Leadership Coaching: Leading Change

By Jimmy Casas, Author and Speaker

I was struggling to say the least. It was my second year as a principal and I had been charged by my Superintendent to implement a new initiative that would require every student in my building to have an ISP (Individualized Success Plan). It was to include both an academic and behavioral component. Ironically, I had been vocal in our administrative meetings during my first year as principal about the need for such a plan in order to support our students. I was so excited when it was announced over the summer entering that second year that we would be expected to put this plan into place. I could hardly wait. I had all of these thoughts and ideas running through my head and I had notes written down how I would make this work. I worked diligently that July to have it ready to go in time for the opening of school. When I introduced the plan at the faculty meeting at the beginning of the year I assured them that this would be great for all of our students. I gave what I thought was a powerful message on why I thought we needed to do this, told them not to worry, and that more details would follow in the coming days. The fact that there were only a couple of questions from staff left me feeling confident that this would be a game-changer for so many students.

It was a game changer all right, but not the kind I had envisioned. Within a couple of weeks I was receiving push back from many on my faculty, including my best teachers who I was convinced would trust me and be on board. I couldn’t understand why they weren’t buying in. I was so disappointed, frustrated, and quite frankly, angry at them. Rather than go back and reflect on my own practices, I chose to blame them. How could they not see that this was the right thing to do for our students?

Each week I share out 1 Reflection, 2 Ideas, and 1 Resource for you to consider that I hope will support and inspire you in your daily work. My aspirations are to support you and others in developing your skills and shifting your thinking so you will invest in your own development and maybe, just maybe I can inspire you to want to live your excellence so you can bring your best to school every day!

Live your excellence…

Jimmy

LEADING CHANGE: 121

1 REFLECTION

Change isn’t scary. Not changing is scary. Becoming irrelevant is scary. It’s a disservice to our teachers when we say they don’t like change or they fear change. What they fear is that we won’t give them the support, resources, guidance and TIME to change. Provide these things and watch them flourish.

2 IDEAS

More than two decades later I can now look back on those early years and let out a smile. Although I know I will never figure it all out, I can at least see where I fell short; where I mismanaged it all. It’s much clearer now. It just wasn’t clear to me then. And clarity is vital if you want to implement positive change effectively.

So is process. A common problem I see today when coaching principals is they lack a process for introducing new initiatives. Think about the following statement – Initial communication is critical. If not managed appropriately, you will spend the rest of your time trying to recover and that is exhausting. What are you trying to recover from? The undercurrents that were caused administratively. That is the irony here. It is easy to blame staff, just like I did during my second year. Truthfully speaking, we as building/district leaders often create many of the undercurrents that exist in our buildings.

Consider the following process moving forward when initiating change:

1. Share a vision of what you want to accomplish.

2. Share details of the process you plan to use. Ask for help.

3. Gather feedback using proper questions - start with your building leadership team and include a process that allows for all staff to have a voice.

4. Be transparent with information collected with all staff.

5. Prioritize feedback.

6. Make adjustments with your leadership team to the initial vision based on collective feedback.

7. Invite others to lead the change with you. Remain transparent.

8. Communicate plans and progress on an ongoing basis with all staff.

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Do not allow the process to become the product. When we are clear with our core purpose, outcomes we hope to accomplish, the process we will use to achieve those results and a timeline when we will make a decision, we are able to make more informed decisions, even though they may be difficult to make. We can easily fall into the trap of not making decisions for fear of upsetting others. Decisions are necessary, especially to avoid frustrating our best people. When we stall, we lose momentum and others can begin to question our ability to lead change effectively. We can’t please everyone and we won’t, but we can put processes into place where people feel their voice has been heard and validated, even though the decision may not be what they hoped for every time.

When it comes to implementing change, remember the following:

1. Be clear regarding your expectations.

2. Show them the standard you want. Don’t just tell them.

3. Model exactly what it is you are looking for.

4. Observe them in action.

5. Coach them while they are doing what you asked them to do.

6. Provide honest feedback

7. Validate the work they have done.

8. Sincerely thank them.

1 RESOURCE

We won’t always get it right. No one is immune. Almost every educator I know, regardless of their position, approaches each day with one goal in mind: to bring their best and give their best to others. And yet, there are days we still fall short of expectations. On those days when you feel less than your best, I encourage you to re-invest in yourself and keep your “I’s focused on the PRIZE

Jimmy Casas is a keynote speaker at the 2020 SLATE Convention taking place December 7-9, 2020. Registration will open in the fall. To find out more visit www.slateinwi.com.