Sadie’s original post of Strategic Leadership and Me can be found at https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/10/25/strategic-leadership-and-me/
The Beginning of Wisdom
(Savant, 2018)
Sadie, your in-depth analysis of leadership as it pertains to your personal involvement is rich and specific! How wonderful to know you are seeking opportunities to make a difference in your educational community in ways that build up your colleagues, find opportunities to serve, and develop your own practice through “building SMART goals and revisiting them often” (Oberle, 2018, para. 10). I was surprised that the Independent Catholic schools is aligned with contract tenets of the Alberta Teacher’s Association(ATA). The inherent tension that exists between the Ministry of Education in any province and the Teachers’ Union creates difficulties in practice and in pedagogical stability. Since your province is undergoing curricular changes at this time as well (Alberta Education, 2018), there must be an increasing angst among elementary teachers who will be required to shift their practice yet again. Sometimes it is as Solomon laments in Ecclesiastes 1:18, “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief” (NIV, 1983).
Many of us are familiar with the scripture, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” found in Proverbs 9:10 (NIV, 1983). In my opinion this fear and reverence instills in us a humility which allows us to be guided and used by God in areas where He needs us the most. I have often found that small things make a significant impact in someone’s life though you may not discover that importance until years later. Most of us look for large gestures and changes that are immediately noticeable; Dr. Atha’s reference to the power of the tongue—or more specifically, words—reiterated for me how my daily word choices with my colleagues can build up or tear down, encourage or discourage, build bridges of hope or chasms of despair. “The tongue can introduce small changes to personal or organizational perspectives that can affect/effect the entire outcome of corporate of personal relations; positively or negatively (Atha, 2018, para. 11).
Real change begins on the inside! To instill in my students the understanding of the power of their words and how much control they have over the events in their every day lives, I tell them:
What you think, you will say;
What you say, you will do;
What you do becomes your behaviour,
And your behaviour shapes your character!
“Think before you speak” OR “Thoughts in the head are better than words that are said”.
(I have said these phrases for years but they may not be my original thoughts; I could not find any quotes to reference.)
As strategic leaders who are hoping to change the practice of many of our followers, we must always consider their mindset as well as our own mindset (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014, p. 54). Strategic thinking takes practice and strategic acting follows the results of our thought processes which often require reframing (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 79). Do you have an alternative narrative for your organization, Sadie? Instead of focusing on everything that isn’t changing fast enough, have you created a new vision of “what the organization can and should become” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 75)? The Apostle Paul admonishes us to keep our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Cycles of Change
In your first five years of teaching, Sadie, you will have worked alongside many teachers of varying degrees of experience. You are a motivator and can also be an innovator! Your enthusiasm and energy to seek out best practices for yourself can be infectious and empowering to others. “Empowerment should be seen as an outcome, not a behaviour in and of itself…” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 102). Are you prepared for others to make huge changes in their practice that may not quite fit your vision for your organization? Since we are all on a continuous journey of change, we will encounter many evidences of growth that are different from our own. This, too, will create friction and as strategic leaders we need to continue to help and encourage others even when we are frustrated and make those events a learning experience without making others feel defeated (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 91).
Change is a cycle. What is new now will be old in another 5-7 years and a new group of graduating teachers will infuse our schools with their enthusiasm and energy, trying to show us all the latest strategies and teaching approaches. In paragraph 7 of your blog post, Sadie, you address the resistance to change from those long-term staff in your organization (Oberle, 2018). You made tremendous effort to change some of the culture and “after many failed attempts and a lot of heart and soul poured into the cause” you “felt hopeless” (Oberle, 2018, para. 7). You also mention that a number of teachers “are confined to the walls of their classroom, leaving other staff members a much heavier workload in the school” (Oberle, 2018, para. 7). You found some great strategies in assuming value, focusing on positive action, and making the unconscious conscious.
“The amount of significant change in organisations has increased tremendously in the last few years, making it critical to understand the cycle of change” (Virtual Solutions, 2018).
As a teacher who is nearing the three-decade mark, I can attest to the reality for most of the long-term staff who were once where you are now and have performed many extra-curricular tasks which added to the entire school community: coaching, committees, clubs, concerts, courses, communions, meetings, fund-raisers, etc. They may need to be built up after the onslaught of changes mandated in their careers. When we look at the need for diversity in our organizations (Galbraith, 2014, pp. 237-241), we must consider the wealth of teaching experience, past life experiences, and expertise perhaps not readily observable in those classrooms. Being an agent of change is exhausting and longer-serving teachers have been part of many more changes. Really get to know the people and you may discover that their stories create a more complete picture of your organization. Can you imagine how many students they have successfully taught to graduation? Often a thankless task, right? Are you changing structure, function, or people in your strategic planning?
Here is a link to a little song that I sing in the classroom when my students get impatient with certain other students: Patience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kn6Z2Mop5I (Agapeland, 2011). Those of us who have taught awhile might seem to be moving as slow as Herbert the Snail, but we are still moving and sharing the journey. You may gladly lead us in new directions; don’t let us slow you down or discourage you from your vision or your calling. Thank you for giving me a fresh perspective on sharing my career with so many different educators, Sadie!
References
Agapeland Music. (2011). Patience: Herbert the snail. Retrieved from You Tube October 28, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kn6Z2Mop5I
Alberta Education. (October 10, 2018). Curriculum Review Timeline. Retrieved October 28, 2018 from https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=60779ADBF92D9-BC17-6738-EED797C3813AC9F0
Atha, D. (2018). A systems thinking primer: Seeing organizations in action. Retrieved from Course Notes October 28, 2018 from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/unit-3-learning-activities/
Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hughes, R., Beatty, K., and Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Marilyn vos Savant Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/marilyn_vos_savant_121674
Oberle, S. (October 25, 2018). Strategic leadership and me! Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/10/25/strategic-leadership-and-me/
Virtual Business Solutions. (2018). Understanding the cycle of change. Retrieved October 28, 2018 from http://www.vbsl.co.nz/understanding-the-cycle-of-change/
