I have just finished reading a fantastic book – Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I was particularly interested in this biography because of my connection with the Rata Teachers’ Support Trust and the fact that I will be volunteering in India later this year. The book describes Greg’s journey to help build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He provides a real example of courageous leadership with a commitment to educating children, especially girls. His clear focus and passion are exhibited in his treatment of obstacles. Failure was something to learn from; obstacles an opportunity to think differently. This is the type of leadership we need for the future – adaptive, reflective and resilient.
The greatest lesson Greg learnt was to “share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects (p.150).” This may have seemed more time consuming to start with but in the long run it produced more sustainable results. Too often leaders are focused on doing things rather than creating connections. They become driven by improving the external environment of their organisations without considering the foundational relationships that underpin the organisation’s success.
In their work based in Chicago schools, researchers Bryk and Schneider came to the conclusion that relational trust was foundational for school improvement. They suggested four vital signs for identifying and assessing trust:
Respect – genuinely talking and listening to each other in ways that acknowledge and accept the views, ideas and beliefs of others.
Competence – the ability and willingness to fulfill responsibilities and believe others to be competent.
Personal regard – caring for each other personally and professionally. Going that extra mile.
Integrity – keeping ones word. Putting the needs of children first, even when tough decisions need to be made.
These points were all exhibited by Greg Mortenson. He did not try to impose his views on those he was working with and he was prepared to do what was needed, at times with great personal sacrifice. The building of trust allowed him to work in areas that few could access and to provide education to many.
Future leadership is very much about collaboration, building professional learning networks and growing capabilities in others. It builds on trust and integrity and comes from the heart as well as the head. Future leadership requires leaders who listen and who constantly reflect on their own behaviour.
We are moving into new spaces, new times and new ways of collaborating. Technology is a key influencer in changing the landscape that we work and play in. Here are just three of the emerging trends that are set to change the way we interact:
Haptics -the ability to experience the sense of touch and apply pressure through a simulated environment. Will this help experts share their knowledge and skills (eg surgeons) in all countries without leaving home?
Surface Computing – smart surfaces with no keyboard mouse. So do we need to learn to handwrite beyond a basic level? Is it relevant in this day and age? How much longer will we need keyboard skills?
Gesture controlled computing – a swish of the hand to make yourself understood. How could we use this to communicate in new ways? Does this mean that communication will be more in the head and the gesture than in the vocal chords? Implications?
The videos below explore cutting edge technologies. They pose many challenges to the way we think, and open up many new possibilities. I’m not suggesting all these are positive. But we do need to be watching the trends and keeping up to date if we are to develop our preferred futures.
As you watch the videos you might like to consider some of these questions:
How could these technologies change the ways we learn?
As a leader, how will I adapt and help others adapt? What will I keep doing? Stop doing? Start doing?
How will I enable these new technologies to distribute leadership and to collaborate globally in new ways?
These are just some of the tensions that face leadership for the future. Take a look…and ponder…
Last week our local paper included an advertisement for school open evenings. It is getting to that time of year when schools are vying for new students for 2011. In preparation for these open nights each school listed their contact details, including their website addresses, the idea being that you can find out more about the schools you are interested in. It’s all about marketing.
I was interested in finding out what was happening in all these schools. One process I use to do this is the web walk, a type of learning walk which involves looking through a site looking for key statements and ideas that provide information about the school:
What does it stand for?
What does it focus on?
Is it an ongoing ‘story’ or just updated for marketing?
What does it tell you about the benefits of attending the school?
Does it mention learning (you’d be surprised the number of schools that don’t)?
Is there any evidence of student voice?
My passion is leadership for the future so I was particularly interested to see whether there was any collaboration between staff, students, school and wider networks and whether the learning seemed to be future focused. So here is what I found…
Out of the 11 school sites I looked through 9 had up to date newsletters and term calendars. The sites had information about the structures of schooling – the buildings, the curriculum learning areas, the rules, the board of trustees… I was hoping for more. I wanted to see the visiosn connect with ideas around key competencies, rich tasks and global projects. I wanted to see the odd glimmer of teachers being active inquirers. I wanted to see a glimpse into what might come next…
I see the challenge of schools for the future as articulating the processes of learning and collaborating with the world. While this may be happening in some of these schools, no evidence presented itself during my web walk. There is still a focus on students being involved as house leaders and school councillors. Nothing wrong with that (depending what the role involves and what is being achieved)….I just want the and… how have we moved on to really engage students in meaningful learning? Are they participants or observers? Give me examples of students having input into their learning and giving feedback to the school. 21st century learning was supposed to start 10 years ago. Have I missed it?
Integrity is about consistency and congruence between our values and beliefs and our actions. It also implies a high level of honesty and truthfulness in these actions. Leading with integrity requires ethical behaviour, where a leader is committed to upholding the culturally accepted values of society and is prepared to defend them.
In an online environment our integrity can be compromised if we do not think carefully about what we make public. In Joe McCarthy’s blogpost on The Dark Side of Digital Backchannels in Shared Physical Spaces there are examples of backchannel behaviour that has had dramatic effects on people’s lives.
Our actions are amplified because so many people have access to our thoughts and behaviours. This amplification can help our message reach a wider group of followers. It can also amplify decisions that, in retrospect, we wish we had not made. Online integrity is connected to our moral beliefs yet the day to day living of these beliefs can easily be eroded by quick, irreversible online decisions. The establishment of online behaviours, etiquette and cultural norms can be developed by:
parents understanding and modelling sound online behaviours so that their children can follow by example;
schools recognising that social networking is here to stay and that we will get feedback from students through backchannels whether we like it or not. You can bury your head in the sand and ban social media or use it as a way to deepen online integrity and build student awareness and skills;
constantly checking your own personal behaviours to see if your offline and online behaviours are congruent – and ethically sound; and
not responding unethically in response to inappropriate online behaviour.
Let’s face it. None of us are perfect. Yet if we have well defined values and beliefs we may be less likely to cause offense or put ourselves in situations where we wish we could turn back time, erase 140 characters, remove a photo before a job interview or get back our privacy.
I heard this from a student last year, following conference discussions about 21st century learners. His comment, “Don’t you realise that we are here now?” This reminded me that the changes needed in education are urgent, yet ongoing. We need to look to the future and get on with making changes.
This comment led to me facilitating two World Cafe events at the learning@school conference. The people who came to these sessions were ones who had been listening to the hype of 21st century learning, teaching and leading for some time and who wanted to challenge themselves and others to move forward. The World Cafe format allowed time to slow down, engage in dialogue and leave with some personal and professional ideas for the future.
Some of the overheard discussions during these sessions included:
Where is the expectation that things will change?
Just because we can’t do it doesn’t mean we should stop others from doing it.
I’m looking forward to being made redundant as a teacher.
If you believe in it you prioritize time.
I don’t think it’s written anywhere “Thou must do it alone.”
Schools should be laboratories for life.
Many of the comments focused around the need for changes in teacher practice and increasing the role of students in their own learning. If we really want to transform education we need to start with teacher change, otherwise students will not have a greater say. For teacher practcie to transform across an organisation school leaders must be committed to the transformation and lead by example.
One World Cafe participant jotted his thoughts clearly on a post-it, as shown below. I liked the quirky idea of a post-it on an iphone and also the call to personal action. I don’t think it is suggesting we will get change by riding over top of people. We know we need to build trust and gain commitment. We also know we can’t go at the pace of the slowest. The time for educational leaders to step up is now. We need to move beyond the rhetoric and start taking action. We could even involve students in the plan…
Many leaders proudly talk about the ease with which their staff can access them, but is this really a good thing? There are times when leaders need to get into ‘flow’ – to concentrate on projects without interruptions to thought patterns. So what is the balance?
Balance may be a personal choice. However great leaders understand that the team doesn’t have to be involved in every decision. If open door policy becomes ingrained in your organisation the open door becomes a revolving door and inertia results. If it is not addressed the door just spins faster and faster and all you get is the breeze.
Block out times when you are not available. Close your door, ensure your secretary guards your precious ‘thinking time’ or have some other way of indicating you are unavailable. Remind staff of the process and why it is important. Then when you are with staff you can give them your full attention. When you walk around your business or learning organisation you can do it on purpose, regularly booking time to be where the action is. This time should be sacrosanct if you want to have your finger on the pulse. Establish it as one of the ‘rocks’ that gets timetabled into your diary at the beginning of the week, then build the habit of sticking to your plan. Balance being on the balcony (working on the business) with being on the dance floor (working in the business).
Be clear about when people can see you and how this happens. Don’t make it too hard, just clearly articulated. Leaders need to be empathic, to build relationships and to do what they say they will do. Your way of communicating with others is vital – and part of this is the ability to listen really well and to consider the diverse strengths of your team.
When communicating with staff be clear about what you are asking them to do and how you will be making a decision. Consider the following four quadrants, from the work of Wilf Jarvis:
Quadrant One – I’ll decide.
Quadrant Two – We’ll discuss and I’ll decide.
Quadrant Three – We’ll discuss and we’ll decide.
Quadrant Four – You decide. Call me if you need assistance.
Develop your staff so they understand which quadrant is being used. This not only builds their leadership capacities and moves them towards interdependence, but also establishes clear expectations.
It’s as my mother reaches 80 that she begins to have the most profound of influences on me. In my early years I don’t remember her influence as strongly, but as she struggles with ill health and a body that doesn’t do all she would like I listen, and watch, and learn. Here are some of the key messages she is reinforcing for me as a leader and learner:
You need to stay positive and appreciate the things you can do.
Friends and family are important – giving and receiving are linked in a virtuous cycle.
Sometimes you need to find new ways of doing things because the old ways don’t work any more.
When you get worried or overloaded – write a list then check things off as you achieve them – little goals, big impact.
Exercise – know your limits but keep moving otherwise you seize up and get stuck on the couch.
Keep your mind active – read every day, puzzle over knitting patterns, do word finds, talk to people – keep interested.
Enjoy every moment of every day.
I have come to admire and respect my mother for her determination. She doesn’t give up easily and I think I may have learned this from her.
The Horizon Report 2010 suggests that ebook technology will develop rapidly over the next two years. Perhaps by the end of this year we may see the sales of ebook readers tripling and a 200% increase in the sales of ebooks. The technologies surrounding ebooks will improve significantly, with an exponential increase in e-friendly apps, use of touchscreens and the development of user-friendly interfaces.
This year I am launching a series of ebooks to explore these developing technologies. The first of these is a series on Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk. These are for educators who wish to use a learning walk process to develop their pedagogical leadership skills. Aspects of the Kiwi Leadership for Principals that are highlighted in this book include relationships (since these underpin learning walks) and the power of context. Leading change, problem solving, culture, pedagogy, systems and awhinatanga are also key strands throughout this book series. Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk also relates well to the Leads Other for Learning section of the ACEL Leadership Capability framework which you may also want to explore further.
Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk experiments with flip book technology, giving the look and sound of the pages of a book as they turn over. You can read it online or download as a pdf. Adding embedded audio and video will be the next stage in my learning. If you come across new ideas and tools that I could use please let me know. Ebooks are on the rise!
You will find more information about the content of my first ebook on the News! page and can place orders at the Store.
Today I had the opportunity to share some of my reflections on my voluntary work in Cape Town, as part of the Rata Teachers Support group. I hope that those who came to listen could see what a profound effect my experience has had on me. It reinforced the importance of giving to others in order to help understand yourself. I had never been involved volunteering overseas before and all I could do was hope that I would have something to offer. The experience took me out of my comfort zone – and I believe that this is where real learning happens.
Margaret Wheatley says that hope propels us to action and that when hope enters the room fear is always by its side. That is because while hope looks to the future, fear is based on the past and the ‘what ifs’.
I have really become aware of the many people who are seeking to make a difference to others, throughout the world and for many different causes. They are driven by passion and commitment. They have high hopes that their work will make a difference and at times, fear that the difference is not great enough. They are not paralysed by this fear, but rather more determined than ever because it is worth the risk. One example is the Adonis Musati Project, based in Cape Town, yet another ripple of hope to help humanity:
I fear for a world where we cannot reach out and help others, instead focussing on greed and self interest. Is that not what got us to this place we are today? These are times for courageous leadership, for each of us to have a strong moral compass that compels us to lead ethically, driven by clear beliefs for what could be. Again, Margaret Wheately describes this profoundly:
We may not succeed in changing things, but we choose to act from the clarity that this is right action for us. People who endure and persevere for their cause describe clarity as a force arising within them that compels them to act.
Feedback is an important part of self improvement, especially in identifying our personal blind spots. Many people advocate getting feedback from all stakeholders, with information being fed back for discussion and setting of new goals. There are benefits in this, as long as change is made otherwise stakeholders won’t want to give feedback next time. So any new goals need to be explicitly stated and actively worked on. A mentor or coach can be useful to keep you on track.
The interesting question I am pondering at present is – should 360 degree feedback be anonymous or not? There are arguments for both: Anonymous
Allows people to express their feelings without fear of reprisal
Can help focus on the issues rather than the people Identified
Allows for follow up if comments are not understood
Encourages people to be accountable for their comments
Should surveys have room for a comment at all?
Do people speak out more if they can do so in focus groups?
If you have thoughts about this please fill in a short googledocs survey. I’ll share the results in a couple of weeks.
