https://hbr.org/2014/07/how-to-start-a-conversation-youre-dreading/

How to Start a Conversation

You’re Dreading

Peter Bregman

JULY 07, 2014

I anticipated that the conversation would be difficult.

Shari* and I had worked together for many years, and I knew she was expecting me to hire her to run a

leadership program for one of my clients, Ganta, a high-tech company. But I didn’t think Shari was the

right fit for Ganta or, frankly, for the role of running the leadership training. In fact, I had become

increasingly critical of her recent performance, though I hadn’t mentioned anything to her about it yet.

That was my first mistake. I should have said something before it got to this point.

So why didn’t I? I’d love to claim that it was because I liked her, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Or because I hoped things would get better without my intervention.

And while those things were true, there was a deeper truth: I was afraid of the cringe moment.

Do you know that uneasy moment – right as you’re saying something that feels risky, but before the

person responds? That’s the cringe moment.

In other words, I delayed speaking with Shari because I was afraid of how I would feel giving her the

negative feedback: awkward, uncomfortable, and maybe even unreasonable.

But I couldn’t avoid it anymore. And because I had waited so long, the conversation promised to be

even more awkward and uncomfortable. And now that she was getting a more extreme message with no

warning, I would feel – and appear – even more unreasonable. The cringe quotient had gone up.

The day of the difficult conversation, I felt anxious as Shari came into my office. We shared a few

pleasantries and then I began. I told her that I knew she wanted to run the leadership program at Ganta. I

talked to her about the complexities and challenges of the leadership program and of Ganta in general.

And I spoke with her about my frustrations with her recent performance. She asked me questions and I

offered explanations and examples.

I did such a good job avoiding the cringe moment that, 30 minutes into the conversation, I still had not

clearly communicated to Shari whether I was firing her or hiring her. My build-up was equally

appropriate as context for either.

Finally, she did it for me. “So,” she asked, “Are you saying that you don’t want me to lead this program

or you do?”

Now that I’m aware of it, I see my own behavior in leaders everywhere. Standing in front of the room,

one senior VP slowly constructed a case to close a business. But he never got to his conclusion as

people began debating unimportant details related to his argument before they even knew where he was

headed.

In another case, a CEO sat in a meeting of department heads with the intention of telling them she was

creating a new position to which they would all report. But she lost them as she spent the first 20

minutes giving context to a decision she hadn’t yet announced. As one person later told me, “All of the

https://hbr.org/2014/07/how-to-start-a-conversation-youre-dreading/

context was lost on me as I was trying to guess what she was getting at. It was a complete waste of

time.”

The intellectual reason we build a case, or give context, to a difficult decision before announcing it is

because we want to convey that the decision is well-thought out, rational, and an inevitable conclusion

to the facts. But since the listeners don’t know what decision is being made, they have no context for the

context and it all feels meaningless.

The emotional reason we give such long introductions to hard decisions is because we are

procrastinating. We’re delaying the cringe feeling.

But this delay is counterproductive; it only stretches and deepens the discomfort of everyone involved.

The solution is simple and straightforward: Lead with the punchline.

What should I have said to Shari? “Thanks for coming in, Shari. I am not going to have you run the

leadership program with Ganta, and I’d like you to understand why . . . ”

The senior VP should have started by saying, “I have come to the conclusion that we should close XXX

business.”

And the CEO should have opened her meeting with the department heads by declaring “I have created a

new Senior Vice President role, reporting to me, who will oversee this part of the business.”

After those openings, people will be interested in hearing the rest. Or, they may surprise you with instant

agreement and there may be little more to discuss.

Here’s what I’ve come to realize: I almost always overestimate how difficult it is for the other person to

hear what I have to say. People are resilient. I’m usually more uncomfortable delivering a difficult

message than the other person is receiving it.

Next time you have a conversation you’re dreading, lead with the part you’re dreading. Get to the

conclusion in the first sentence. Cringe fast and cringe early. It’s a simple move that few of us make

consistently because it requires emotional courage. At least the first time.

But the more you do it, the easier and more natural it becomes. Being direct and upfront does not mean

being callous or unnecessarily harsh. In fact, it’s the opposite; done with care, being direct is far more

considerate.

And it doesn’t just reduce angst, it saves time as well. Shari wasn’t happy about not running the program

at Ganta, but she understood why and accepted the decision quickly. Much more quickly than it took me

to introduce it to her.

*Names and some details changed.

Peter Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, a company that strengthens leadership in people

and in organizations through programs (including the Bregman Leadership Intensive),

coaching, and as a consultant to CEOs and their leadership teams. Best-selling author of 18

Minutes, his most recent book is Four Seconds (February 2015).

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Conditions Assessment Rate your level of agreement with each of the following statements

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

4 3 2 1

Rating Condition Code*

R 1. Most teachers in our context know their colleagues’ professional strengths. They know who is good at what that might be helpful to them.

D

E 2. Protected time and a specific place have been set aside for teachers to have conversations with colleagues about teaching and learning.

A

T 3. Student work, data systems or other artifacts of teaching and learning are used to focus teachers’ conversations on teaching and learning.

B

R 4. Teachers use the language of “our students” (instead of “my students”) when talking about students in the school.

C

T 5. Teachers keep current with the latest professional advancements and stay on top of new literature and discourse about teaching and learning.

F

S 6. Teachers in my context often feel intimidated by hierarchically superior leaders.

S

T 7. Teachers share clear, consistent expectations for quality instruction.

R

S 8. Teachers do not feel they can take risks required for change and improvement without fear of retribution from leaders.

S

R 9. Teachers feel they have permission from one another to discuss the teaching and learning in each others’ classrooms.

C

E 10. Teachers have ways to communicate and get quick questions about teaching and learning answered.

E

S 11. Teachers do not feel they can make the mistakes required to learn and grow in front of peers.

S

E 12. There is time and structure for teachers to engage with family and community members in conversations about teaching and learning.

G

Rate the statements below only if your school has formal teacher leader roles. R 13. The process by which teachers are matched with formal roles feels fair,

logical and transparent. M

T 14. In our context, teacher leaders’ roles are clear. Most people who interact with them understand what the role is (and is not).

L

S 15. A decrease in pay or loss or job security is likely to be a concern if/when taking on a formal teacher leader role in our context.

S

T 16. A system is in place for growth-oriented feedback and two-way communication with teacher leaders about their performance in the role.

Q

E 17. Resources (time, funding, space) have been identified to support teachers to build the leadership skills they need to be successful in their roles.

O

S 18. There is a threat of being ostracized or resented when taking on a teacher leadership role in our context.

S

R 19. Teachers in my school are willing to follow those who have been designated as leaders.

N

E 20. Teacher leaders have the time they need to prepare for and perform their roles effectively.

P

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Scoring Guide

1. How ready is your context for teacher leadership?

Research1 identifies four essential dimensions of school culture. Calculate your assessment scores below to identify relative strengths and weaknesses in your context.

2. What strategies can leaders use to support necessary cultural shifts?

Use the “Condition Code” in the right-hand column of the Conditions Assessment to match the given statements to suggested strategies on this document: Conditions that Support Teacher Leadership.

1 Cohen, J, McCabe, E.M, Michelli, N.M & Pickeral, T. (2009). School Climate: Research, Policy, Teacher Education

and Practice. Teachers College Record, Volume 111: Issue 1: pp. 180-213. (Available on: http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=15220)

Relationships Add the ratings for

questions labeled R:

Questions 1, 4, 9, 13, 19 This score represents

School community and collaboration [C]

Caring and personal concern [C]

Professional regard [D, M, N]

Respect for diversity [S]

Environment Add the ratings for

questions labeled E:

Questions 2, 10, 12, 17, 20 This score represents

Time, materials & training [O, P]

Adequate, clean and orderly space [A]

Connectedness & engagement [G, E]

Identification, sense of belonging [S]

Teaching and Learning Add the ratings for

questions labeled T:

Questions 3, 5, 7, 14, 16 This score represents shared values around

Quality instruction [B]

Professional development [Q, F]

Leadership [R, L]

Social, emotional and ethical learning [S]

Safety Add the ratings for questions

labeled S—And —

If you rated all 20 statements, subtract from 20. If you rated only 12 statements, subtract from 12. Questions 6, 8, 11, 15, 18

This score represents

Rules and norms

Physical security

Social-emotional climate

Psychological safety

Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program www.teachers21.org/TLR

page 1

School Conditions that Support Teacher Leadership/ Informal and Formal v.June.2015

In the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program, we understand leadership to be any action taken to improve the quality of teaching and learning. We also believe that leadership should be a shared responsibility; that students will be better served when all adults in a school have the commitment and capacity to contribute to improved teaching and learning throughout their school. Teachers can lead informally, such as by asking critical questions of colleagues, looking together at student work, or sharing their instructional decision-making processes; and they can lead through formal roles, such as team leader, coach, or mentor. Yet, to succeed, teacher leadership requires more than just teachers’ commitment and capacity. Our work since 2010 with teacher leaders in the Boston Public Schools has helped us to identify some contextual conditions in schools that are critically important for supporting and sustaining informal and formal teacher leadership in schools.

What conditions in a school are conducive to INFORMAL teacher leadership?

Condition Questions for evaluating this condition Sample strategies for creating this condition

A. Strategic teaming

Where might regular conversations about teaching and learning occur in my school? Be sure there is a venue and routine that makes it easy for conversations about teaching and learning to occur. Establishing nested systems of teams ensures that there is time and space to discuss priorities at all levels (the classroom, team, school level) AND among them.

A1. Align schedules to make it possible for teachers with the same assignment or students to spend time together, e.g. classroom visits, shadowing, curriculum-planning, meet about student needs, etc.

A2. Provide collaborative work space, e.g. team offices or work space in a teachers’ room, so that teachers will plan together, not alone

A3. Have grade-level team representatives form a school-level Instructional Leadership Team and/or a vertical curriculum alignment team

A4. Use staff meetings as a collaboration time, instead of as time for disseminating information

B. Data routines

What informs the focus of teachers’ conversations about teaching and learning in my school? Be sure you have routines and data systems that enable teachers to regularly review evidence of teaching and learning within and beyond their own classrooms.

B1. Ensure easy access to data: training to use district or state data warehouse, hardware & software, filing cabinets, etc.

B2. Create a culture of deprivitized practice with frequent walk-throughs, instructional rounds, peer observations, videotaping, etc.

B3. Provide time and training (and the expectation) for teams to engage in data-based inquiry

B4. Model data-based decision-making and evidence-based discussions B5. Provide templates to support observation, e.g. guiding questions B6. Provide time and training for teams to skillfully create common

formative assessments

Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program www.teachers21.org/TLR

page 2

C. Culture of shared ownership

Do teachers in my school feel they have permission from one other to discuss the teaching and learning in each others’ classrooms? Be sure to create a culture of shared ownership for student learning AND adult learning throughout the school. This requires trust and a shared vision. It requires risk-taking and courage.

C1. Communicate and model this expectation regularly C2. Use language of shared ownership, e.g. “our kids” C3. Model and expect members of the community to learn and use

names (all students and adults) C4. Establish routines that reinforce shared ownership (inter-classroom

visits, portfolios, ways for teachers to learn the names of students they don’t have, etc.), incl. across grades, subjects, special programs, etc.

C5. Establish routines that provide teachers with opportunities to show what they are learning, to help each other and to ask for help

C6. Support teachers to observe and support each other, e.g. provide coverage, video technology, etc.

C7. Ensure decision-making is transparent C8. Reduce pressures that encourage competition, e.g. merit pay,

public comparison of growth scores, etc. C9.

D. Inventory of professional expertise

How do teachers in my school know which colleagues to tap when they have a question about teaching and learning?* Be sure there are ways for teachers to know what everyone else in the building is good at. *This is especially important in a school with high turnover (of teaching and leadership staff)

D1. Establish meeting routines that enable teachers to share classroom successes and other professional accomplishments so that they see each other’s strengths

D2. Protect time for those engaged in external PD to come back and share with the staff

D3. Survey the staff to identify who is willing to be a go-to person and for what area of instructional expertise

D4. Organize learning walks and cross-classroom visits among the faculty

D5. Use staff meeting time to allow staff to discuss current topics in education and share professional experiences from beyond school

E. Communication structures

How do teachers in my school get a question about teaching or learning answered quickly? Be sure there are tools or systems that enable teachers who have a question about instruction to get it answered quickly by a colleague who might know the answer.

E1. Set up E-mail groups, blogs or listserves, grouping Ts by expertise E2. Encourage/ model a culture of posting and responding to each

others’ online questions E3. Maintain culture of active mailboxes E4. Establish a 24-hr board (bulletin board that must be checked by all

at least once in every 24 hours) E5. Establish Q&A section in daily or weekly school memo E6. Clarify when (and how) coaches are available

Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program www.teachers21.org/TLR

page 3

F. Access to professional knowledge base

How do teachers in my school learn about what research and best practice have to say when they have a teaching or learning question? Be sure resources are available for teachers to use to identify answers to questions they cannot address themselves and to get information that will keep their practice abreast of the latest advances.

F1. Establish and maintain a professional library; build routines for sharing what’s new, relevant and being used

F2. Obtain school subscriptions to key relevant publications F3. Provide PD on using freely available resources (e.g. accessing

education research online with a public library card) F4. Encourage staff to initiate professional book clubs F5. Weekly email/ memo includes reference to current research F6. Read/ respond to articles/ research in department or staff meetings F7.

G. Involvement of family and community

Where and when might teachers in my school engage with family and community members in ways that help fuel and inform conversations about improved teaching and learning? Be sure the school has routines that make it easy for teachers to build relationships with parents around student learning, and to see whether they are aligned with the same aims and values around teaching and learning as family and the community.

G1. Foster parent-teacher collaboration within school-level teams such as School Site Council, grant activities, etc.

G2. Establish book groups or forums in which teachers and parents jointly consider education questions such as: What do we believe is a well-educated child?

G3. Ensure family and community members have regular opportunities to engage with teachers around academic performances, e.g. LASW together, etc.

G4. Cultivate a school culture of sending home classroom newsletters that are focused on teaching and learning news

G5. Cultivate monthly family curriculum nights or parent-teacher workshops that place teachers, leaders and parents in position to all learn from each other

S. Safety

Do teachers feel psychologically safe enough to take the risks required to make real change/ improvement? The purpose of teacher leadership should be improvement and improvement doesn’t happen without change. But, change is scary and perceived challenges can easily seem to outweigh potential benefits.

S1. Be consistent about establishing, monitoring and revisiting group norms among the faculty

S2. Establish a rapport to facilitate open communication S3. Clarify expectations from suggestions S4. Model risk-taking and make learning-from-error public S5. Model and encourage self-evaluation S6. Establish check-in routines with teacher leaders for proactive, two-

way dialogue S7. When giving feedback, separate the quality of the experiment from

the results; focus on what was learned S8. In an after-action review, avoid blaming individuals; consider the

system’s contributions and be open to organizational adjustments

Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program www.teachers21.org/TLR

page 4

What conditions in a school help ensure teachers’ FORMAL teacher leadership roles can succeed?

Condition Questions for evaluating this condition Sample strategies for creating this condition

L. Clearly-defined roles

Does everyone who interacts with your teacher leaders understand what the role is (and is not)? Be sure that formal teacher leadership responsibilities you assign are clearly defined in a job description and explicitly tied to local goals. (e.g. define what the role involves AND what place the role has in the larger reform plan) This should be defined publicly, so that all know what they can and should not expect from the holder of this role. This can also be used as a frame for outcome-based evaluation and should guide growth-oriented feedback.

L1. Create and share publicly the job description; ensure it is discussed prior to assignment

L2. Ensure the staff handbook explains the role L3. Clarify in situ, e.g. “As part of her role…” L4. Agree upon who will do what, then stick to it OR

communicate about changes

M. Purposefully selected teachers to hold those roles

How do you match teachers with leadership roles? Be sure to carefully consider how to make strategic matches between the knowledge and skill set required for the role and the teachers who have the requisite knowledge and skills and who want the role. (This means you have to have a way to learn what teachers know and can do.)

M1. Use an application process or talk directly to potential teacher leaders so that you learn what they bring to the role and can find out what support they will need to do it well

M2. Ensure match process offers two-way preview so they have a clear idea of what they may be getting into

M3. Assign (or re-appoint) roles all at one time, not one at a time, in order to make the most strategic matches

M4. Set term limits, so there is room to reassign each year, as needed to make better matches

N. Culture of professional regard

Are teachers in your school prepared to follow those you’ve designated as leaders? Be sure that your assignments of teacher leaders to roles have some credibility among teachers.

N1. Establish routines that ensure teachers in the school know each others’ professional strengths

N2. Make decision-making process transparent N3. Consider social capital (who has it and how you can support

teachers to build it)

O. Leadership training

How do you support teachers to build the leadership (non-instructional) skills they need to be successful in the roles you have assigned to them? For each role you have assigned, be sure you have also ensured supports for teachers to learn how to do well what they are being asked to do.

O1. Support their participation in the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate program and other leadership training

O2. Encourage participation in cohorts so teacher leaders can learn from one another’s leadership dilemmas

O3. Recommend books, articles and web-based resources on leadership; reserve time to discuss them

O4. Be a mentor; take time to reflect together on leadership puzzles and practice

Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program www.teachers21.org/TLR

page 5

P. Time

How do you create and safeguard the time teacher leaders need to prepare for and perform their roles effectively? If teacher leaders are to influence colleagues’ instruction they must have time with colleagues around instruction (observing and discussing it). Be sure they also have time to prepare for the work of the role.

P1. Staff teachers with hybrid roles or job-sharing roles (allowing them to teach part-time and perform their role part-time)

P2. Assign extra admin /duty periods to teachers holding a role P3. Compensate teachers to use time outside of school P4. Assign administrative support staff, a sub or an aide to take

on some of the teacher leader’s non-professional duties P5. Schedule preps strategically P6. Protect time that has been allocated for teacher leaders to

do the work of the role P7. Provide infrastructure and promote culture for technology

solutions to improve efficiency and save time: collaborative work, announcements/ info-sharing, and meetings

Q. Communication and feedback routines

How do you maintain ongoing two-way communication with teacher leaders so that they can build and feel a sense of success in the role?* Be sure there is a routine for regular communication between the teacher leader and the principal, a check-in time that makes it possible to address issues proactively regarding resources needed, political tensions, culture issues, etc., to get warm and cool feedback on the performance of the role and to be shown appreciation for their work in the role. *Important for retention, especially for under-compensated positions.

Q1. Keep a standing appointment, (e.g., bi-weekly) to check in Q2. Establish routine of revisiting the job description regularly;

use it as a framework for goal-setting and growth-oriented feedback

Q3. Have evidence-based discussions (use meeting notes, surveys/ meeting exit slips, etc.)

Q4. Be a learner yourself; be open to feedback, willing to take risks, fail and learn

Q5. Do NOT rely upon e-mail for this kind of communication

R. Coordinated leadership vision

How does your school ensure that teachers are not getting mixed messages from various leaders and that there are no major gaps or redundancies in how leadership is enacted? Be sure there is a clearly-communicated vision about how the leadership actions of multiple individuals will add up to a coherent, positive influence on teaching and learning.

R1. Leadership team agrees upon and shares clear, consistent expectations for quality instruction and quality leadership

R2. Co-construct an org chart and/or logic model that maps out each individual’s role

R3. Establish efficient communication routines and regular opportunities to check in on leadership alignment

R4. Ensure leadership team (incl TLs) engages in leadership learning together and/or has opportunities (and expectation) to tell each other what they are learning that might be useful to the organization.

S. Safety

Look for S after G, on page 3

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Potential Benefits of Teacher Leadership

These are some of the potential benefits of teacher leadership.

Cautions: 1) These are potential benefits. The influence of teacher leadership on these factors might be positive, neutral or negative.

2) Context matters! Ask yourself: Under what conditions might teacher leadership result in this particular benefit?

Teacher Expertise Influence on teachers as individuals

o Commitment to continuous learning and excellence in teaching

o Commitment to mastery of content knowledge

o Quality of instruction / pedagogy o Quality of curriculum & assessment o Quality of professional development o Teacher behaviors in the classroom o Confidence of teachers o Teachers’ self-efficacy & expectations of

students o Improvement of novice teachers’ practice o Spread of expertise throughout the

school

School Culture Influence on the attitudes, customs and beliefs shared by teachers in the school

o Increased commitment to spreading good practice to colleagues and learning from colleagues

o Stronger learning community among faculty

o More willing to take risks and innovate to serve student needs

o Commitment to reflective practice o Increase culture of support, collegiality o Culture of continual improvement o High expectations for selves and students o Increased teacher engagement o Decrease in teacher absenteeism

Organizational Improvement

Influence on the design and decisions of the organization

o Participation in decision-making o Shared goals and values o Enables more democratic model o Enables teachers to more directly

influence development and change o Shared responsibility for leadership o Increased frequency and quality of

organizational communication

Student Learning and Achievement

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Role Design Tool

Role Title

Role Description

Role Analysis

Intended Outcomes Which specific groups of students will be affected? How?

Intended Outputs Which specific teachers will be influenced? How?

Key Tasks or Activities What will TL do to achieve these results?

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Keeping the tasks and activities listed above in mind, indicate which of the following are most important to the success of the role.

Knowledge Knowledge of child development Knowledge of subject matter content

Knowledge of children as individuals Knowledge of school law and ed policy

Knowledge of children- special populations Knowledge of the local community

Knowledge of adult development Data literacy

Knowledge of adults as individuals Technological literacy

Skills

Building and sustaining trust Creating conditions for productive and powerful group learning

Creating a shared vision Facilitating reflective dialogue

Increasing shared ownership of improvement and change

Accessing, analyzing and evaluating education research

Managing group dynamics by knowing yourself and the team

Using education research to inform practice

Facilitating groups Interpreting the impact of policy on teaching and learning

Dealing with difficult colleagues Advocating for policy and practice for instructional improvement

Understanding the work as part of a system Collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data

Engaging stakeholders and forging collaborations

Drilling down to identify an instructional priority

Communicating within and across teams Preparing a team for data use

Establishing a purpose and process for instructional improvement conversations

Communicating with data

Examining collections of evidence on instruction

Analyzing data with attention to cultural proficiency

Leading coaching conversations Making decisions within data-based inquiry cycles

Aligning curriculum Progress monitoring

Identifying, evaluating and adapting or creating instructional routines and resources (incl technology) for a specific purpose

Designing effective professional learning experiences

Monitoring effectiveness of professional learning experiences

Source: Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate Program, Teachers21. www. Teachers21.org/TLR

www.teachers21.org/TLR

Dispositions Believe that teacher learning is interwoven

with student learning Desire to work with adults

Value the work of learners Passion for topic motivates others

Accept and act on constructive feedback Life-long learner

Possess courage to take risks Reflective

Is reliable Committed to supporting growth of others

Honors all perspectives Enjoys challenges

Holds a positive presupposition that all are working in the best interests of students

Interested in larger/bigger picture

Values professional expertise Attuned to relationships

Fosters community Ability to “read” people and situations

Knows when to compromise Embraces the opportunity to work with those with diverse views

Able to read the group

Admitting when wrong/don’t know

Honest courageous communication

Source: Teacher Leader Skills Framework from the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession. Accessible from: http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Teacher-

Leadership-Framework.pdf

More Role Design Resources—

Visit this Inventory of Teacher Leader Roles identifying 43 formal roles that Boston teachers have reported holding. While it was created to help Boston principals make more strategic matches between the roles they are responsible for appointing and the expertise available among the school faculty, it can be used as a model to guide role development and support beyond Boston.

No matter what leadership roles teachers hold, the commitments and expectations of what they will do in those roles should be clear to all. Principals and teacher leaders can work together to clarify the commitments and expectations of formal teacher leader roles with this Role/ Job Description Template.

What types of roles already exist? Conduct a Roles Census by asking key teachers and leaders about the roles they are familiar with and document how these existing roles are structured in terms of selection, compensation, training, evaluation strategies. Repeat annually to track changes over time.

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/11114

Connected Principals Sharing. Learning. Leading.

This blog is the shared thoughts of school administrators that want to share best practices in education. All of the authors have different experiences in education but all have the same goal; what is best for students

Tough Conversations by Bill Carozza • December 27, 2014

A teacher who has known me for many years, knows that I appreciate my job because of the energy I receive every day from teachers and students. Yes, Sunday night is not always easy on the soul but once I’m in the building on Monday morning, all is well. I avoid my office as much as possible during school time and work the job in classrooms and hallways.

It doesn’t hurt my allegiance to the job that many members of our staff have been together for years and those that have been recently hired have melded in nicely with the family. Truly, it is all about relationships.

Yet, in our job as building administrators, there are times when we can’t avoid the tough conversations. Good people make mistakes. Conflict can happen when perspective and personalities collide. That’s the time the Principal needs to step in and take the conflict head on. Rick Dufour has stated that Principals should confront those individuals who are not committed to the values of their team or professional learning community:

They are willing to use their authority to break down the walls of educator isolation and create new norms of collaboration and collective responsibility for student learning.

But when you’re in the midst of the conflict with people you care about, having tough conversations is one of the hardest parts of the job. I have not always done it well, but here are some things I’ve learned:

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/11114

1. Eat the frog

Productivity expert Brian Tracy says that we should tackle our most difficult and important task first thing every morning. The concept is that if we can “eat the frog”, everything else will seem easy. Don’t wait for the day to go by. Procrastinating may result in your “deciding” not to tackle the issue at all. And, the conflict may fester if you wait too long to intervene.

2. Prepare for results

I prepare bullet points for every tough conversation I have in person or on the phone. There is a natural tendency to lighten the exchange with your colleague so if you don’t plan for the result you want, you simply won’t get there.

3. Lead with the punchline

The tendency is to begin a difficult chat with small talk to lighten the load. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Peter Bregman suggests that leading with the tough news will ensure that the recipient will hear the constructive criticism with clarity.

4. Listen as much as you can

If you want the colleague to change a habit or behavior and be personally reflective, they need to know that you care about their improvement. Validate whatever response they may have…if it’s valid of course. But listen either way.

5. Take good notes.

A tough conversation might take unexpected twists and turns. Be sure that the meeting is documented accurately.

6. Follow up (both right after and set date for next meeting)

Long term success is based on at least a second follow-up meeting to reinforce your message. Set a date for that meeting before the first meeting is complete.

7. Assume good intentions

Most people want to do well at their job and truly care about professionalism. Let good intentions be the default unless you know otherwise.

There is great satisfaction in caring boldness and seeing progress as the result of these tough conversations.

http://teacher.acer.edu.au/article/distributed-leadership

29 September 2014

[Image © Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images]

LONG READS

Distributed leadership Tags: school leaders, leadership styles, long reads

We recently shared the story of a Tasmanian school that has adopted a K-10 model based

on shared and distributed leadership. So, what is distributed leadership? What does the

evidence say? And, can it work for your school? Teacher asked Professor Alma Harris.

If we think about leadership as being confined to only those in positions of authority then

we are wilfully ignoring the leadership talent and capability of many others. If leadership

is fundamentally about influence, then within any school there are many sources of

influence, both formal and informal.

http://teacher.acer.edu.au/article/distributed-leadership

Distributed leadership is primarily concerned with the practice of leadership rather than

specific leadership roles or responsibilities. It equates with shared, collective and

extended leadership practice that builds the capacity for change and improvement.

Distributed leadership means mobilising leadership expertise at all levels in the school in

order to generate more opportunities for change and to build the capacity for

improvement. The emphasis is upon interdependent interaction and practice rather than

individual and independent actions associated with those with formal leadership roles or

responsibilities.

In summary, it is ‘leadership by expertise’ rather than leadership by role or years of

experience. Genuine distributed leadership requires high levels of trust, transparency and

mutual respect.

In very practical terms, to be most effective, distributed leadership has to be carefully

planned and deliberately orchestrated. It won’t just happen and if it does, there is no

guarantee that it will have any positive impact. Letting a thousand flowers bloom is not

distributed leadership.

The implication for those in formal leadership roles is that they have a key role to play in

creating the conditions for distributed leadership to occur. They have to create the

opportunities for others to lead.

Why distributed leadership?

The evidential base about its impact and effect has been summarised in numerous books

and articles (Leithwood et al., 2009; Harris, 2013). The evidence increasingly points

towards a positive relationship between distributed leadership, organisational

improvement and student achievement (Hallinger & Heck, 2009; Leithwood & Mascall,

2008). Many of these studies have identified the importance of distributed leadership as a

potential contributor to positive change and school improvement.

While the idea of distributed leadership is not without its critics, the contemporary

literature continues to show a positive relationship between shared forms of leadership

and improved organisational performance. It shows, for example, that the differences

between high performing and low performing schools can be attributed to different

degrees of leadership distribution. High performing schools widely and wisely distribute

leadership (Leithwood et al., 2009).

http://teacher.acer.edu.au/article/distributed-leadership

In summary, the available evidence shows that distributed leadership is an important

component of, and contributor to, improved organisational outcomes. While there are

inevitably differences in the nature, quality and extent of distributed leadership from one

school to another, it is still within the amalgam of factors contributing to high

performance. The research evidence also indicates that certain forms of distributed

leadership have a modest but significant indirect effect on student

achievement (Leithwood & Mascall, 2008:546).

What are the challenges?

If you think about your school, I can guarantee that you experience a constant tension

between doing what is important for the future versus managing the pressures of the

present.

So often I hear, the comment ‘I agree with distributed leadership but how can it be fitted

into our existing system? It’s simply not going work with the structures that we have.’

Usually I don’t respond directly to the question, not because I don’t have an answer but

because it is the wrong question. It’s like asking how to fit a Porsche engine into a

tractor. The real question should be ‘What type of leadership do we need in this school to

secure the best outcomes for young people and how do we change our structures to make

this happen?’

If our existing leadership approaches do not secure the best outcomes for learners, then

why do we want to keep them? The common answer is that it will be difficult, disruptive,

debilitating to change, plus there is no guarantee of success. True. But, keeping things the

way they are isn’t any guarantee of success either.

So, let me be clear. Distributed leadership is not the antidote to ‘command and control’

leadership or a much misunderstood, misaligned and misrepresented alternative to it. It is

not a panacea or some esoteric approach to leadership. It does not mean that everyone

leads and it is certainly not without its challenges. For example, there are the challenges

of organisational trust, individual threat and the fear of giving others real, authentic

responsibility. With distributed leadership comes distributed accountability, it is not some

open-ended approach to leadership, in fact the converse is true.

When distributed leadership works well, individuals are accountable and responsible for

their leadership actions; new leadership roles created, collaborative teamwork is the

http://teacher.acer.edu.au/article/distributed-leadership

modus operandi and inter-dependent working is a cultural norm. Distributed leadership is

about collective influence - it is not just some accidental by-product of high performing

organisations but, as highlighted earlier, is a contributor to school success and improved

performance (Hargreaves & Harris, 2010; Hargreaves, Boyle & Harris, 2014).

How do you make it happen?

First, there is no blueprint and if there were I would not be advocating it. Rarely does

prescription lead to the right outcomes. Schools are not the same and should not be

treated as such.

Second, while there are no neat formulas or easy ring binder solutions that can help

address this question there are certain things that can be practically done to make

distributed leadership authentic. One practical way forward is to create strong

collaborative teams or professional learning communities where leadership is naturally

and authentically distributed. The evidence about group learning is clear: purposeful and

focused collaboration is a skill that has to be acquired, repeated and practiced in context.

If distributed leadership is to be authentic then the skills of professional collaboration are

critically important. How can you share leadership if teachers cannot work together?

Professional collaboration is the foundation for distributed leadership but this has to be

purposeful and disciplined. It is not good enough to have working groups - teams or even

professional learning communities - that cooperate rather than collaborate. Cooperation

depends upon loose social connections and is a weak basis for improvement. Conversely,

focused and disciplined professional collaboration has been shown to secure better

learner outcomes (Jones & Harris, 2013).

Exceptional organisational performance is not a random event; instead, exceptional

performance is achieved through careful planning, design and ‘discipline’ (Collins &

Hansen, 2011). It requires organisational alignment, mutual understanding and flexibility,

rather than rigidity, prescription or coercion.

For principals seeking improved school performance and better outcomes, the challenge

is to create the conditions where professional knowledge and skills are enhanced, where

effective leadership exists, at all levels, and where the entire school is working

interdependently in the collective pursuit of better learner outcomes.

http://teacher.acer.edu.au/article/distributed-leadership

References

Collins, J., Hansen, M. (2011) Great By Choice. Harper Business Press.

Hallinger P., Heck, R. Distributed Leadership in Schools: Does System Policy Make a

Difference? in Harris, A. (2009) Distributed Leadership: Different

Perspectives. Netherlands Springer Press.

Hargreaves, A., Harris, A., Boyle, A., Ghent, K., Goodall, J. Gurn, A. McEwen, L. ...

Stone Johnson, C. (2010). Performance Beyond Expectations.London: National College

for Leadership and Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Hargreaves, A., Boyle, A., Harris, A., (2014) Uplifting Leadership. Jossey Bass.

Harris, A. (2013) Distributed Leadership Matters. Corwin Press.

Jones, M and Harris, A. (2013) Disciplined Collaboration: Professional Learning with

Impact. Professional Development Today, 15(4), pp. 13-23

Leithwood, K and Mascall B (2008) Collective Leadership Effects on Student

Achievement. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(4), pp. 529-561

Leithwood, K., Mascall, B., Strauss, T. (2009) Distributed Leadership According to the

Evidence. London, Routledge.

Have you recently incorporated distributed leadership in your school?

What were the results of making the change?

Has there been an improvement in learner outcomes?

Dr Alma Harris

Dr Alma Harris is Professor of Educational Leadership at the Institute of Education (IOE, London). She is

currently Professor and Director of the Institute of Educational Leadership at the University of Malaya. Alma has written extensively about leadership in schools and she is an expert on the theme of distributed

leadership. She is internationally known for her work on school improvement, focusing particularly on

improving schools in challenging circumstances.