I’m part of a team working on a two day workshop called Building Future Focussed Schools. It’s a pretty challenging topic and it has me thinking about the whole notion of how leaders can grow the conditions for change to occur. We seem to be so focused on conformity that we are in danger of choking in blah. So how can we move beyond this? Four ideas came to mind as a starting point.
Team work is not enough. We must question and challenge our own thinking and that of others. When ‘group think’ occurs there will be no forward momentum – “We’re okay as we are! In fact we’re really good so why change?” While organisational coherence is necessary, so is creative tension and challenge. “Challenge is the crucible for greatness” – Kouzes & Posner. Over-consultation stymies creation. I’m a fan of involving people to gain deep commitment, and of listening to people’s needs. At the same time I worry that ideas generated from consultation sometimes focus only on the past and present; without building in ways to explore possibilities and to ask “What if…?”. There is the famous quote from Henry Ford “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” If we spend too much time in consultation we slow things down, reduce clarity and conform to the average. Courage is needed.We live in times where we are pulled back to standards, quality assurance and risk aversiveness. Moving beyond this takes leaders who are strong in their beliefs about learning, have a dream of what could be and can intelligently advocate their position. Courageous leadership is not about the position we hold in the organisation and doesn’t make excuses that those ‘above’ require conformity. “The greater the darkness, the more brightly the candle glows.” Learning will happen if we get out of the way. Most schools of today are over-structured and over controlled. What would happen if educators stepped back and let students do more for themselves? Allow them to be expert learners and teach the adults – it’s a reciprocal arrangement that acknowledges the expert knowledge of the teacher. It also acknowledges that students can create their own learning when they engage, collaborate and choose.
I was reflecting on this as I watched one of the latest TEDTalks from Sugata Mitra, on The Child-driven Education. His work in putting computers into holes in the walls of buildings in Indian villages has had profound results. His latest work goes well beyond this. He has come to understand that children will learn to do what they want to learn to do. Sugata talks about the way in which the learning happened without intervention from the outside. When the students asked him “How do we do that?” his answer was ” I don’t know that actually…” and he left them to it. They worked together to move their learning forward.
Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education
While I’m not yet convinced of the depth of the learning shown in the TEDTalk what I am sure of is that a new idea was tried and has had amazing results. Sugata Mitra didn’t conform to the tried and true. He had an idea and went with it. If we are aiming for future focussed schools perhaps one of the key understandings is to look outside the current realities and explore the possibilities, generate some creative tension and take a giant leap.
In my latest online survey I asked the question “What is the biggest challenge for future leaders?” The greatest number of answers were based around the idea of low expectations, relationships and issues to do with people. That was not a surprise since it is the complexity of working with people that is tricky. I was particularly interested in the idea of ‘low expectations’ and what this might possibly mean. I’m wondering whether leaders need to confront issues rather than hoping that the problem will go away and whether leaders need to understand the importance of personal learning conversations. This is about building organisational culture so that people engage in dialogue and discussion that is robust and focused on driving the organisation forward. This implies that leaders have a clear focus on what is important, why it is important and how people might be expected to behave.
Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky (2009) describe adaptive leadership as the practice of mobilising people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. I think this is the way to go. Adaptive leadership is needed for the growth of individuals and organisations. Perhaps, to avoid low expectations, future leadership involves:
looking for those things that should be preserved and having courage to abandon the expendable;
accepting that conflict is a necessary part of the organisation and can be productive;
creating a culture of courageous conversations;
acknowledging the importance of collaboration, networks and global connections; and
building the capabilities of others to lead in adaptive ways.
This quote from Egon Zehnder (2000) reminds us that future leaders will need to be flexible, future focused and capable of thinking in new ways. “Stability is a liability, not an asset in today’s world. Each new view of the horizon is a glance through a different turn of the kaleidoscope.”
I’m going to leave the survey open for a few more days so take a few minutes to contribute here. And join the conversation about what the biggest challenge for future leaders will be. Do you agree that it is low expectations and if so what do you interpret this to mean?
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.
These books are ones that Think Beyond recommends for purchase. Click onto the selected book for more information.
This book is a must for leaders. Susan Scott builds on her earlier book Fierce Conversations, continuing to provide practical examples in a humorous and candid way, making it clear that accountablity starts with us. I love her criticism of ‘best practice’ and her innovative approaches. A practical and inspiring must read.
Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement, by John Hattie.
This book is a must for any researcher or educator who wants to improve student achievement.
Kouzes and Posner spell out ten truths about leadership, based on years of extensive research. If you believe that leadership makes a difference then this book is a must read. Some of the truths they expand on include: Focusing on the future sets leaders apart; Challenge is the crucible of greatness; and The best leaders are the best learners.
This latest book by Caroyln Downey et al expands on the Three-Minute Walk-Through and the focus on reflective practice. A useful extension of ideas for those educators wanting to think more about their models of learning walks, coaching and inquiry.
David Rock has written a number of good books including Quiet Leadership and Your Brain at Work. In this latest book David Rock and Linda Page explore the role of neuroscience in coaching. Through better understanding the way we think, they argue that we are better able to help others. This book is a useful resource for business leaders as well as coaches and individuals who wish to explore their own thinking.
Seth Godin’s latest book is for those who want to be change makers. Are you prepared to be indispensable? A readable book that encourages you to stop complying with the system and instead draw your own map!
The Brain That Changes Itself taps into the latest research on neuroscience. Each chapter explores the work of a leader in this field, with practical information and stories to illustrate main points. This book is recommended reading for anyone who is interested in finding out more about their own brain; and those involved in teaching, learning, or leadership.
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. Stephen Covey Junior describes the things which drive strong relationships in an organisation, based on high levels of trust. This is foundational reading for any leader wishing to move their organisation forward in ways that are embedded and sustainable. It’s about people.
Think Beyond is about to launch an exciting new leadership program for 2011. This will involve face to face opportunities, online support and webinars. As with all of the work undertaken by Think Beyond, these programs will be underpinned by a strong ethical base, an understanding of the latest leadership research and a focus on leadership for the future. Think Beyond tailors its programs to meet the needs of participants based on expert facilitation. If you want to be part of this program, co-create ideas, or have the first preview of new programs follow cheryldoig on twitter, register for our newsletter or use the contact form to find out more.
Learning Walks
Cheryl’s new ebook is now available for purchase from the ‘STORE‘ link on this website. Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk is an introduction to learning walks as a process for bringing about change in education.
This book is the first in a series, with future ebooks being available in the next few months. The writing of ebooks fits with the Think Beyond philosophy of sustaining resources. Rather than cut down trees, the book can be read online or downloaded as a pdf. It is easily updated, and has the ability to provide interactive resources such as videos and audio.
The Future Learning Walk is based on the process shown in the diagram below. It asks leaders to focus on what is important and to be courageous in leading their learning organisations forward.
Future Learning Walks Process
This first ebook in the series outlines the learning walk process, with each subsequent book providing greater detail of each stage of the process.
