Response to Seabreeze’s Response – Post 4.1

Hi Seabreeze!

Thanks for your response to my post.

It is interesting how the events of a day can affect your perspective. On the day of writing my post, I was frustrated with my team. We had deadlines for interim reports, and being my first time as an administrator, I was called on by the office staff and lead principal about why my staff had not done them on time, or why they were not professionally written. Being in a transition from an educator to an administrator, I was not prepared for this tension. Just like a first-year teacher, where we developed a toolkit of strategies to deal with behaviours and situations we didn’t see coming, I am feeling ill-equipped in my new role. In my example here, I reflected on how I could’ve’ done things differently: had I given staff adequate notice? Yes, I emailed the deadline three times. Had I tried different modes of communication? Yes, I had used verbal and written. Is it my job to run after them to make their deadline? What precedent am I setting if I shield them from the negative impact of their actions? Who is truly accountable? What am I accountable for?

Upon reflection of this situation, I can now see that awarding a bonus for accomplishing what is required of a person is not the way to go. At the time, I felt the teachers who completed the reports on time were so responsible and professional. And yet, the flip side of these “responsible” personalities is that they require more attention, needing to know if they are doing things right, and are more prone to be stressed. This requires a different approach when leading, and again, I am questioning what my role is and how to hold people accountable.

Sergiovanni (2007) espouses “Professionalism has a virtuous aspect… there’s a commitment to exemplary practice. Professionals don’t need anybody to check on them, to lead them. They are compelled from within” (p. x).  As strategizers, we need to see the future impact of our current decisions (Hughes et al., 2014). My struggle at this moment is how to give people space to be professional, trusting them to do the right thing by the students and the organization, without jumping in to demand or save them from their unprofessional ways.

And then I ask how much of this has to do with my self-image, that a staff member’s actions (or lack thereof) reflect poorly on me as a leader? My motive, then, is self-serving and selfish. Dufour and Fullan (2013) note “People must be willing to look in the mirror for solutions, rather than out of the window while waiting for others in the system to save them” (p. 11). I recognize that when I wrote the post about bonuses, I was looking for an extrinsic motivator to get people to do what was required of them. However, as educators, we realize this tactic also does not always work for everybody. Taking the time to get to know my team and what motivates them individually is going to be the only way to sufficiently work through this process.

With regards to the compensation structure, what I meant is that the SCSBC compensation report only goes up to ten years on its scale. There is no monetary motivation for staff after their tenth year. A teacher of twenty years earns the same as a teacher of ten years. We do not have a TQS plus for those educators who want to move up a category. I personally feel that this creates a situation for some educators in which they do not feel the need to pursue professional development past that of their contract requirements. With the addition of another level (ie. 10+), there is an opportunity to create a structure where teachers wanting to pursue further certification (ie. PBL residency or graduate certificates) can be incentivized. We have a core group of teachers who have been at my school for over twenty years. They are master teachers, but they have lost their motivation to develop professionally. Hord and Roussin (2013) remind us “for learning and development to take place… individuals have to exercise their own personal agency, the ability to influence oneself and his or her environment” (p. 3).

You asked for me to clarify about new accountability processes I have implemented. The former vice principal was laid back in his style of leadership. He would mention the professional expectations but then didn’t follow up to ensure they were being done. I have been more direct about expectations, and I give deadlines for things to be done. The transition has been difficult for some staff members because they aren’t used to the level of accountability. I have been honest with them that I don’t always know what “I need to know” so we are working this out as it goes. However, I do also like to have a good grasp about what is going on at any given time, so this has caused some staff members to be stressed out. I am sure we will fall into a rhythm soon as I learn how to prioritize the demands and expectations of the position.

References:

Dufour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work. Bloomington, IN. Solution Tree Press.

Hord, S., & Roussin, J. (2013). Implementing change through learning: Concerns-based concepts, tools, and strategies for guiding change. Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin Press.

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.