, yet I know there were a lot of challenges that he, his admin team, and his school worked through to make the day a success.  When I think of “failure”, I think of it as a step towards success, as opposed to something that determines success.  Things may not be perfect, but I know that some of the people I look up to work extremely hard to make whatever they do the best possible.  Failure is not finite, but a bump along the way.

3. Always takes ownership when things go wrong, but always gives credit when things go right. – When I think about “Innovation Week“ and ”Identity Day“, what was humbling was that the people that lead these initiatives gave ALL of the credit to others even though they were the catalysts for the ideas.  They repeatedly acknowledge the hard work of the staff and said nothing of their part.  On the other hand though, if things would have failed or there would have been trouble, they would have owned that and not blamed others.  What that shows me over and over again, is that they are more worried about what is best for kids and the well-being of staff.  They carried a lot of weight on their shoulders yet they gave credit so much to others.  Not that it wasn’t deserving (because it absolutely was), but their focus was on the team and not themselves.  Still, they knew they had to do their part to make sure it was a success.

4. They will challenge authority.- I will never forget my interview to become an Assistant Principal with my soon-to-be boss.  We actually got in an argument during the interview and I thought that I would have no chance to get the job.  A few days later, he called and offered me the job.  What he had told me was that he did not want me to say “yes” to everything that he had said, but to push against him when I disagreed.  He did not want to go in front of the staff and say something that was ridiculous while I just simply watched him and disagreed in my head.  Again, he focused on what was right, not being right.  This did not mean that he agreed with everything that I said when I did challenge him, but he always tweaked his ideas based on my feedback.

When I hired my AP, this was a quality I knew that she had because she had pushed me as a teacher when I was an administrator.  I knew she was always focused on what was best and I learned so much from her challenges that I thought there would be no better hire.  If you are looking for someone to just agree with everything you say as an administrator, then you are better off hiring no one.

I was spoiled as both a Principal and Assistant Principal to work with amazing people that helped me to be successful.  I learned a ton from them and they were people that were extremely talented, trusting, yet were sponges; they always wanted to learn and grow.  With those that I have worked with, they have taught me that these qualities they possessed were not only for “administrators”, but are something that you should expect from others in your organization as well.  As an administrator, you sometimes have to make some tough calls, but if you are open to working with your administrative team and build trust with your school, those decisions become easier.

As I write this, I worry that many people new to administrative teams will think that simply implementing these ideas with their “boss” will lead to success, which is not true at all.  Leaders of organization would have to be open to these things, but in my opinion, if they are, their schools will be much more successful.  The collaborative approach to school leadership (not just administrators, but whole school) is more likely to lead success for kids than would an approach based on one.  I am hoping that the “top” of organizations would think about these qualities that I have listed and think about how they create an environment to ensure that these qualities can flourish.

If you are not open to learning from others in your building as “the leader”, will you really be able to create an environment where students and staff excel?

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent

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(change agents) – People who act as catalysts for change…

In my work through school and organization visits, I have been fascinated to see the correlation between the speed of change and an individual who is “leading” the charge.  The schools that have someone (or a group of people) helping to push the boundaries of what can be done in schools seem to move a lot quicker with a larger amount of “buy-in” through the process.

As Malcom Gladwell describes in his book, “The Tipping Point“, he states:

The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.

Although Gladwell talks about the “Law of the Few” (connectors, mavens, salesman), I do not believe change is solely dependent upon their skills, but also the culture in which they exist.  You cannot be a connector if you are in an environment where people do not want to come together.  So although a change agent can trigger growth in an organization, the culture in which they exist or are brought into has a huge bearing on their success.  If a school embodies itself as a true learning organization, change will happen much quicker.

With that being said, I have noticed that the individuals that are really successful in helping to be a catalyst for change certainly embody some similar characteristics.  Below is a list of what I have seen consistently.

1.  Clear Vision – As mentioned above, a “change agent” does not have to be the person in authority, but they do however have to have a clear vision and be able to communicate that clearly with others.  Where people can be frustrated is if they feel that someone is all over the place on what they see as important and tend to change their vision often.  This will scare away others as they are not sure when they are on a sinking ship and start to looking for ways out.  It is essential to note that a clear vision does not mean that there is one way to do things; in fact, it is essential to tap into the strengths of the people you work with and help them see that there are many ways to work toward a common purpose.

2. Patient yet persistent – Change does not happen overnight and most people know that.  To have sustainable change that is meaningful to people, it is something that they will have to embrace and see importance.  Most people need to experience something before they really understand that, and that is especially true in schools.  With that being said, many can get frustrated that change does not happen fast enough and they tend to push people further away from the vision, then closer.  The persistence comes in that you will take opportunities to help people get a step closer often when they are ready, not just giving up on them after the first try.  I have said continuously that schools have to move people from their point ‘A’ to their point ‘B’, not have everyone move at the same pace. Every step forward is a step closer to a goal; change agents just help to make sure that people are moving ahead.

3. Asks tough questions – It would be easy for someone to come in and tell you how things should be, but again that is someone else’s solution.  When that solution is someone else’s, there is no accountability to see it through.  It is when people feel an emotional connection to something is when they will truly move ahead.  Asking questions focusing on, “What is best for kids?”, and helping people come to their own conclusions based on their experience is when you will see people have ownership in what they are doing.  Keep asking questions to help people think, don’t alleviate that by telling them what to do.

4.  Knowledgeable and leads by example – Stephen Covey talked about the notion that leaders have “character and credibility”; they are not just seen as good people but that they are also knowledgeable in what they are speaking about.  Too many times, educators feel like their administrators have “lost touch” with what is happening in the classroom, and many times they are right.  Someone who stays active in not necessarily teaching, but active in learning and working with learners and can show by example what learning can look like now will have much more credibility with others.  If you want to create “change”, you have to not only be able to articulate what that looks like, but show it to others. I have sat frustrated often listening to many talk about “how kids learn today” but upon closer look, the same speakers do not put themselves in the situation where they are actually immersing themselves in that type of learning.  How can you really know how “kids learn” or if something works if you have never experienced it?

5. Strong relationships built on trust – All of the above, means nothing if you do not have solid relationships with the people that you serve.  People will not want to grow if they do not trust the person that is pushing the change.  The change agents I have seen are extremely approachable and reliable.  You should never be afraid to approach that individual based on their “authority” and usually  they will go out of their way to connect with you.

That doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to have tough conversations though; that also builds trust.  Trust is also built when you know someone will deal with things and not be afraid to do what is right, even if it is uncomfortable.  Sometimes trust is built when you choose to do what is right for your community or organization, as long as it is always done in a respectful way.

Should every school/district administrator have these qualities?  Probably.  But with that being said, positive change is not reserved to be the responsibility of any position.  The best leaders may have all of these qualities but also empower others to be those “change agents” as well to build a culture of leadership and learning.  I can think of many people that I have encountered who have helped pushed their organizations ahead that have no formal “authority” over any individual.  That being said, some of them do it in spite of their principal or superintendent and often feel that they are in constant conflict.  Things would obviously move a lot quicker if they had the support of their leader.  With that support, change can happen in an organization quickly, but if the leader does not “clear the path”, improvement will take a lot longer than it should.

What is important to note is that being a “charismatic leader” is not something that is essential.  Often, charismatic leaders lack many of these qualities that I have listed above and although they can seemingly lead change, it is not sustainable and does not permeate throughout the school or organization; it becomes too dependent upon one person.  For example, was Steve Jobs a change agent, or a charismatic leader?  Apple is not doing as well since he has passed away and their innovation has seem to slow down.  Steve Jobs was known for being notoriously tough to deal with and the trust that is essential to building a strong culture was probably lacking to some degree.  I believe that change agents will help to create more leaders, not more followers.

What qualities from this list did I miss?  Do you think that there has to be at least one person or group to help permeate change and growth in an organization?