Leaders Listen
In Lesson #48 of The Disciplined Leader, John Manning (2015) taught us to “Listen To Your Customers.” As an educational leader, I have been in more than my share of discussions about whether the students and parents are customers of our schools and the educational system. This post is not about answering that question – it’s just too complex. I’ll tackle that topic in a future post. Although, I have to give a shout out to Dr. David Burkus, author of Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business As Usual and Associate Professor at Oral Roberts Universty. He and I recently had an in depth conversation about about this during the launch of his book – which, by the way, every leader should read.
Dr. Burkus and I discussed how students are much too precious and complex to just be considered as customers. He suggested that society is the customer of education. The success of our society relies on the quality of individuals, we in education produce. I tend to agree with that, but also know that we must listen to our students and families as if they were customers in the context that Manning (2015) spoke of. I also understand the complexity of educating a child and all the factors involved – parents, family, health, socio-economic factors, emotional, learning style. Thus, all the more reason to listen as if our families and students are customers, because regardless, as Dr. Burkus pointed out, society will ultimately be a customer. Failure to establish a home-school-community collaboration aimed at increasing student success puts our children’s and nation’s futures at stake.
“This loyalty comes from genuine relationships—those that are carefully cultivated between the customers and your organization. This comes from interactions in which the customer feels that he or she matters personally, not financially, to a business.” ~ John Manning
As Manning (2015) pointed out. It is all about relationships. Effective communication, which includes listening, is essential for building school-family partnerships. It constitutes the foundation for all other forms of family involvement in education. Good two-way communication between families and schools is necessary for our students’ success. Not surprisingly, research shows that the more parents and teachers share relevant information with each other about a student, the better equipped both will be to help that student achieve academically. The good news is that many are beginning to realize the value of connecting parents and community members to what is happening in the classroom. Still, there are too many families and community members who do not feel equipped to partner with schools to create the best teaching and learning environments for children. It is not surprising that these people tend to avoid substantive involvement in critical issues such as daily attendance, teacher quality, student retention, and other areas that impact student success.
Bottom-line: we need to listen and get feedback from our teachers, students and families; we must talk to our students and families and build meaningful relationships; and, we must find out why students come to our schools and why they leave our schools. Just as we ask our students to do their homework, we must do our homework, as leaders, to understand what he or she needs to be successful. We must design environments for families to access key information to make their engagement with their children’s school more productive, enjoyable and beneficial. We must invite, engage, enable, and empower our families to become more engaged in their child’s educational experience.
As leaders we must listen to the needs of our students and families.
ESSA Opportunity #1: Assessments
I am beginning a series of ten posts detailing opportunities I see us having with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This post deals with new opportunities afforded by ESSA for Assessments. ESSA continues the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) schedule of federally required statewide assessments. ESSA still requires annual statewide assessments in reading and math in 3rd–8thgrade and once in high school; science assessments once each in elementary, middle, and high school. Those assessments must be aligned with state standards and provide information on whether a student is performing at grade level. ESSA allows computer-adaptive tests as well. These computer-adaptive models could be used to measure a student’s academic proficiency above or below grade level to determine a student’s actual performance level.
It is also important to keep in mind that no more than 1 percent of all students in the state can take an alternate assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. There is still the requirement of 95% participation in state testing. States or localities may create their own laws on assessment participation, and districts are required to notify parents about those, but the 95% participation requirement must be met.
There are some options already being used in some states for the high school level. An option for states or districts to use a nationally-recognized assessment (e.g. SAT or ACT) at the high school level in place of the state test. These assessments may measure individual student growth. Any assessment that is used must be aligned to the state standards, provide results that can be used for accountability, and meet all the technical requirements that apply to statewide tests. They also have to be peer reviewed. Under ESSA, any district-selected assessments must be approved by the state.
In addition, summative assessments can be administered through multiple statewide interim assessments that , when combined, produce an annual summative score are allowed under ESSA. Also allowable under ESSA are assessments that are partially delivered through portfolios, projects, or extended performance tasks.
Finally, ESSA encourages and gives states the opportunity to audit their assessments to look at over-testing. As you can see, ESSA gives new flexibility in assessment design. The new law allows for use of nationally recognized high school assessments and innovative assessment flexibility. Now it is up to the states to collaborate and come up with solutions that are best for the students.
How Many Flavors Do You Need?
In Lesson #47 of The Disciplined Leader John Manning (2015)taught us to Avoid The “Flavor of the Month” Syndrome. I actually blogged about this back in Flavor Of The Month Or Research And Development? I put a little different twist on it, but this is an important topic when it comes to putting strategy in action. Founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California, Baskin-Robbins is known for its “31 flavors” slogan, with the idea that a customer could have a different flavor every day of any month. Now, if we look at using this theory for strategy, we will surely fail.
Because of being focused so heavily on culture building and leadership development this year I have thought a great deal about alignment of the team to our strategies while still making sure we, what I call, hyper personalize the professional growth and development. Training and development programs almost universally focus factory-like on inputs and outputs: absorb curriculum, check a box; learn a skill, advance a rung; submit an assessment, fix a problem. Flavor-of-the-month remedies, off-the-shelf programs, immersions, and excursions stuff people full of competencies and skills but produce astonishingly few great leaders. This is why I believe these programs must be developed and personalized by the leader of the organization to fit the context of the individuals being developed. The program must also be customized for the context of the organization at the time. We are taking applications right now for our next cohort of our Focused Leader Academy. I already know the curriculum will need to be adjusted as I look at those who are applying and where we are as a school.
Just like Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors to satisfy every individual taste, every day of the month. We must not resort to cookie cutter development for those we serve by jumping at anything that comes along as the next “silver-bullet” of leadership development. I would propose using Manning’s (2015) three ways of avoiding the flavor of the month syndrome when developing your leaders and putting all strategies in action:
- Create consensus during planning.
- Stay committed to identified strategies.
- Formalize decision making for new ideas.
My challenge to you is to unleash the most initiative, imagination, and passion and the job of leaders is to expand the scope of human accomplishment in your organization.
Chief Execution Officer
One of most frustrating challenges leaders are faced with today is closing what is commonly known as the execution gap (or sometimes the strategy gap). The execution gap is a perceived gap between a company’s strategies and expectations and its ability to meet those goals and put ideas into action. In Lesson #46 entitled “Avoid the Dangerous Gap between Good Ideas and Execution” in The Disciplined Leader, John Manning (2015) explained, “As a Disciplined Leader, it’s your job to become curious but also cautious about good ideas. That starts with discerning the ideas and solutions introduced by your people, making those hard decisions about whether to say yes or no to them. Good ideas don’t mean anything unless your organization is capable of executing them.” (Kindle Locations 2382-2384). Due to the complexity of people, businesses, and the societal constructs in which we operate, it is more difficult than it might seem at first glance to close this gap.
“So whenever any new concept or strategy is put on the table, assess the gap between its good intent and your team’s core ability to implement and execute it.” ~ John Manning
Leaders must become Chief Execution Officers. Great leaders do not relegate and that is the idea behind becoming a Chief Execution Officer instead of a Chief Executive Officer. Relegation is very different than delegation. Relegation is just pushing work to others. By not relegating the execution of strategy, the Chief Execution Officer can achieve consensus and commitment across the task force responsible for the implementation, establish and preserve the integrity of the strategy, and engage the work force. If done correctly, this approach and these achievements can greatly improve performance of the strategy. Unlike a traditional CEO, the Chief Execution Officer gets involved in the details of strategy execution by: translating the strategy into measurable objectives, sharing the story of the strategy with internal and external audiences, establishing a feedback system, and by aligning the reward and recognition system with strategy. Since leaders need the effort of others, they must be able to effectively communicate to them what they want done and, more importantly, why they want to do it. A big problem with going from idea to implementation is simply a lack of clearly defined vision and goals. Leaders who cannot define what they want accomplished can hardly expect others to understand their strategy and participate in their projects with any level of meaningful contribution.
I am a big believer in forming task forces to take on implementation and execution of initiatives and to study needed changes. I am also a believer their are times I need to own doing a major part of the heavy lifting in some of those task forces. A big mistake many leaders make is relegating to others and this can be problematic from a couple of different angles. First, many times the leader relegating is seen as someone who passes everything to those he sees as being under him. This is not being a servant leader and leaders who do this quickly lose the trust and respect of those he serves. Secondly, many times others just don’t have the knowledge and skill that you do as the Chief Execution Officer. The task force provides a team that can develop consensus and communicate to others about the strategy and is an important prerequisite for successful execution of initiatives and change. Careful selection of task force members is important to achieve effective cross-functional integration. Leaders who resist this type of consensus can undermine successful execution and implementation.
Implementation and execution really become part of an organization and become part of the leader’s mantra. Think about it; you know leaders who get things done and those who never seem to be able to finish. Implementation is not just something that does or doesn’t get done; it is not just a tactic, and it is not something to be relegated. Execution should be a central part of a organization’s strategy and goals and the most important part of what any leader does. What are you preparing to implement in the near future?
ESSA: What Stays The Same?
I will continue my series of blog posts concerning the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) here with a post about what stays the same under ESSA. I previously blogged about our fascination with ESSA in Why Is ESSA So Fascinating? Because of the many years of state’s frustrations over what were considered by many to be a heavy and prescriptive federal role in education policy, I believe we are all looking for innovative and effective ways that could have lasting impact on schools’ priorities and ultimately a positive impact on our children’s lives. All of the talk of new flexibiity promised under the ESSA, I believe we are all excited to get started on getting everyone in our states together to collaborate and innovate. The United States Department of Education, however, is still in the initial phases of rule-making and figuring out what the USDE’s role will be to regulate under ESSA, a process which is looking like will take several months. The law doesn’t go into full effect until the 2017-18 school year, but certainly it is time to get started.
Therefore, I would like to take the opportunity a few of the things, as I see ESSA, that stay the same. These things are worth studying because we now have the opportunity to tweak and continue to innovate. Indiana is in a great position under ESSA because many of the things called for under the new act we are already doing. We now can take the opportunity for continuous improvement. We have the opportunity to further hone our vision for education in Indiana and engage our communities in the conversation. Before we get into what remains the same under ESSA let’s take a look at what the wishes of the law are (adapted from an International Association for k-12 Online Learning [iNACOL] webinar):
- High expectations and tranparency
- Required action for underperformance
- State autonomy
- Local control
- Program consolidation
- Room for innovation
Here is what remains the same. We, the states, are still responsible to:
- adopt challenging state academic standards. Remember, these do not need to be common core and the Secretary of Education has no authority to tell the states what those standards will be.
- test students annually in math and reading in grades 3-8 and once in high school; and science in grade span. There many who keep talking about how the requirement to test is gone and this is simply not true. By forming our ESSA/ISTEP+ Task Force, however, the Indiana Legislature provided great leadership in having us take this opportunity to study and improve our state testing.
- publicly report scores based on race, income, ethnicity, disability, and English learners.
- identify schools for improvement including the bottom performing 5%.
- distribute Title I, Title II, and Title III formula grants.
In future posts I will be outlining the new opportunities we under ESSA. Every one of those opportunities is fascinating on its own, but we will all need to find ways to collaborate so that all components of ESSA can be knitted together for doing what’s best for the students we serve.
Why is ESSA so Fascinating?
I am so proud to be our Indiana State Board of Education’s representative to the task force, formed under HEA 1395, and charged with studying the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and our ISTEP+ summative high stakes Indiana test. Ever since the bill was signed into law on December 10, 2015 by President Barack Obama, I have been fascinated with the possibilities that lie ahead for our children. I have the opportunity to speak about my views and thoughts on ESSA and most recently spoke at the District 9 Meeting of the Indiana Association of School Principals and led off discussing my own and the nation’s fascination with ESSA. But why? Why am I and so many others so fascinated with ESSA?
Speaking to District 9 Principals of the Indiana Association of School Principals
I believe there are a three big reasons for this fascination:
- The historic nature of this law that started back with President Lyndon B. Johnson, was revisited in the President George W. Bush era, and now with ESSA being signed into law by our current President Barack Obama. President Obama told us that when ESSA goes into full effect with the 2017-18 school year, we will be maintaining Lyndon B. Johnson’s civil rights legacy of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which turned 50 last year. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was originally passed as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration’s War on Poverty campaign. The original goal of the law, which remains today, was to improve educational equity for students from lower-income families by providing federal funds to school districts serving poor students. Since its initial passage, ESEA has been reauthorized seven times, most recently in January 2002 as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Each reauthorization brought changes to the program, but its central goal remains: improving the educational opportunities and outcomes for children from lower-income families.
- It was also historic and fascinating that ESSA passed by a huge bipartisan margin after eight years of debate. ESSA passed by a vote of 359 to 64 in the U.S. House of Representatives and a vote of 85 to 12 in the U.S. Senate. President Obama acknowledged No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law and the work of President George W. Bush, but also said the NCLB “often forced schools and school districts into cookie-cutter reforms that didn’t always produce the kinds of results that we wanted to see.” He went on to say that ESSA “creates real partnerships between the states, which will have new flexibility to tailor their improvement plans, and the federal government, which will have the oversight to make sure that the plans are sound.” I believe this opportunity for collaboration between states, including state legislatures, state boards of education, communities, families, schools, and all other external and internal stakeholders, and the federal governments fascinates us and has us dreaming of the possibilities.
- Finally, I believe we are fascinated with the opportunity to invent unexpected solutions. Innovation is a major pillar of fascination. Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican – Tennessee, and a key architect of ESSA said it best when he stated “What I believe is that when we take the handcuffs off, we’ll unleash a whole flood of innovation and ingenuity classroom by classroom, state by state, that will benefit children.” Ingenuity and innovation – now that is fascinating and we in Indiana and every other state need to take full advantage of the opportunities that ESSA provides for our students.
With this fascination comes responsibility. As I stated earlier, we have the opportunity to invent unexpected solutions – in other words, INNOVATE. Many talk about the POWER going back to the states under ESSA and even as a card carrying fan of my hero, Patrick Henry (who was an advocate of individual and state’s rights), I would rather say “RESPONSIBILITY back to the states.” Power guides action, so we have the responsibility in Indiana to guide the action and bring all internal and external stakeholders together for a true collaboration to develop innovate for great solutions for the children of Indiana and our Nation.
Putting On The Boxing Gloves
What John Manning (2015) called “Pick Your Battles” in Lesson #45 of The Disciplined Leader, I call deciding whether or not to put the boxing gloves on. One thing is certain — you can’t take on every problem at work. Each person has a finite amount of political capital. If you make a big deal over something silly, you may not be able to get your way when it’s something really important. Or, as I always say, “I am (or am not) willing to put my boxing gloves on for this.” This is not to say I literally want to fight, but I use the metaphor to think about how far, or how passionate I am about the issue – would I break out the boxing gloves?
As Manning (2015) said, “Your leadership needs to reflect your ability to discern which battles aren’t worth fighting as well as your fearlessness in the face of the battles that are.” Even if you’re certain that the issues you want to tackle are critical, your reputation may suffer if you take them all on at once. I believe another important consideration is before taking on a battle, you’ll need to assess whether you have the reputation and authority to succeed. Additionally, you do not want to be seen as an inflexible leader or someone who is more concerned with be right than connecting with others. This type of leader doesn’t value other opinions and ideas.
To decide when to put on the boxing gloves, tackle only problems that are truly important. It’s important to examine your motives. Does the issue really matter to your employer, your colleagues or your ability to do your job? Never put on the boxing gloves without offering a solution or suggested route to one. Engage but do so when it makes real good sense. Win the battles – the big and important ones – and let the others go. That is leadership.
Leading Curiously
I consider myself a pioneer in the era of the curious leader, where success may be less about having all the answers and more about wondering and questioning. A curious, inquisitive leader can set an example that inspires creative thinking throughout the entire organization. Leading-by-curiosity can help generate more ideas from all areas of an organization, while also helping to raise employee engagement levels. One of my heroes is Curious George – that little monkey who is not afraid to explore new and exciting things. I strive to be like Curious George. In fact I have have blogged about this in Living and Leading Like Curious George.
Walt Disney, another one of my heroes, said his company was great at innovating 
“because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” But having that desire to keep exploring “new paths” becomes even more important in today’s fast-changing, innovation-driven marketplace. In The Disciplined Leader, John Manning (2015) reminded us in Lesson #44 to, “Be curious about how things can be done better or differently. Identify one organizational norm that could be improved. Remember: just because you have always done something ‘that way’ does not mean it is ‘the way’ today” (Kindle Locations 2320-2321). I believe curiosity leads to valuable insights and understanding. Curious leaders would rather pose the right questions that give them a deeper understanding than compete to deliver answers in hopes of acknowledgment. Curiosity allows leaders to adopt an exploratory mindset in everything he/she does.
Curiosity is all about asking questions and wondering why things are a certain way. Great leaders search for new paths – new products, new and innovative solutions, new talent, new efficient ways of building, creating, and getting things done. Being curious is an important part of a leader’s role in serving those he/she leads. Are you embracing your role as a leader and being curious like Curious George?
Reference
Manning (2015). The disciplined leader: keeping the focus on what really matters. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Leaders Ask Why
Back in 2010 I blogged about “why” in Why Baby Why? I was reminded about the importance of the “why” in John Manning’s (2015) Lesson #43 in The Disciplined Leader. Ever notice how great leaders ask the best questions and the question “why?” A masterful leader will sit quietly in a meeting, listening intently to the discussion, and then, ask a question that will change the tenor and the performance of the entire team. My dad used to tell me, “There is not necessarily a correlation between the amount of talking someone is doing and their intelligence.” Very true!
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” ~ Voltaire
Watching a great leader ask astute questions is like watching an artist in action. I aspire to always be this kind of leader and hope I can model the wisdom and timing to use less oxygen and get the great results of collaboration and discussion. One question that I love to ask is, “Why am I wrong on this?” Pressing the team to consider what I might be missing demonstrates humility, awareness, and openness to possibility. Wherever you find an innovative culture, you find leaders asking this question. Great things happen when we start with “why.”
Success Breeds Success!
We say it all the time, but do we really understand what we are saying when we say, “Success Breeds Success?” As a livestock and dairy guy, I understand the importance of genetics in breeding. My son and I spend a great deal of time studying and selecting which bulls to breed his Jersey’s to in order to make improvements; and hopefully produce the next great one. In Lesson #42 of The Disciplined Leader, John Manning (2015) taught us we must also study success as a leader in order to duplicate that success.
“One of the ways to learn from prior success is to shift your organization’s attention away from trying to avoid mistakes and a bit more toward replicating success. That starts with identifying wins and taking inventory of what was done right to contribute to the outcome. Employees have their own talents, gifts, and hard-earned skills. Considering these attributes and other factors influencing your ability to succeed, the onus is on you to apply this learning to future challenges and generate even more wins.” ~ John Manning
Some of the ways Manning (2015) pointed out to do this are:
- Embrace a positive outlook.
- Analyze successes.
- Success happens for good reasons, and when you start to explore the who, what, where, when, and why of an achievement, you’ll most likely see it wasn’t just some matter of pure luck.
- Pay more attention to what works.
- Find ways to note what’s working well in work and life, leveraging whatever you learn to maximize your chances for more wins.
As you can see it is important to not only celebrate our wins, but analyze and study them. How can you help your organization to ensure “Success Breeds Success?
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