One of the first rules of writing is to know your audience. I know you. What I don't know is how many of you read our other print medium designed to keep you abreast of all things TLA. I refer, of course, to the monthly newsletter. If you are a regular reader of the newsletter, you will not be surprised by this week's blog.
I have just finished two days of face-to-face training with principals from across the state launching Distinguished Leadership in Practice at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh. As I previously wrote in our newsletter, DLP is a new model of principal development sponsored by the NC Department of Public Instruction and UNC Learn NC, and produced by NC Principals and Assistant Principals Association. Populated by 40 experienced principals endorsed by their superintendents to be in the first cohort of the yearlong program, DLP uses a blended-learning design incorporating traditional face-to-face sessions and online instruction using Learn NC's platform and technical assistants.
As for my role, I am honored to partner with education leader notables Kermit Buckner, Stephen Greene, Muriel Summers, Tom Williams, and Shirley Prince to develop and deliver the curriculum. Shirley, our team leader and NCPAPA executive director, is ably assisted, as are we all, by associate executive director, Emily Doyle. Adria Kempner of Learn NC is our expert and amazingly patient online curriculum development coordinator. Producers from UNC-TV will eventually help us by shooting footage of outstanding NC principals doing what they do as it applies to various components we develop. Working behind the scenes now for the better part of a year, we have created a committed, cohesive team ready to contribute to school improvement across the state. And we learn more everytime we meet.
One way we intend for school improvement to happen is by localizing and supporting principal learning in each of the eight education regions. Triangle districts are primarily in Region 2. Principals like Jason Johnson, Deshera Mack, Matt Wight, and Sylvia Wilkins, all participants in the first cohort, are poised to take on leadership responsibilities by convening other Region 2 principals to dive deeper into the leadership curriculum. As a matter of fact, the accomplished principals of the first cohort, having had only a little better than an even chance of getting into the program as it turned out, are helping co-design the curriculum by providing feedback on content and processes.
Here is where we are going: Building from the new NC Standards for School Executives, each of the six face-to-face sessions and five-six week intervening online course, focuses on one of more of the standards and on improving skills and competencies leading to designation as "Distinguished" on the new principal evaluation instrument. Some of you might know that Joe Peel and I, working in the heat of the summer of 2005, sythesized the extant research on school-leader effectiveness as a framework for our own regional leadership academy curriculum. Little could we have predicted that the NC State Board of Education would eventually adopt our framework as the standard for the entire state. I'm still pinching myself.
In any event, we are off to the races. You may be interested to know that all of what we are creating will be available for use by TLA schools and districts. It is an exciting opportunity to partner that only increases TLA capacity without increasing our costs. Now that's a win-win!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Action Learning Redux
I think they call it a "cliff-hanger." You know. What I did last week. By way of review, I wrote then my wish that you all could have been part of my 3-hour experience with a diverse group of professionals training to be "action learning coaches" who, under the tutelage of a master coach, attempted to re-define and solve my organizational "problem" while attaining from me a long-term commitment to action. What I failed to tell you was anything about the content of my coaching session. Let me resolve the tension.
It should surprise no one that my "problem" was how to sustain TLA in a perfect storm of financial crisis, leader churn, and community uproar. Following my 3-minute problem statement, a coach seeking a deeper cut at who we are and what we do asked me for my 30-second elevator speech. I finished with 8 seconds to spare. Here's what I told him:
"TLA is a unique leadership consultancy serving public school districts, created by a public-private joint venture agreement, and staffed by employees of the districts and supporting local education fund. Using member-district fees and in-kind contributions, its purpose is to build leadership capacity at every level, classroom to boardroom, central office to corner office. TLA's service region is comprised of the most affluent, best-educated workforce in North Carolina. It was created by the corporate leaders who have invested in the workforce and customer base in and around Research Triangle Park and the superintendents that serve the families of those employees and customers. Understanding the power of leadership, business shares skin in the game with education so that the entire region benefits from high-performing leaders and schools. To that end, TLA deploys over 1,200 hours of training, provides upon-request facilitation, designs coaching and mentoring programs for school administrators, and consults with district senior leaders to improve programs of leadership development and succession planning."
The next question was quite powerful: "How many of your stakeholders do you think could say what you just said?" I was asked. "I am not sure," I said. Could you have said what I just wrote?
When it came time for each coach to weigh in on what they perceived my "real problem" to be, their responses included: "building credibility of TLA among its stakeholders," "lack of a conduit for dollars," "lack of a written plan for professional development," "lack of predictable success," and "uncertainty of funding and influence." Although everybody initially had a different piece of the elephant, the consensus was close to the last observation: TLA has a funding problem linked to an appropriate influence strategy.
So what strategies for sustaining TLA did my coaches suggest? Their responses included: "change the infrastructure to get necessary dollars," "increase influence over the Executive Committee," " build partnerships with additional businesses," "tell the TLA story far and wide and be sure to ask for what you need," "translate what TLA success means for the business community," "ask TLA users to share stories about the power of its service," "galvanize teachers to address the need for TLA," and "investigate the legal structure of TLA to make it able to support itself." Good ideas all.
Since my coaching session, I have talked once with action-learning program sponsor, Chuck Appleby, who asked how things went for me during the session, what worked, what would have been even better. It was no problem for me to say. What I am still processing, however, is commitments to make, including what to ask of whom. I don't mind asking. I just want to be sure we all want the same thing.
It should surprise no one that my "problem" was how to sustain TLA in a perfect storm of financial crisis, leader churn, and community uproar. Following my 3-minute problem statement, a coach seeking a deeper cut at who we are and what we do asked me for my 30-second elevator speech. I finished with 8 seconds to spare. Here's what I told him:
"TLA is a unique leadership consultancy serving public school districts, created by a public-private joint venture agreement, and staffed by employees of the districts and supporting local education fund. Using member-district fees and in-kind contributions, its purpose is to build leadership capacity at every level, classroom to boardroom, central office to corner office. TLA's service region is comprised of the most affluent, best-educated workforce in North Carolina. It was created by the corporate leaders who have invested in the workforce and customer base in and around Research Triangle Park and the superintendents that serve the families of those employees and customers. Understanding the power of leadership, business shares skin in the game with education so that the entire region benefits from high-performing leaders and schools. To that end, TLA deploys over 1,200 hours of training, provides upon-request facilitation, designs coaching and mentoring programs for school administrators, and consults with district senior leaders to improve programs of leadership development and succession planning."
The next question was quite powerful: "How many of your stakeholders do you think could say what you just said?" I was asked. "I am not sure," I said. Could you have said what I just wrote?
When it came time for each coach to weigh in on what they perceived my "real problem" to be, their responses included: "building credibility of TLA among its stakeholders," "lack of a conduit for dollars," "lack of a written plan for professional development," "lack of predictable success," and "uncertainty of funding and influence." Although everybody initially had a different piece of the elephant, the consensus was close to the last observation: TLA has a funding problem linked to an appropriate influence strategy.
So what strategies for sustaining TLA did my coaches suggest? Their responses included: "change the infrastructure to get necessary dollars," "increase influence over the Executive Committee," " build partnerships with additional businesses," "tell the TLA story far and wide and be sure to ask for what you need," "translate what TLA success means for the business community," "ask TLA users to share stories about the power of its service," "galvanize teachers to address the need for TLA," and "investigate the legal structure of TLA to make it able to support itself." Good ideas all.
Since my coaching session, I have talked once with action-learning program sponsor, Chuck Appleby, who asked how things went for me during the session, what worked, what would have been even better. It was no problem for me to say. What I am still processing, however, is commitments to make, including what to ask of whom. I don't mind asking. I just want to be sure we all want the same thing.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Power of Crowdsourcing
I had the most amazing experience yesterday. I wish you all could have been there. I'll wager that there is not one of you who would not benefit from a similar experience. Here's what happened: For three full hours I was provided the opportunity to present to nine coaches-in-training an organizational problem about which I was asked clarifying questions, provided a consensual take on the "real" problem, and offered solutions. It ended with my commitment to take action based on shared understandings. You are reading Commitment Number One right now. But let me start from the beginning.
A couple of weeks ago, friend and TLA consultant MJ Hall, introduced me to Chuck Appleby out of Vienna, Virginia. Chuck trains organizational and leadership developers in a methodology called "action learning." He finds organizational leaders like me who agree to be "problem owners." Under Chuck's expert guidance and usually by telephone or Skype, action learning students convene to practice. For the "problem owner," it's not unlike going to the barber college for a haircut, I suppose. But believe me, I got a heckofa good-looking haircut and paid nothing for it.
Chuck likens action learning to a Quaker tradition. He told me that when someone in the Quaker community has a problem, he may request an audience with a "clearness committee" Once convened, an officiating clerk sets out the ground rules: The problem owner may speak for no more than three minutes after which the only permissible time to speak is in response to a question; committee members may pose clarifying questions; members are encouraged to pose questions of each other; members come to agreement on the problem and ask the owner to reflect; members reflect on how the owner might address his problem, continuing to check in with the him until an agreement to act is reached. One hallmark of a quality session, I was told, is the amount of time spent in silence. Oh, could we learn a thing or two about practicing silence!
In action learning, educators will recognize elements of Critical Friends Group protocols and the like. Part of what made my experience so valuable, however, is missing when teams of like-subject or same-school teachers conduct these protocols--diversity. Attending my problem were for-profit business owners, nonprofit organization leaders, independent consultants, and employees of the federal government, including individuals from the US Geological Survey and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences provided me with exactly what I needed. Living inside your own head is bad but talking to other people just like you can be worse. We've got to find better ways to get different voices, especially those we do not wish to hear, at our table.
About my experience yesterday, I am sure you want to learn the details of my shared problem, my coaches' proposed solutions, and my commitments to action. Alas, we have come the end of this Friday's blog. I'll take up next week where I have left off. But as Chris Matthews says, "let me finish" with this: The power of crowdsourcing that we are learning from Web 2.0 tools like Wikipedia is huge, it's real, and in keeping with this blog, it builds future-ready leaders now. When appropriate protocols are employed by people of good will and common purpose, there truly is wisdom in crowds. More to follow.
A couple of weeks ago, friend and TLA consultant MJ Hall, introduced me to Chuck Appleby out of Vienna, Virginia. Chuck trains organizational and leadership developers in a methodology called "action learning." He finds organizational leaders like me who agree to be "problem owners." Under Chuck's expert guidance and usually by telephone or Skype, action learning students convene to practice. For the "problem owner," it's not unlike going to the barber college for a haircut, I suppose. But believe me, I got a heckofa good-looking haircut and paid nothing for it.
Chuck likens action learning to a Quaker tradition. He told me that when someone in the Quaker community has a problem, he may request an audience with a "clearness committee" Once convened, an officiating clerk sets out the ground rules: The problem owner may speak for no more than three minutes after which the only permissible time to speak is in response to a question; committee members may pose clarifying questions; members are encouraged to pose questions of each other; members come to agreement on the problem and ask the owner to reflect; members reflect on how the owner might address his problem, continuing to check in with the him until an agreement to act is reached. One hallmark of a quality session, I was told, is the amount of time spent in silence. Oh, could we learn a thing or two about practicing silence!
In action learning, educators will recognize elements of Critical Friends Group protocols and the like. Part of what made my experience so valuable, however, is missing when teams of like-subject or same-school teachers conduct these protocols--diversity. Attending my problem were for-profit business owners, nonprofit organization leaders, independent consultants, and employees of the federal government, including individuals from the US Geological Survey and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences provided me with exactly what I needed. Living inside your own head is bad but talking to other people just like you can be worse. We've got to find better ways to get different voices, especially those we do not wish to hear, at our table.
About my experience yesterday, I am sure you want to learn the details of my shared problem, my coaches' proposed solutions, and my commitments to action. Alas, we have come the end of this Friday's blog. I'll take up next week where I have left off. But as Chris Matthews says, "let me finish" with this: The power of crowdsourcing that we are learning from Web 2.0 tools like Wikipedia is huge, it's real, and in keeping with this blog, it builds future-ready leaders now. When appropriate protocols are employed by people of good will and common purpose, there truly is wisdom in crowds. More to follow.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Principals On My Mind
I set a goal for myself earlier this year to visit each of our four facilitated School Leader Networks at least once. Two down, two to go. Truth be told, I'd love to go a lot more often but I am reluctant to insert myself into the private, professional space these colleagial networks have created for themselves.
What kinds of things are these school leaders doing when they meet, you ask. I can say with certainty that, although an evening meal at a decent restaurant is involved in these monthly meetings, there is a lot more talking than eating going on. The meal, I think, only serves as an excuse for being with each other. My conclusion was born out last year when our budget forced us to stop paying for their meals and principals had to pick up their own tab. Guess how many principals stopped coming? Zero.
No, what is happening is peer-to-peer learning, the most powerful professional development on earth. Our trained facilitators (and in no particular order), Muriel Summers, Jesse Dingle, Sherron Leplin, Terry Rogers, Lynn Williams, Wiladean Thomas, Denise Tillery, and David Ansbacher--themselves current or recent principals--lead conversation around shared problems of practice. I've never sat in on the deliberations of a team of medical or legal experts readying itself for action but I can imagine that what they might do is not unlike what our principals engage in. And in the four years TLA has sponsored them, they are getting better and better at it.
Here's what I've seen at meetings I've attended so far: Everyone at the table takes a turn checking in emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and of course physically; professional readings are discussed; current school issues are shared; how-to knowledge is swapped; poems are read; music is listened to. The hunger for affiliation among these people performing a job sometimes so difficult it could make angels cry is palpable.
To my everliving shame and after all this time, we are finally getting around to presenting these principals and their facilitators a certificate at their district-wide principals meeting this month. I've signed them, facilitators have signed them, and superintendents have signed them. Our acknowledgment seems so inadequate a reward for these dedicated professionals. Maybe that's why I've waited so long. If you see one of our facilitators, thank him or her and ask that they thank their network principals on behalf of us.
What kinds of things are these school leaders doing when they meet, you ask. I can say with certainty that, although an evening meal at a decent restaurant is involved in these monthly meetings, there is a lot more talking than eating going on. The meal, I think, only serves as an excuse for being with each other. My conclusion was born out last year when our budget forced us to stop paying for their meals and principals had to pick up their own tab. Guess how many principals stopped coming? Zero.
No, what is happening is peer-to-peer learning, the most powerful professional development on earth. Our trained facilitators (and in no particular order), Muriel Summers, Jesse Dingle, Sherron Leplin, Terry Rogers, Lynn Williams, Wiladean Thomas, Denise Tillery, and David Ansbacher--themselves current or recent principals--lead conversation around shared problems of practice. I've never sat in on the deliberations of a team of medical or legal experts readying itself for action but I can imagine that what they might do is not unlike what our principals engage in. And in the four years TLA has sponsored them, they are getting better and better at it.
Here's what I've seen at meetings I've attended so far: Everyone at the table takes a turn checking in emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and of course physically; professional readings are discussed; current school issues are shared; how-to knowledge is swapped; poems are read; music is listened to. The hunger for affiliation among these people performing a job sometimes so difficult it could make angels cry is palpable.
To my everliving shame and after all this time, we are finally getting around to presenting these principals and their facilitators a certificate at their district-wide principals meeting this month. I've signed them, facilitators have signed them, and superintendents have signed them. Our acknowledgment seems so inadequate a reward for these dedicated professionals. Maybe that's why I've waited so long. If you see one of our facilitators, thank him or her and ask that they thank their network principals on behalf of us.
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