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Leading Without a Map: Responding to Protests

For months our thinking, planning, actions, and worries were focused on COVID-19 and its impact on so many things we took for granted. We also watched and worried as our economy was paused. Millions of people lost their jobs. The need for food banks and financial assistance grew quickly from support that some people needed, to a lifeline for tens of thousands of families who never imagined relying on the generosity of neighbors and communities. It seemed all-consuming. Then, events of the past few weeks have challenged our consciousness once again to confront yet another crucial issue that for too long has been ignored. Multiple tragic, heart-rendering events reminded us that segments of our society, especially black members, face bias, barriers, and discrimination that, while long discussed, remain present. Protests across our nation have testified to the intensity and severity of the circumstances and challenges we face as a nation and society. As leaders, we have a special responsibility during this time. We must accept that despite what we have said and efforts we have made, the causes and consequences associated with this condition remain. The question is, “What should we do now—right now—to begin to address the challenge and begin to turn the situation around?” Unfortunately, there are no easy or universal answers. Each of us must examine our heart and accept the challenge of making the future better. Still, there are some universal leadership truths that apply in circumstances such as these. First, we need to understand that the voices and protests we are hearing grow out of fear, anxiety, frustration, and disappointment. These feelings are real. We need to validate and accept this reality and offer reassurance and understanding; not respond with rigidity and pressure. We need to listen, acknowledge feelings, and demonstrate respect—and learn. We need to do more than say the right things. The “right things” have been said too often in the past while not followed by actions. Our leadership will be judged by what we do, not what we say. The new opportunities we help to create, unhelpful policies we change, and harmful practices we abandon will be what makes the difference. Only when our actions change people’s experiences will what we say be taken seriously. Further, we need to help people to find their personal power. We absolutely must create conditions where those that have been ignored, underestimated, and held back have a path to success. However, we also must create conditions where they can tap, build, and apply their personal power. It is not enough to create opportunities. We must provide the support, encouragement, and resources to help each person see and pursue the opportunities open to them. Some of us have had the privileges of race and wealth that offered these advantages, often without our even being conscious of their presence. We need to support such advantages for all. The combination of the pandemic, recession, and protests against inequities and racism present a unique—probably once in a lifetime—challenge, but it also represents what is the greatest opportunity for and potential consequence of leadership. Where will you choose to start? Questions:

What policies have been in place for a long time that deserve to be reviewed and adjusted or dropped?
What current practices may be harmful to the goal of all students receiving the encouragement, support, and opportunities they need to succeed?
What are some first steps you can take to demonstrate your commitment to value and support the success of all students regardless of background, race, or history?

In Your Corner, Leadership and Change Management

June 22, 2020

The New Normal for Schools is VUCA

When the post-Cold War era ended in the early 1990s, the U.S. Army faced the urgent need to capture the new nature of combat. To do so, they coined a new acronym called VUCA—Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. It has served them well—and can serve all of us well now. It is more applicable today with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the world than it was in the post-Cold War era. Examination will reveal it fits all our leadership issues, needs, and efforts. VUCA is the new normal for the entire world. Wayne Lynn (2020) details how each aspect of VUCA can be applied to leadership: 1. Volatility. COVID-19 has caused everything in our world to change—and it’s changing fast and going faster. It’s not creating a good feeling. It’s making us have new fears. We’re feeling more insecure and vulnerable rather than safe, secure, and confident. It’s easy to make the wrong choice and add to our problems. We are so busy with so many concerns that we feel overloaded but don’t have the time to adjust and leave our vulnerability behind. But the action we need to take is clear. It’s the same action the U.S. Army took in the 1990s. We need to create a picture of the future we want and need to achieve in our schools and keep ourselves and all those we lead focused on our goal. This is the only way to beat the stress that is building up in us and everyone we lead—and everyone’s progress and energy will decrease without this action. 2. Uncertainty. The known is no longer reliable. Nothing is predictable. In fact, we may no longer be able to predict the future based on past events. And without the value of the past, this reality could lead to more problems. Disruptions and change have always existed in schools, but we cannot deal with them like we did in the past. We need to remember that COVID-19 created uncertainty—but as Wayne Lynn (2020) said, “the future doesn’t follow the past like it used to.” Now we need to remember that leadership is a team sport. Our task is to identify and choose the various talents we have in our schools to develop an understanding of what happened and is going to keep happening under the stress of disorientation. Then remember the old fact that stress always builds from lack of trust on the team. Therefore, building trust is our guide. And trust is also created. Your task is threefold:

Work to build caring and healthy self-concepts with team members by training, supporting, and developing their skills, talents, and achievements.
Promote and teach by word and deed respect in both communications and actions. The rule: No disrespect toward people or property, including yourself. Not learning, growing, and achieving is disrespect toward self. Make no mistake: Building a foundation of trust is vital to our success in the future.
Teach and practice the power of “what is possible together” and win-win situations for all. Relationships are the key to curtailing stress, high productivity, and enhancing our success. Win-win situations are a reality and a fact for experiencing high productivity and high satisfaction in all work and in every workplace on earth.

3. Complexity can be one of the biggest generators of stress. Complexity can affect people mentally, emotionally, and physically. It can cause people to give up and quit. Complexity can make people of all ages feel they have lost control. The normal reaction to the feelings of stress is to seek more control—which is what always makes things worse. Our task is to help the team collaborate with each other to determine which forces can and can’t be controlled. It’s this action and clarity that erases most of the stress experienced by students, parents, and educators. 4. Ambiguity is one of the biggest causes for misunderstanding and misreads that bring work and achievement to a halt. “The stress comes in the form of anxiety” (Lynn, 2020). We’ve all seen the results: team paralysis by analysis. Rather than stopping work and achievement, the best leadership counter is promoting innovation, flexible organization, and using individual team member accountability in order to be able to adjust, change, and succeed in the work and mission of the organization. Reference: Lynn, W. (2020, May 11). When VUCA is the new normal. Printing News. https://www.printingnews.com/trade-services/article/21126697/managing-employee-stress-during-the-covid19-crisis