the courage to lead: moving people out of their comfort ... · —albert einstein two forms of...

The Courage to Lead:Moving People Out

of Their Comfort Zone(Part 1)

Anthony Muhammad

& David Hoss

The Courage to Lead:Moving People Out of Their Comfort Zone(Part 1)

Anthony Muhammad, PhD& David Hoss

Is Change Necessary?

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

—Albert Einstein

Two Forms of Change

• Technical–structural (skill)

• Cultural (will)

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High Will and High Skill

High Will and

Low Skill

High Will and

High Skill

High Skill and

Low Will

Low Skill and

Low Will

Transformational Leader

The transformational leader (at all levels) is determined to lead a person into better behavior rather than being satisfied with identifying and criticizing current behavior.

What qualities do leaders need to possess to transform behavior?

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School Culture

“School culture is the set of norms, values, and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the ‘persona’ of the school.”

—Deal & Peterson, 2002

Healthy School Culture

“Educators have an unwavering belief in the ability of all of their students to achieve success, and they pass that belief on to others in overt and covert ways. Educators create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the ability of every student.”

—Peterson (in Cromwell, 2002)

Prescriptive

PrescriptionCollaborative Disciplined practice

ReflectionAnalyze data. Confront brutal facts.

CommitmentBelief in all students School goals guide behavior.


The Will to Lead

• Aligning the philosophy

• Managing frustration

• Creating a culture of collaboration

• Institutionalizing cultural health

—Hollie & Muhammad, 2011

Aligning the Philosophy Developing Shared Purpose

“The mission question challenges members of a group to reflect on the fundamental purpose of the organization, the very reason for its existence. The question asks, ‘Why do we exist?’ ‘What are we here to do together?’ and ‘What is the business of our business?’”

—DuFour & Eaker, 1998

Developing Mission

• Who are your students?

• How could their lives be enhanced through education?

• What collective commitment will you make to enhance their lives?

• Mission must have a service orientation!


Who Are Your Students?

Levey Middle School, 2001• 97% African-American

• 72% at or below the national poverty line

• 80% of families headed by single mothers

• 25%–40% annual student mobility rate

State achievement scores are well below state averages.

Where We Are …

Our school is like a ____ because ….

What We Will Become …

Our school will become like a __________ because we will commit to do ….


Levey Middle School Mission

“We will work collaboratively to ensure that each student is prepared for post-secondary education.”

New Frontier 21 SchoolA Fresh Approach

Character Educationand Community Service

Connection to Public and

Private Sectors

ParentalPartnership

University Partnerships

AcademicSkills

Professional Learning Community

Nine Core Beliefs

1. Schools are places built for educating children, not for adult employment.

2. Schools play a major role in the future life success of students and their community.

3. Education is a profession, and educators should conduct themselves as professionals.

4. Education is a mission, and educators should conduct themselves as missionaries.

5. Schools are a community’s most precious institution, and they have the power to transform a community.


6. Children are at the center of everything we do, and our practice should reflect their best interest.

7. We believe that schools must partner with other members of the community for the educational experience to be optimal.

8. We believe that character is important and that schools can help shape a child’s character.

9. We believe that service to the community is important and is essential in a democratic society.

Nine Core Beliefs

Pause to Think

1. Are you and your colleagues clear on your fundamental purpose?

2. How would you prove that you have a clear and concise shared purpose?

Managing Frustration


Toxic School Culture

“Educators believe that student success is based on students’ level of concern, attentiveness, prior knowledge, and willingness to comply with the demands of the school, and they articulate that belief in overt and covert ways. Educators create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the impossibility of universal achievement.”

—Peterson (in Cromwell, 2002)

Descriptive and Deflective

Toxic cultures have no efficacy.

Student achievement is the direct result of factors beyond their control.


The Real Difference

• Reflective

• Prescriptive

• Descriptive

• Deflective

Healthy Toxic

FrustrationThe Root of a Toxic Culture

Frustration: A feeling of anxiety connected to the inability to perform a task

• A mismatch between skill set and task

• Causes people to deflect blame onto others and create covert alliances with people experiencing similar struggles

The Culture of ComplaintTwo Vs

• Venting

• Validation


Time Out!

“To be a good teammate, your responsibilities must be more important than your rights.”

—John Wooden

Real Difference

Problemsolvers

Complainers

Healthy Culture Toxic Culture

Pause to Think

• How do people in your work environment typically respond when they get frustrated?

• Are you and your colleagues typically “reflective and prescriptive” or “descriptive and deflective”?

• Do you feel comfortable enough to collaborate with your leadership about frustrating issues?


References

DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Muhammad, A. (2009). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Muhammad, A., & Hollie, S. (2011). The will to lead, the skill to teach: Transforming schools at every level. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Orr, J. (2009, October 14). “Our top ten favorite John Wooden quotes.” The Christian Science Monitor

Peterson, K. D., in Cromwell, S. (2002). “Is your school culture toxic or positive?” Education World 6(2), p. 1.

Peterson, K. D., & Deal, T. E. (2002). Shaping school culture field book. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Thank you.

To schedule professional development at your site, contact Solution Tree

at [email protected].


REPRODUCIBLE

Staff Concern Form

Staff Member __________________________ Date ______________ Signature ______________________________

Seriousness of the concern:

1 2 3 4 5 My concern is … __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ My suggestion is …

__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

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REPRODUCIBLE

TSC Activity #1 Please list the frustrating elements of your job and your school system in the first column. In the second column, please list your past attempts to resolve the issue.

Frustrating Issue Attempted Solution

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the courage to lead: moving people out of their comfort ... · —albert einstein two forms of...

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