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Providing you, the K-12 leader, with the help you need to lead with clarity, credibility, and confidence in a time of enormous change.
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Communication, In Your Corner
Building Trust and Transparency in Uncertain Times
Whenever there is a gap between the occurrence of a problem or incident in your organization and when the facts are verified and disclosed publicly, along with information about what is being done about it, bad things can happen. This truth is especially important to keep in mind as we bring students back to in-person classrooms. In today’s environment, social media makes the situation even more challenging. Rumors spread with lightning speed, especially when people are working remotely and may be feeling isolated.
There is a leadership law that speaks specifically to this issue. It’s called The Law of Real Truth and Time and it states: In problem situations, during the process of discovering and sorting out the real truth regarding attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of those being led, the passage of time can magnify the problem.
Every leader must be cognizant of the fact that people form opinions during a time lag. Worse, people get personally committed by word and deed to courses of belief, worry, and action during these delays. Because there is often no leadership communication or action until all the facts are known, this reality is intensified. Unfortunately, once an individual or even an entire group gets committed to certain beliefs about a situation, changing their attitude may be difficult. In truth, student, staff, parent, and community attitudes formed during the time lag are often arrived at without all the information and may be formed about situations not fully understood. Often, people can’t find a way out of the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions they expressed to others during this time. They then hold to their opinions later, even if they no longer feel that way. In addition, many varied individual commitments about an issue can develop during the time lag, and a leader may be forced to deal with several problems rather than just one.
That’s why to build trust and transparency, leaders must have a communication plan that encompass the following four concepts: timelines, frequency, facts delivered by credible sources, and priming about what to expect next.
Timing: In order to avoid negative attitudes and beliefs from forming, we must keep the time between problem identification and our first communication to those we lead as short as possible. Rumors and misinformation spread quickly, especially through social media platforms. Therefore, even if we are not yet in command of all the facts, it’s essential that we communicate what we do know as quickly as possible.
Frequency: During an ongoing problem it’s equally vital that we communicate to those we lead frequently. One and done communication during a problem simply won’t cut it for many reasons. First, not everyone we need to influence will receive our communication initially. Second, not everyone who receives it will be in a position to fully listen and understand it. Third, problems are usually dynamic and those we lead will need continuous updates about our progress as well as additional facts as we receive them. Fourth, without a continuous flow of information, negative attitudes and beliefs always emerge.
This is also why we must be prepared with an email and social media plan to counter rumors that spread when problems occur. And we must update our websites with the most current information.
Facts delivered by credible sources: We must supply those we lead with all the facts that are known about a problem situation. And these facts are best delivered and best received when they come from those who are knowledgeable and have credibility in the area in which the problem resides.
Priming: The best leaders prime those they lead by telling them what the next steps will be and when they can expect their next update. This relieves fear and anxiety on the part of those being led. And it creates trust that the leader has a plan and is on top of the situation.
Problems do not go away—even if they are unmentioned or people seem to have forgotten them—unless they are resolved. Rather, problems have a way of intensifying. Also, the cumulative effect of such situations, even if the problems are small, can result in a complete breakdown in the acceptance of leadership. That’s why a leader can never delay gathering and sharing truth about a problem. When we delay, omit frequent communications, fail to deliver the facts, and forget to let people know what to expect next, we are likely to end up dealing with several problems rather than one.
In Your Corner, Teacher Learning
Five Must-Haves for Post-Pandemic Professional Learning
We have learned much on our journey through the pandemic. We have discovered how quickly we can shift our focus, change our practices, and reposition learning environments. We also learned important lessons and developed key insights regarding our own professional learning.
We could not always wait for prescheduled, carefully orchestrated professional development events. We found out that we can still learn what we need if we expand our search, focus on essential information and strategies, and are flexible in how learning opportunities are accessed.
We often found ourselves learning more, using more of what we learned, and sharing more with colleagues than we had prior to the pandemic. We learned with and from colleagues. We planned, adjusted, and honed new skills and transformed familiar practices. Not every new idea and practice worked well on the first attempt. We kept trying, improving, and perfecting.
We can look forward to the time when the pandemic subsides and we move toward a more stabilized and predictable normal. As we make the transition, it’s important to preserve what we have learned about our professional learning and integrate what we know to enrich, enliven, and extend future learning.
Let’s explore five lessons about professional learning that we can use to guide planning and support in the months and years ahead. First, we need to ensure that professional learning remains flexible enough to respond to the realities of our lives. Designed professional development days and after school sessions may still play a role, but access to on-demand learning support will remain key to timely, usable learning that meets our needs.
Second, we need to have access to professional learning that is short and specific. Bite-sized chunks of learning are often easier to digest and use immediately. Too much content at one time risks overwhelming our capacity and can lead to minimal application. The learning experience does not have to be be perfect, just specific and useful in the face of the needs and challenges before us.
Third, we need access to learning experiences that are practical. We need ideas and alternatives consistent with the demands of our work. One, two, or three practical ideas and action options can give us what we need to move forward without becoming overwhelmed. Understanding the underlying causes and origins of the challenges we face is important but knowing what to do and how to do it can give the guidance and confidence necessary to act.
Fourth, we need to see the connection between what we are learning and the learning we seek to nurture in our students. At times, we may start by becoming familiar with tools and frameworks, but real value comes when we can connect what we are learning with how it can inform our practice in ways that will benefit our students. Seeing this connection is what makes professional learning our priority.
Fifth, we need to preserve what we have learned about the value of collaboration in our professional learning. Sharing ideas, codeveloping learning experiences, and providing emotional support have become common place for many educators as they navigate the pandemic. The experience has enriched and informed our practices. We have learned from each other and learned together. As we make the transition, we need to remember how learning with colleagues has motivated us, helped us to learn better, and led us to retain what we learned longer.
Whether we are planning our own professional learning or supporting the professional learning of a team or staff, we need to keep in mind what we have learned over the past year about what works and what matters. Flexible, short, specific, practical, connected, and collaborative professional learning experiences are key to building expertise, navigating change, and supporting the success of students.
In Your Corner, Student Learning
In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
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Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.
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In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
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