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Change is Heart…err… Hard.
My students are at the age where everyone in their lives is asking them what they want to do with their futures. They get overwhelmed (and angsty) thinking they should know. Often, they turn the question over to me: “Ms. Schilly, why in the world did you want to be a teacher? How can you stand us?” They can’t quite grasp my answer: “You.” Sure, I love to read, I love to write, and at some point, I’m sure I thought I would be able to spread this passion on to some impressionable teenager. But I now realize my job doesn’t end (or begin) with getting kids to read and write. It simply begins and ends with them. And it is for my students that I want to be at the forefront of change.
But change is hard! And even harder is to get other people to change, too. Dr. John Kotter, author and professor at the Harvard Business School, has made it his life’s work to help people understand how to successfully lead and implement change. When implementing change, Kotter (2013) suggests the first step is to increase the sense of urgency and decrease any complacency or negative feelings having to do with the change. That alone can be a tall order. How do we get someone to truly understand the need for a specific change – especially if it involves a change in behavior or more work? In order for people to believe this sense of urgency, we need to start with “why,” which brings me back to my students.
I truly believe most educators have similar reasons for teaching. It may look different for each person, but we are all here for our students. Sometimes, though, we might need a reminder. I hope my why not only instills a sense of urgency among my colleagues but also reminds them of their own. At the heart of every day and each decision, I believe my job is to inspire students to discover the myriad questions and answers the world has to offer and to become lifelong learners. While this has always been my why, it wasn’t until recently that I was able to articulate how I could do this. By giving students ownership of their learning, they are able to truly discover their own passions. What does this look like? Implementing ePortfolios allows students choice and ownership in a more authentic learning environment. Most people (who aren’t teachers) can’t quite grasp why I’d ever choose to fill my days with teenagers. Then again, they’ve never witnessed those lightbulb moments of discovery and inspiration.
References
Kotter, J. (2013, August 15). “Leading change: Establish a sense of urgency.” [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yfrj2Y9IlI
How Not to Fail (at change)
We’ve all been there… Our hearts start racing, palms get sweaty, we wonder if we remembered deodorant, and we hope the words coming out of our mouths are intelligent. We are putting everything out there to simply make a change. We have crossed the precipice to become influencers. But we’re nervous our suggestion, our hours of work, our heart and soul might flop because lingering in the back of our mind may be the idea that “fewer than one in eight workplace change efforts produces anything other than cynicism” (Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan & Switzler, 2013, p. 9). Even facing this staggering statistic, we are still excited to influence change. But how can we overcome the odds?
Enter the three keys to being a successful change agent (Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan & Switzler, 2013). With careful analysis and execution of these three keys, our hearts may still knock at our ribs, but we are on the right track to becoming an influencer.
I’ve been excited to get my innovation plan in action and rolled out to my colleagues, but luckily, I haven’t. Not yet, anyway. After reading Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, I realize just how shortsighted some changes can be and why so many fall short. Using the Influencer Model’s three keys, I hope to avoid the common pitfalls that seem to plague so many change agents.
Key 1: Stay Focused and Measure
Focus: All sophomores (2018-2019 school year) will create a learning ePortfolio in their ELA classes that will be maintained throughout their high school career.
Measurements:
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Google docs will be used to document any questions and concerns among 10th grade teachers.
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Google Forms and polls will be sent out every 5 weeks to determine how many assignments (and what types) are being added to ePortfolios.
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10th grade teachers increase collaboration time from once a month to once a week.
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Second Thursday of the month will be 10th grade meetings to share ideas/struggles (all levels are welcome to attend in hopes to encourage use at upper levels).
Key 2: Find Vital Behaviors
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Teachers will create their own ePortfolios as models for students and colleagues.
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Teachers will focus on creating a learning environment that engages students through choice and ownership.
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10th grade teachers will use common planning blocks (or after school sessions) to increase collaboration.
I’m ready for there to be some resistance, some hesitation, and maybe even some digging in of the heels. But after careful consideration of the Influencer model, I am even more prepared and excited to bring this change. My heart may still race and I may trip over my words, but I’ll tackle that problem with the help of Crucial Conversations (2012) because after all, we are only human – wonderfully flawed humans.
References
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The new science of leading change: 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Influencer Model [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved 31 January 2018, from http://i1.wp.com/jerry.macans.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/influencer_model-1024×393.jpg
Key 3: Engage ALL 6 Sources of Influence
To Do: Become a change Agent
I love writing to-do lists. Actually, it may be the act of crossing things off my list that I enjoy most. Eat breakfast But now it’s Thursday and four things from Monday’s list are not crossed off. Welcome to my daily grind, my whirlwind. How can we get anything done outside or inside of the whirlwind, let alone a brand new initiative that may invoke trepidation? In spite of the trepidation brought on by change, no truly wants to be another cog spinning out of control. So we come up with a plan. By using McChesney, Covey, and Huling’s (2012) 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) I hope to show my colleagues that taking on some new change doesn’t have to be daunting; in fact, it can be fun.
4 Disciplines of Execution
Life is full of goals. I want to be faster, I want to learn to knit, I want to get this stack of essays graded. We set goals and try to execute them but often fall short of the finish line or even implode on impact. If we want to see progress with our initiatives, we must understand we are taking on changing human behavior, and we need to be equipped for this challenge. McChesney, Covey, and Huling(2012) suggest several reasons why change initiatives often fail, but the biggest one is the existence of our whirlwinds – our never-ending to-do lists. Unfortunately, we can’t get rid of the whirlwind; it is our urgent and messy life acting on everyone every minute of the day. In spite of this, change is still possible! McChesney, Covey, and Huling (2012) developed a strategy that doesn’t manage your whirlwind, but gives you “rules for executing your most critical strategy in the midst of your whirlwind” (p. 9). 4DX allows for leaders to execute the most important goals without ignoring the urgent.
The following disciplines are outlines for my own initiative; however, the finer details will be developed and agreed upon with my colleagues. The more involved a team is in the creation of such guidelines, the more invested they will be.
Discipline 1: Focus on the Wildly Important
The more we try to do, the less we accomplish. My colleagues do amazing things and they have amazing ideas, but we can’t get to all of them at once. We have to remember “there will always be more good ideas than there is capacity to execute” (McChesney, Covey, & Huling, 2012, p. 29). This doesn’t mean abandon ship; it means we need to narrow our focus. For my initiative to get off the ground, I have to get my colleagues on board with my wildly important goal (WIG).
All sophomores (2018-2019 school year) will create a learning ePortfolio in their ELA classes that will be maintained throughout their high school career.
Yes, there are plenty of other things sophomore level ELA teachers need to be doing, but that’s the day job. This is the focus. Discipline 1 is all about focus. The whirlwind will continue to act on you, but you act on the WIG.
Wildly important goal
Discipline 2: Act on the Lead Measures
Like anything else in life, any WIG needs some leverage. Here it is – lead measures are the “secret of excellence in execution” (McChesney, Covey, & Huling, 2012, p. 136). Lead measures are what will eventually lead us to the lag measure (the accomplishment of the WIG). Because lead measures are so crucial to the success of my WIG, it is essential to involve my colleagues in the process. This will also give them more investment in the initiative. Questions that must be asked when creating and narrowing in on lead measures are:
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Is it predictive?
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Is it influenceable?
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It is an ongoing process or a “one and done”?
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Is it a leader’s game or a team game?
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Can it be measured?
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Is it worth measuring?
A possible lead measure to get us started could be: Devote at least 30 minutes a week for students to work on their ePortfolios.
Settling on lead measures may be the most difficult part of the 4DX but it is also crucial to the success of any WIG.
Lead measures
Discipline 3: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
If we aren’t keeping score, we might as well go home. What drives almost everyone? Winning. Once my team and I develop 2-3 lead measures, the next step is to create and build a scoreboard.
Nothing’s worse than a seat in the stadium where you can’t see the scoreboard. Our scoreboard will not only be visible for everyone to see but it will also be a focal point of our weekly WIG meetings. Each week, the scoreboard will be updated and team members will be encouraged to examine how to further advance themselves and the team along the board. Hopefully, those who aren’t “playing” will be intrigued enough to ask questions and want to join in.
It also needs to be simple. If the scoreboard isn’t compelling or it’s too confusing and complex, no one will want spend time figuring it out. Everyone needs to understand how to advance. The scoreboard’s purpose is to measure the lead measures, but we will also include the lag measures. This way we know where are we now? and Where should we be? There are so many possibilities for what this could look like. It could resemble a color-coded chart or a thermometer or a simple bar or line graph.
A key component regarding the scoreboard is that it must be winnable for everyone. This is the piece that will increase engagement, but if the game is impossible to win, no one wants to play. In addition to increasing engagement, winning increases morale. Everyone knows teachers could use a boost of morale – especially in Upstate NY in the middle of February. Scoreboard
Discipline 4: Create a Cadence of Accountability
Figuring out how to hold teammates accountable is a game changer. It’s like the t-shirt says, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no is watching.” Wouldn’t it be great to believe that everyone always followed through? A cadence of accountability makes everything – success and failure – visible. Unfortunately, the last thing teachers want is another meeting. The great news here is this doesn’t have to be long, tedious, or another opportunity to complain about the social injustices of the world; instead, it’s a quick hitting weekly WIG meeting that reconnects the players to the game/WIG. More importantly, they reconnect on a personal level, becoming more invested in success.
WIG sessions are no place for the whirlwind. There is a fixed agenda that includes team members reflecting on last week’s commitments, a review of the scoreboard, a clear plan for continuing advancement, and celebrating successes. It is important for team members make high-impact commitments for the upcoming week. Making these commitments publicly (to the other team members) helps to create a culture of accountability. This is not to say we can now freely call each other out when we don’t reach our goal, but it does open lines of communication. Eventually, WIG sessions shouldn’t be another dreaded meeting. They should be something each team member looks forward to in order to share success and seek guidance. Here is where we finally realize we can execute in spite of our whirlwind.
Any athlete knows a team is only as strong as its weakest player. By creating a cadence and culture of accountability, we aren’t pitted against each other; we are responsible for each other.
5 Stages of Change
Just because we’ve established a set of rules and guidelines doesn’t mean our change will be successful. There will still be resistance and challenges all leaders must be prepared to overcome. While implementing 4DX we must also be prepared for the 5 Stages of Change. Each discipline plays a crucial role within the stages, ultimately leading to creating an operating system and culture that incorporates 4DX in order to move forward with any new initiative.
Influencer or 4DX?
Trying to become a change agent is hard, but it’s on my to-do list. It’s not enough to simply love an idea and throw it out there to the world. And like most things in life, the answers do not lie in a textbook. So while there are no answers and no exact science or fancy hat to help with the process, there are plenty of tried and true strategies. While the Influencer model spent time focusing on the emotion of change, 4DX employs strategies to roll the change out all the while trusting in the process.
Any change agent knows she has to account for the emotional aspect of the team, but also be able to execute and respect the whirlwind. One model is not necessarily better than the other; rather, combining both will be key to my success.
References
McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 disciplines of execution: Achieving your wildly important goals. New York, NY: Free Press.
Robbins, N. (nd). Keep a compelling scoreboard. [Image]. Retrieved from http://nickrobbins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/D4_3_Scoreboard.png
We Need to Talk
At one point or another, it’s likely to want change – a change of scenery, a job change, maybe even a style change (thank God I’m not wearing what I wore in the 90s). So we start planning. And if we’re serious, we should do some soul searching to discover our “why” – from here we start collecting the pieces. It’s one thing to be able to come up with a plan. In all of this planning, we even recognize that change is going to be hard; no worries, we’ve got that covered, too. It’s another thing altogether to be able to execute the plan, so we’ve mapped that out as well. All of these pieces come together to support one another in creating the puzzle that is organizational change.
But what happens when someone disagrees with this change? How do we talk about that?
My distaste for confrontation can probably be linked back to my parents invoking my middle name when anything needed to be called into question. Today, four simple words can make the hair stand on the back of my neck more than spiders, snakes, or the dark… “We need to talk.” Sorry, I’m busy. Why is it that my initial reaction to disagreement is silent rage? How can I ever get my change initiative off the ground if someone pushes back? How can I be a leader?
To my great relief, I’m not alone! In fact, Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler (2012) suggest our “emotions don’t exactly prepare us to converse effectively” (p. 5). The biological changes that occur in our bodies when conversations turn heated most often result in some of our lowest moments. The good news is that while this seems hardwired in our genetics, learning how to handle crucial conversations is a skill we can practice. And these skills are what set great leaders apart.
Crucial What?
We’ve all experienced that turning point in conversations. Things seem to be going smoothly when suddenly, tensions start to rise. Crucial conversations happen when the stakes are high, strong emotions are present, and opinions vary (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler, 2012). In order to be an effective leader, one must be ready to tackle crucial conversations. But this isn’t just about being a smooth talker; this is about taking an introspective approach and that can be even more daunting than a disagreement.
The ultimate goal in any crucial conversation is to get unstuck by getting everyone’s input. To do this, there are seven key principles mapped out.
First, we turn inward and start with the heart – what do we really want? If we can articulate this, we will be more effective in the conversation. Next, we have to be able to recognize when the conversation turns crucial by learning to look. At this point, people may start to turn to silence and that’s the end of the conversation. As an effective leader, we need to create safety. If safety is at risk, people are less willing to share ideas and opinions. We can only move on once the safety of everyone is ensured. The next step may be the most difficult and the most important. Effective leaders need to master their stories and avoid negative emotions. At this point in the conversation, we need to explore how to get what we really want while avoiding the common stories of the victim, the villain, or the helpless. With this step mastered, it’s time to state our path. Start with the facts and move on with the story all the while keeping the heart in mind, and everyone’s safety in check. Once we state our path, we must also be willing and ready to explore others’ paths. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason – listen!
Acknowledge the other paths by mirroring and paraphrasing, and then use those paths to come to an agreement to build paths together. Finally, move to action. A crucial conversation can’t end with a simple head nod or hand shake. Be prepared to determine roles, follow up, and hold each other accountable.
Ready to Talk
With each passing week, completed assignments, and completed courses, I feel more and more ready to become a change agent. But if I want to initiate change, I need some followers, and to get some followers, I need to lead. I can’t get caught up in my own emotions, or my own stories that keep me from getting what I really want. The last step in truly being able to take on crucial conversations and to become an effective leader, is to be a self-differentiated leader. That is, one who is able to connect with others, take a stand in a disagreement, and never lose his/her own identity (Camp, 2010). In other words, become Atticus Finch.
The one piece that comes up over and over again, whether it’s in the planning stages of influencer, or execution of 4DX and reflecting on our WIG, or even mastering emotions, is the heart. Throughout this whole process, we cannot lose sight of why we are here. For me, it’s my students. At the end of the day, I am only as successful as them. So if I can get my colleagues to truly understand my why, my heart, and if they will join me on this journey, we will do amazing things.
References
Camp, J. [Mathew David Bardwell]. (2010, November 10). Friedman’s theory of differentiated leadership made simple. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgdcljNV-Ew&feature=youtu.be
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. New York: McGraw-Hill.
