Strategic Leadership and Me!

Strategic Leadership and Me!

One of the greatest skills that I have learned in my teaching career thus far is the skill of self-reflection. Often times, I find myself reflecting on things that have been said and done and I constantly ask myself, “how can I change that for improvement in future situations?” Part of my inspiration in taking my MAEL through TWU was the desire to change my organization. I felt there were areas for potential growth and improvement for team performance. I had exhausted many of my own ideas and began to wonder what else I could do to make a difference.

I have taught for 5 years, and there is still much to learn about my organization, how it is financed, structured and organized. To the best of my knowledge, our human resources is an agreement made between my school division and the Alberta Teacher’s Association, which is governed under the laws of the province of Alberta.  

In my reflections and experience, I have come to learn that human behavior is very unpredictable, especially under times of stress. Gailbrath (2014) makes note of this. “We spend our time trying to understand and predict human behavior… Unfortunately for us, human beings do not lend themselves to that kind of predictability and consistency. It’s tough to make a definitive statement about what a person will say or do in a specific situation.” (Gailbrath, 2014, p. 59). The Alberta Teacher’s Association offers a reflection tool for leaders “The tool should direct the school leader, through reflection, to a deeper understanding of his or her actions, beliefs and assumptions. Reflecting on the kinds and value of data available to support the aforementioned will focus the reflection on tangible results.” (ATA, 2008) The ATA serves as our guide for behaviour and dealing with behaviours in a professional matter. Any staff member is able to contact them for advice and guidance on any subject matter.

The bargaining agreement between the Alberta Teachers Association and my school division, determines our salary, based on years of teaching experience and years of post-secondary education. The Agreement outlines all types of leave, insurance policies and benefits, and terms of contract as well. Our bargaining unit has done an effective job at speaking on behalf of the staff in the division. The current posted agreement expired in 2016, and we have yet to see the new one. Gailbrath (2014) writes, “The HR policies must be aligned to create the behaviors and mind-sets that support reconfigurability.” (Gailbrath, 2014, p. 144).

Our school identifies as a Catholic Elementary within our school division. Our school seeks to foster success in all students in Catholic Education. This is one area that I often wonder how I can change or improve the model within our school division. In my experience, the most Catholic students that I have had in my class in one year is 6/26 students. In other years, the numbers have been lower. This problem poses a threat to our public identity. I wonder if this is a problem that the school and the church need to work together on to try and solve. If I had the ‘chance to change this,’ I would. In Canada, there is a threat to Catholic education. I would like to see this changed as I truly believe in the values taught in our school system.

Our internal culture requires much improvement. As mentioned previously, human behavior is unpredictable and in my experience, at times it can be shocking how some people conduct themselves. I have tried many different techniques in hopes of improving the culture in our organization, however I have not experienced a lot of success. The root of the cultural dysfunction within our organization is our lack of effective communication. There are several examples in which people have held back in communicating because of a feeling of insecurity, a lack of trust and discomfort. There are also examples of things that have been said, but were not delivered in the most professional manner which in turn has caused feelings of insecurity, a lack of trust and discomfort. Lepsinger (2010) tells us that communication is effective “when communication is clear and there is transparency about intent, when people understand what they can expect from the other person and how they will work together, and when the interests of individuals or groups are aligned” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 126). If people experience Lepsingers conditions of effective communication, they will feel more inclined to cooperate and collaborate rather than compete. (Lepsinger, 2010).

In one specific experience, I can recall a time when I found myself reflecting on how the long term staff is viewed in our school. Often, they are not viewed in a positive light. They usually exhibit negative attitudes about policies, procedures and updates in the education system. They view the ‘old’ way as the ‘right’ way and are resistant to change. For the newer staff, this can be draining. For example, I took it upon myself in my first two years to try and start a social committee. After many failed attempts and a lot of heart and soul poured into the cause, I felt hopeless. Personally, I find it takes strength and courage to be patient, and not have resentful feelings towards people on staff with such attitudes. I know that there are many who feel my frustrations as well. The efforts of these staff members are confined to the walls of their classroom, leaving other staff members a much heavier workload in the school. Lepsinger (2010) discusses viewing the staff members as minimal performers, “because you have an impression of the person performing at a certain level, you continue to expect less from him and in return you get less” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 49). Thankfully, Lepsinger (2010) offers a three step process for ‘breaking the cycle” (Lepsinger, 2010 p. 49). “There are three techniques you can use to help see marginal performers in a more positive light and deal with them in a way that sincerely communicates your confidence in their ability to meet higher expectations (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 49). Hopefully, these three steps would improve internal communication and negative views of staff members who exhibit a minimal work ethic. These techniques include, assuming value, whereby the leader gives the person value in listening for the positive things he or she does, focusing on what they do well and offering encouragement to build confidence in that area, and lastly, making the unconscious conscious. In these three steps, the leader will improve the organization by, “enhancing the other person’s feelings of importance and self-worth, encouraging people to step out of their comfort zones, creating a supportive environment that is safe for risk taking, reinforcing positive behaviors and clarifying what “good looks like,” and providing feedback that is balanced and constructive.” (Lepsinger 2010, p. 51).

To further this three step model, I have noticed in our organization that the only staff that is recognized for excellence is the staff that go above and beyond their daily duties. However, I believe that everyone can relate to the famous words, “it’s the little things in life that matter or the little things that count.” Perhaps these little things need to be recognized as well. I spoke with a staff member who was feeling particularly unhappy in our team last year and she told me that she feels like she never gets recognized for her work in the school. Although her work may not be as noticeable as some of the other staff members work, it is still significant, takes time out of her personal life and perhaps she would feel a part of the team if she were recognized. This is also a teacher who operates on a ‘closed door policy’ in that she doesn’t want to share any resources or knowledge with same grade-level teachers or with new staff members. Perhaps if she felt more valued, she would be more willing to share in collaboration and communication. Recognizing people for their hard work is rewarding, builds confidence and encourages future behavior that exceeds our expectations.

It’s Not Always Easy!

One of the challenges faced in our organization is in regards to resources. Our community is a long distance from most resources. In my experience, this poses many challenges. Our community is the largest one in our area and we have many students and families commuting to attend our school. Our classrooms are diverse and often have a wide variety of needs within one classroom. While our vision is, “student success in a catholic community guided by Christ,” It is sometimes difficult for all students to experience success when we cannot off the supports that they need due to a lack of resources. In my experience, the most concerning lack of resources in our community is mental health resources. In extreme cases, families are left with the choice to commute further to access resources, or the students are put into a teacher’s classroom and the teacher is left scrambling to find methods to handle the situation while still fostering success for all.

The best solution to this problem is Lepsingers (2010) three step action plan which involves, “1. Clarify implementation goal and standards. 2. Develop action plan. 3. Minimize risk” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 42). This action plan involves building SMART goals and revisiting them often, accessing all available resources, breaking down tasks and responsibilities, organizing time and resources and the consideration of potential problems that could disrupt the plan. (Lepsinger, 2010).  

What Can I do Now? 3 + 3 + 3= 9

        To promote the positive renewal of my organization, I will outline 3 things that I currently do, 3 things that I need to improve and 3 things that I can do towards making the necessary improvements.

3 things I currently do to promote positive renewal:

•         Set goals. I set weekly and monthly SMART goals for myself that can be seen in my day planner. Although I am still working at following through with all goals, it is a tool that will help me to better organize and prioritize my time. Lepsinger (2010) writes, “these guidelines are an excellent way to ensure that the goals you establish are clear and high quality and that they motivate people to step up to the challenge” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 53).
•         Clarify goals and expectations. Lepsinger (2010) writes that we can do this by “creating a supportive environment that is safe for risk taking, reinforcing positive behaviors and clarifying what “good looks like” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 51). The expectations are outlined clearly and students are given rewards for following or exceeding expectations. Outside of my classroom, I do this on different committees by setting an example for others to follow, treating people with respect and kindness and offering help wherever possible.
•         Hold myself accountable. I do this by meeting deadlines, helping others and making sure that I am completing tasks to the best of my ability. “Increased accountability also seems to enhance team performance. Team members who are held accountable rely on each other more, experience more success, and express more satisfaction with the members of their teams than those who are not held accountable.” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 61).

3 things I do that promote negative practices:

•         Avoidance. Sometimes, it is my natural tendency to hide from certain challenges rather than deal with them and face them. I do not like confrontation in any aspect of my life. I have had one or two incidences in which I felt it was better to just forget and move on. “But while it may be easier in the short term to “just let it go,” in the long run you may find that the situation has snowballed into a problem that is vastly more difficult to deal with” (Lepsinger, 2010, p.64).
•         Let situations get the best of me. I’ve been told once or twice that I take things to heart, meaning I sometimes take things personally. This is draining and I need to learn to not do this. “If an employee does demonstrate defensiveness, don’t let his attitude “push your buttons” and cause you to become angry or more strident in your efforts to convince him that he should take responsibility and own the problem” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 74).
•         Disorganization in time management. Although I hold myself accountable for completing tasks, I am sometimes disorganized in my time management. I often feel that I have time for everything and will commit to far too many things. This often leaves me up at all hours of the night in order to complete tasks on time. Lepsinger (2010) writes, “select the potential problems that should be addressed, starting, of course, with those that are high probability and high impact and working your way down to lower levels of probability and impact” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 44). Prioritizing and organizaing will help me to make more efficient use of my time.

3 things I can do to improve:

•         Be present. Although I find conversations around conflict to be difficult, they need to happen in order for problems to be solved. “Unless efforts are made to reduce these barriers, poor communication can often become a major impediment to continued growth” (Galbraith, 2014, p. 61).
•         Improve rewards. I will try to offer rewards and praise for all members of the team, not only the ones that I work closest with. This will be beneficial by, “enhancing the other person’s feelings of importance and self-worth, encouraging people to step out of their comfort zones” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 51).
•         Build upon changes I’ve already made. “The critical issue for strategic leaders is how to make changes that progressively build on each other and represent an evolving enhancement of the organization’s well-being. That is, they must not just keep trying different things; although that is good, it is not enough” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 33).

References

https://www.teachers.ab.ca/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BD2545D64-6161-4415-A48E-08F631B8A12B%7D&file=Tool%201.4.doc&action=default&DefaultItemOpen=1

Galbraith, J. (2014). Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hughes R., Colarelli-Beatty K. & Dinwoodie  D. (2014) Becoming a strategic leader. San  

Francisco: Jossey-Bass Second Edition.

Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.