When you add people into the mix things get messy. Isn't it a darn shame that 'those others' ruin our well designed plans, forget to follow policies and don't tow the line?
One of the things that worries me is that we have become so obsessed with measuring things, that we narrow down what we do into small chunks of 'manageboxes'. These boxes allow us to measure something, whether it will have a significant positive impact or not. This mechanistic view holds us back at the very time in the history of the world when different thinking is needed.
In his latest presentation, Sir Ken Robinson talks about 'The Element', which he describes as when natural talent meets a passion. This is made up of ability, aptititude and attitude.
Linear leadership does not develop 'The Element.' It simply shuts people down without considering the many talents they may bring to their organisation. We should instead work on an organic or ecological metaphor, one which understands that things evolve over time, take complex roads, weave back on each other...in other words they get messy.
When I wrote Keeping the Fleas Motivated several years ago I suggested that organisations must have those who think differently, who challenge the status quo, who are what Seth Godin refers to as heretics. I love his quote, in Tribes: " Life's too short to hate what you do all day. Life's way too short to make mediocre stuff. And almost everything that is standard is now viewed as mediocre."
In difficult economic times it is easy to pull back to linear thinking, when what is needed is systems thinking. We are all responsible for moving our organisations forward. To do this we need thinkers of all types, working together and being prepared to make mistakes. Look for the possibilities and ways of producing an environment which is personal rather than standardised. Otherwise mediocrity will prevail.
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Great Teachers need great leadership
My last entry mentioned building teacher excellence. And this week a TEDTalk by Bill Gates talked exactly about that! You can check out what he says through the TED Fellows 2009 blog
What Bill Gates is talking about is how important great teachers are. As he says in his Annual Letter on US Education 2009 "it is actually more important to get him [the student] assigned to a great teacher than to a great school." It is the role of schools and school leaders to develop good teachers and that is why we should be focussing on really supporting schools - financially and through strong professional learning. He emphasises the importance of building a strong school culture, of having high expectations of staff and students and providing challenging work. The schools that are making the biggest difference are those that focus on supporting teachers to be effective in the classroom. And that is the role of leadership. He comments:
Technology, the easy access of information and the greater ability to collaborate have helped leaders and teachers to learn from each other and to teach in creative ways. This networked environment is crucial in moving schools forward...in order to move teachers forward. It is interesting to note, in the NZ context, that the Ministry of Education seem to be placing less emphasis on the use of technology or the future focus of student needs. Currently teachers are provided with laptops and free license agreements to use key software. If the NZ Ministry of Education, as is rumoured, withdraws these supports we will be taking a step into the dark ages and the whole idea of preparing students for the future will have another barrier put in its way. What does that say about building our position in world leadership?
And if you want to see Bill Gates TEDTalk - here it is hot off the press!
What Bill Gates is talking about is how important great teachers are. As he says in his Annual Letter on US Education 2009 "it is actually more important to get him [the student] assigned to a great teacher than to a great school." It is the role of schools and school leaders to develop good teachers and that is why we should be focussing on really supporting schools - financially and through strong professional learning. He emphasises the importance of building a strong school culture, of having high expectations of staff and students and providing challenging work. The schools that are making the biggest difference are those that focus on supporting teachers to be effective in the classroom. And that is the role of leadership. He comments:
...we believe improving education is the key to retaining our position of world leadership in all areas, including starting great businesses and doing innovative research.In other words education is fundamentally important, especially as we move through difficult times. We must replicate what works best (which implies a need to analyse what does work best first!), and find innovative ways of leading staff in their own learning. Bureaucratic rules that get in the way of effective teaching need to be removed. Compliance deadens creativity. Even unions can get in the way of change. And poor principal development can stymy the growth of powerful learning communities.
Technology, the easy access of information and the greater ability to collaborate have helped leaders and teachers to learn from each other and to teach in creative ways. This networked environment is crucial in moving schools forward...in order to move teachers forward. It is interesting to note, in the NZ context, that the Ministry of Education seem to be placing less emphasis on the use of technology or the future focus of student needs. Currently teachers are provided with laptops and free license agreements to use key software. If the NZ Ministry of Education, as is rumoured, withdraws these supports we will be taking a step into the dark ages and the whole idea of preparing students for the future will have another barrier put in its way. What does that say about building our position in world leadership?
And if you want to see Bill Gates TEDTalk - here it is hot off the press!
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
How should high performing teachers be recognised?
We have some great teachers in schools, but let's face it we also have some mediocre ones. So how should teachers be 'rewarded' for excellence and what would 'excellence' look like?
Many companies have a component of their salary that is 'at risk', depending on performance. My experience with this is that it doesn't necessarily make a difference to performance and indicators are often inexact and based on linear thinking. Even companies that focus on a quadruple bottom line fdo not always identify what makes a difference. Internationally, organisations have typically bowed to CEOs by supporting large bonuses for dubious success. This has led to a breed of business executives who are greedy, self serving and sometimes dishonest. Is this the model we would want in our schools? Do we want individuals to focus on the team or on themselves? It is an interesting debate and one that I do not have an answer for.
There is no doubt however, that we need to manage talent more powerfully in order to maintain the great teacher leaders in the profession. I recently conducted a survey on twtpoll asking how great teachers should be recognised. Although the sample is small it makes for interesting reading.
People do want recognition. They do need to feel valued by the organisation and to feel that they are listened to. With an increasingly diverse workforce employers do need to be more flexible, be open to different work combinations and provide for the ongoing learning of staff. If principals, and other organisational leaders, don't get this right they may find themselves with disengaged staff or those whose performance is questionable. In difficult times it is even more important that we keep our staff growing and building their skills.
Some schools would say they need to focus on the development of the team more than the individual and I do support the need to build a strong professional learning community. As well though (not instead of), schools need to think differently about growing staff. Maybe there is more opportunity for staff to be individual contractors and being paid accordingly. Or is it time to work hard to support all teachers to be of an exceptional standard? And to suggest that some teachers might be better suited to other occupations? In my book teachers are role models who make a difference to students - either positively or negatively - and all teachers need to be competent leaders of themselves and others. Principals must provide strong professional learning opportunities, confront poor performance and develop leadership in others. Or get out of the way of the future.
Many companies have a component of their salary that is 'at risk', depending on performance. My experience with this is that it doesn't necessarily make a difference to performance and indicators are often inexact and based on linear thinking. Even companies that focus on a quadruple bottom line fdo not always identify what makes a difference. Internationally, organisations have typically bowed to CEOs by supporting large bonuses for dubious success. This has led to a breed of business executives who are greedy, self serving and sometimes dishonest. Is this the model we would want in our schools? Do we want individuals to focus on the team or on themselves? It is an interesting debate and one that I do not have an answer for.
There is no doubt however, that we need to manage talent more powerfully in order to maintain the great teacher leaders in the profession. I recently conducted a survey on twtpoll asking how great teachers should be recognised. Although the sample is small it makes for interesting reading.
People do want recognition. They do need to feel valued by the organisation and to feel that they are listened to. With an increasingly diverse workforce employers do need to be more flexible, be open to different work combinations and provide for the ongoing learning of staff. If principals, and other organisational leaders, don't get this right they may find themselves with disengaged staff or those whose performance is questionable. In difficult times it is even more important that we keep our staff growing and building their skills.
Some schools would say they need to focus on the development of the team more than the individual and I do support the need to build a strong professional learning community. As well though (not instead of), schools need to think differently about growing staff. Maybe there is more opportunity for staff to be individual contractors and being paid accordingly. Or is it time to work hard to support all teachers to be of an exceptional standard? And to suggest that some teachers might be better suited to other occupations? In my book teachers are role models who make a difference to students - either positively or negatively - and all teachers need to be competent leaders of themselves and others. Principals must provide strong professional learning opportunities, confront poor performance and develop leadership in others. Or get out of the way of the future.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Networked Leaders
Educators often say to me that they don't have time to read, research or keep up to date with new ideas. They are too busy doing stuff!!
I recently came across this video on connectivism, created by Wendy Drexler. The video shows the power of connections and how the development of networks can help find information more quickly and effectively. This is not just needed for teachers but also for educational leaders. As leaders it is worth taking the time to develop these skills in ourselves, knowing that by doing so we will save time in the long run. It is a bit like the story of the person so busy pulling people out of the river that he doesn't have time to go upstream and see why people are falling in the river in the first place.
Leaders must be knowledgeable - in research as well as practice. Michael Fullan talks of the need for school principals to move back to instructional (pedagogical) leadership, spending less time on the bricks and mortar and more on student learning. For this to happen leaders need time. Some would argue that the system works against having this time and to some extent this is true. However, there are principals who do find the time - because they realise the vital importance of preparing the learning beds - getting the soil right and planting the most important crops. Just as, in the video, a good teacher makes connections to help students develop skills, so do educational leaders.
In his latest book Visible Learning, John Hattie synthesises over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Educational leaders can use this summary to determine what they may need to work on next in their school. If school leaders are to spend time on instructional matters they should focus on what matters. Some of the key ideas from the article include the importance of feedback, challenge and relationships. His model of Visible Teaching-Visible Learning is this:
When teachers SEE learning through the eyes of the student
When students SEE themselves as their own teachers
(Hattie, 2009:238)
So to bring it back to connectivism and using networks to find out information quickly, here are some links to Hattie's new ideas:
Sunday News article on Hattie's thinking, including his thoughts on rewarding excellent teachers
Twitter Poll asking the question How should great teachers be recognised? What do you think?
As a leader, what connections will you make? How will you get more information, share and connect with others?
John Hattie's book can be purchased through fishpond (see the link on this blog)
I recently came across this video on connectivism, created by Wendy Drexler. The video shows the power of connections and how the development of networks can help find information more quickly and effectively. This is not just needed for teachers but also for educational leaders. As leaders it is worth taking the time to develop these skills in ourselves, knowing that by doing so we will save time in the long run. It is a bit like the story of the person so busy pulling people out of the river that he doesn't have time to go upstream and see why people are falling in the river in the first place.
Leaders must be knowledgeable - in research as well as practice. Michael Fullan talks of the need for school principals to move back to instructional (pedagogical) leadership, spending less time on the bricks and mortar and more on student learning. For this to happen leaders need time. Some would argue that the system works against having this time and to some extent this is true. However, there are principals who do find the time - because they realise the vital importance of preparing the learning beds - getting the soil right and planting the most important crops. Just as, in the video, a good teacher makes connections to help students develop skills, so do educational leaders.
In his latest book Visible Learning, John Hattie synthesises over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Educational leaders can use this summary to determine what they may need to work on next in their school. If school leaders are to spend time on instructional matters they should focus on what matters. Some of the key ideas from the article include the importance of feedback, challenge and relationships. His model of Visible Teaching-Visible Learning is this:
When teachers SEE learning through the eyes of the student
When students SEE themselves as their own teachers
(Hattie, 2009:238)
So to bring it back to connectivism and using networks to find out information quickly, here are some links to Hattie's new ideas:
Sunday News article on Hattie's thinking, including his thoughts on rewarding excellent teachers
Twitter Poll asking the question How should great teachers be recognised? What do you think?
As a leader, what connections will you make? How will you get more information, share and connect with others?
John Hattie's book can be purchased through fishpond (see the link on this blog)
Friday, 28 November 2008
How leaders should behave in web 2.0
Social networking is pervasive and leading a change in the way we do things...have you noticed? Each morning I check my twitters to see what new ideas I can use in my leadership and connect up with my various social networking sites to see who is doing what. I am able to build loose/tight networks as never before. And with this go a number of responsibilities:
I am online often and I have to be able to control myself!! I need to be able to manage my time, explore and research, decide what is appropriate, and make sense of the world. If I can do it so can you. So can students in our schools. So can government departments. Blockers, knockers and mockers - make way for the rest of us!
- to be ethical in what I share about and with people;
- to only share what I want to have known about myself;
- to avoid spamming others with advertising and ongoing campaigns; and
- to be honest and authentic in what I say.
I am online often and I have to be able to control myself!! I need to be able to manage my time, explore and research, decide what is appropriate, and make sense of the world. If I can do it so can you. So can students in our schools. So can government departments. Blockers, knockers and mockers - make way for the rest of us!
Monday, 24 November 2008
You're a Leader - Lead!
Several months ago I spoke at the ULearn Conference on the importance of leadership. This was in response to some thinking about the nature of leadership and the ways in which we model managing ourselves and relating to others. I asked the audience to consider which of the following they thought were 'good' - that is at least average - parliamentarians, early childhood centres, schools and teachers' colleges. It came as no surprise that parliamentarians averaged 40%. Teachers' colleges fared slightly better, then schools, then early childhood centres. The next question was if x% of these schools are good...what percentage are great? The figure was not great!! If we look at this in terms of within school variance we can see that there can be significant differences in the education received by students in the same school. As a leader I want every teacher to be great for every child. It may sound impossible but why would leaders strive for anything less. If it was your child or grandchild in a class with a mediocre teacher would you think that was okay?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming teachers. Leaders have a responsibility for creating strong relationships that build capacity of staff and students. One of my mentors, Wilf Jarvis, puts it like this, "Leaders are distinguished by their skills in transforming hidden potential in children, pupils and colleagues in demonstrated capacities." - Wilf Jarvis, 4QL program, 1998.
If you want to listen to the podcast of my presentation, to hear some ways in which you can develop your leadership click on the link below.
Cheryl Doig's Spotlight at Ulearn08
Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming teachers. Leaders have a responsibility for creating strong relationships that build capacity of staff and students. One of my mentors, Wilf Jarvis, puts it like this, "Leaders are distinguished by their skills in transforming hidden potential in children, pupils and colleagues in demonstrated capacities." - Wilf Jarvis, 4QL program, 1998.
If you want to listen to the podcast of my presentation, to hear some ways in which you can develop your leadership click on the link below.
Cheryl Doig's Spotlight at Ulearn08
Thursday, 6 November 2008
AND-BOTH
The whole notion of 'and - both' is one which I find intriguing. So many people worry about there being a right answer and trying to solve problems as if there is always a solution. Organisations, and people, are complex. We need to become comfortable with paradox and with polarity. Recently I came across a Teacher Tube summary of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind". I have read this book a number of times and I like what it has to say. Pink understands that we need 'and-both'. It is not a move from one thing to another, but a realisation that holonomy is important - parts AND wholes. As a leader I ponder on this...
Here are some of the things I ponder:
Why do we still structure so many businesses in a linear fashion rather than as networks?
How can we support educators to be flexible, fast moving and 'whole-minded'?
Do leaders need to be designers? If so, of what? How?
What is emotionally compelling to different individuals and groups?
How could we develop leaders to be whole minded?
What parts of our education systems should we outsource to focus on what is really important?
Have a look at the Teacher Tube summary and see what you think. What do you think we need in order to thrive?
Daniel Pink's a whole new mind
Here are some of the things I ponder:
Why do we still structure so many businesses in a linear fashion rather than as networks?
How can we support educators to be flexible, fast moving and 'whole-minded'?
Do leaders need to be designers? If so, of what? How?
What is emotionally compelling to different individuals and groups?
How could we develop leaders to be whole minded?
What parts of our education systems should we outsource to focus on what is really important?
Have a look at the Teacher Tube summary and see what you think. What do you think we need in order to thrive?
Daniel Pink's a whole new mind
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Leaders for Future Schooling
The ULearn conference highlighted the need for our schools to change and showcased many schools and clusters that are using information communication technologies to progress this.The following short video describes how school leaders need to develop the adult learners in their communities. This is the challenge for 21st century leaders. How can we be effective leaders of change through others rather than as the expert in all things...
This video is one of many appearing on EdTalks - a new site featuring short video clips for educators. Check it out at http://edtalks.org/ You can subscribe to these via itunes too!
This video is one of many appearing on EdTalks - a new site featuring short video clips for educators. Check it out at http://edtalks.org/ You can subscribe to these via itunes too!
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Diversity
Yes - diversity is a buzz word right now. But it is also of major significance as we move forward to become global leader. In his blog, Jim Kouzes talks about global leadership in terms of thinking beyond your culture and being open to many ways of doing things. "In brief, it's getting out of yourself!"
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel overseas for three months. That time certainly helped me reflect on my role as a global citizen and to think widely, see others' viewpoints and reflect before acting. A friend of mine talks about considering all the possibilities before even beginning to narrow down ideas. This is not only about understanding other people's viewpoints but actively visualising diverse stakeholders as real people - giving them a name and an avatar and getting into their way of thinking.
Not everyone is able to travel but there are other ways of getting out of yourself. One way is to spend time in your own town or city, observing what is around you. Take time to meet people from all walks of life...talk to taxi drivers....try some different activities...act as a tourist for a day. Spend time in your clients' environments to see what it is really like for them.
Another example of thinking beyond is using the internet to keep up to date with trends and ideas. Find some blogs or websites you really enjoy and visit them regularly, or sign up to an rss feed if they have one. The web 2.0 environment expects you to be an active participant so go to it! Challenge yourself to find diverse material, including that which really challenges your thinking or provides a different viewpoint from your own.
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel overseas for three months. That time certainly helped me reflect on my role as a global citizen and to think widely, see others' viewpoints and reflect before acting. A friend of mine talks about considering all the possibilities before even beginning to narrow down ideas. This is not only about understanding other people's viewpoints but actively visualising diverse stakeholders as real people - giving them a name and an avatar and getting into their way of thinking.
Not everyone is able to travel but there are other ways of getting out of yourself. One way is to spend time in your own town or city, observing what is around you. Take time to meet people from all walks of life...talk to taxi drivers....try some different activities...act as a tourist for a day. Spend time in your clients' environments to see what it is really like for them.
Another example of thinking beyond is using the internet to keep up to date with trends and ideas. Find some blogs or websites you really enjoy and visit them regularly, or sign up to an rss feed if they have one. The web 2.0 environment expects you to be an active participant so go to it! Challenge yourself to find diverse material, including that which really challenges your thinking or provides a different viewpoint from your own.
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