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In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
The "C" quence That Drives Success and Innovation
At some point in our careers each of us has probably experienced the feeling that some element of our practice or the design of our approach is not working, or at least is not working well enough for enough students. We sense that there must be a better approach, a more effective strategy, or a new way of thinking about a persistent problem or unmet need.
We may decide to just keep on keeping on and make the best of what is, or we may choose to explore something different. We may not even know exactly what we are looking for or need, but we resolve to spend some time, give some attention, and dedicate some effort trying to find out.
We need to know where to start and how to find the answers we seek. We may be unsure of what to do when we land on something that seems promising and worth pursuing. We might even wonder if we have what it will take to pursue our idea or strategy to the point where it begins to pay off and provide the benefits we hope.
Fortunately, there is a path, or sequence of thinking and action, we can employ to guide us on this journey. We can follow these four C’s and the sequence they suggest to focus our attention and support our work.
The first C is curiosity. Without curiosity we fail to see opportunities, we ignore promising ideas, and bypass exploitable circumstances. Curiosity leads us to ask more questions, observe more closely, and keep our attention engaged. Without curiosity we are left to respond to what others point out and tell us is important and doable. Curiosity opens the door to possibility.
The second C is confidence. When we feel confident in our skills and abilities, we are freer to take risks, explore options, and move forward before every question is answered. Alternatively, when we doubt and talk negatively to ourselves about our capabilities, we may see opportunities and paths worth pursuing, but hesitate fearing failure and embarrassment. Interestingly, asking ourselves what we would do if we were not afraid can make us aware of what is possible and worthy of our attention and bolster our willingness to act, even when our confidence is not strong.
The third C is commitment. Commitment is our confidence in action. Once we commit, we move from exploring to exploiting opportunities and circumstances. Without commitment, we risk false starts, early abandonment, and lost opportunities. Commitment becomes stronger when we gain clarity about our intentions, set goals for our work, and measure our progress.
The fourth C is courage. The path to success and innovation almost always includes setbacks and experiences that lead us to question our goals, doubt our worthiness, and require us to respond to doubters and skeptics. We might face criticism for choosing to try something new, pursue a different path, or question tradition. Yet, we need to continue to work, learn, and move forward. Remember: Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the choice to act despite it. Courage is what carries us through the final stages of the journey to success.
The path to success and innovation will not always be smooth and easy. Yet, it holds the promise for us to make a difference, leave our practice and profession better than we found it, and provide learners with opportunities that they otherwise would not have experienced. In short, it is more than worth the risk and effort. It may even open doors and create opportunities beyond what we imagine.
Climate and Culture, In Your Corner
The Hidden Power of Our Promises to Each Other
When we make promises, we commit to do something, be somewhere, provide something, or otherwise follow through on what we have pledged. Promises are integral parts of our personal lives and professional roles. Our promises tell others what they can expect from us. Promises are essential to the formation of strong, sustaining relationships.
Within organizations, the promises we make to each other are important building blocks of the culture we build and maintain. The absence of promises and follow through lead to mistrust, suspicion, and division throughout organizations. On the other hand, when we promise to respect and support each other, we create the foundation for relationships that are trustful and make it safe to take risks. Our promises to each other can also help us to remain focused and insulate us from the buffeting we may otherwise experience from external issues, conflicts, and fads. Promises can give us a greater sense of control over factors that contribute to our shared success.
Promises can also lay the foundation for internal accountability in our work with students. When we promise to be learner-centered in our priorities and practices, commit to ensuring that every student receives the support necessary to succeed, and when we mobilize to address areas where work is needed to lift learning outcomes, we are taking steps toward a culture of shared accountability.
Importantly, internal accountability is far stronger and more effective than external accountability measures that attempt to hold schools accountable for performance. Over-reliance on external accountability for improvement and outcomes can shift our focus away from processes that lead to improvement such as collaboration, shared problem-solving, and mutual support, and lead to prioritizing short-term solutions, superficial changes, and excuse making. Even worse, a hyper-focus on external accountability measures can lead to decisions that make the organization look good, while compromising the learning needs of students. Several high-profile testing scandals in recent years are examples of attempts to respond to external accountability at the expense of integrity and internal accountability.
Of course, we cannot ignore external accountability. Published test results, state report cards, and compliance with state and federal regulations are among the elements of accountability that cannot be discounted. Clearly, external accountability has a role to play. Such accountability measures are intended to assure that student needs are met and expected performance outcomes are achieved. Yet, external accountability typically does not provide the internal support and commitment to achieve results that internal accountability provides.
So, how should we think about the roles of shared, internal accountability and externally imposed accountability measures? Michael Fullan, who has written extensively on this topic, advises that we think about the mix of our focus on internal and external accountability as an 80/20 ratio. Eighty percent of our focus should be on building and maintaining an internal culture of accountability, and twenty percent of our attention should be on the extent to which our internal work is generating results that satisfy external accountability measures.
Fullan also advises that we start with promises we make to each other and build a culture of internal accountability before turning our focus to elements of external accountability. Internal accountability builds processes and creates capacity to make lasting improvements in student achievement. Subsequently, external accountabilities can serve the role of monitoring internal efforts and providing guidance where adjustments may be needed.
Now may be a good time to step back and consider the health of our culture and the strength of our internal accountability. How clear is our common purpose? What have we promised each other about our shared goals? What is our commitment to continuous learning and improvement? How do we provide mutual support to improve instructional practices and learning outcomes? These promises are at the core of our culture and internal accountability work.
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
Communication, In Your Corner
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In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management
In Your Corner, Thinking Frames
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Artificial intelligence can do many things, but it cannot lead—not in a classroom, not in a school, not in a district. Leadership is a complex, uniquely human behavior, and now is the time to really, truly lead.
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