This week we will begin our study of Michael Fullan's (2001) Leading in a Culture of Change. Each week we will read and reflect on a few pages from the book. This book, although published over a decade ago is certainly applicable to the environment that we are working in today.
Please read Chapter One, Pages 1-11. You will notice that Fullan has created a Mental Model for leadership. As you read, please study the Mental Model (I've displayed it here too.) We will use this Mental Model in future discussions as leaders so it will be helpful if we all become quite familiar with it.
On page 5, Fullan lists "six guidelines that provide leaders with concrete and novel ways of thinking about the process of change." In your response this week please reflect on these six guidelines. Did any of them surprise you? Do you resonate with any particular guideline? Is your frame of mind about leadership already highly attuned to one of these guidelines?
This week is a busy week at Della Lamb Charter! We will complete our reflections on 10 Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment with this post, combining the last few thoughts.
Provide a Positive Physical Environment and Make it Fun
If at all possible insure that the physical environment on your workplace is clean, bright, attractive and cheerful. Make sure it has as much natural light as possible, and that each staff member has room for their own personal space.
We are somewhat limited in what we can do....For example, it would be difficult to ensure that every teacher gets natural light since not all of our classrooms have windows. But how have you made our existing physical space more positive? Any further ideas on simple ways to make our space cheery?
Everyone wants to be where people are having fun, so make your workplace feel happy and festive. Find reasons to celebrate together, such as birthdays, birth of a baby or grandchild, moving into a new house, etc., and having small parties to celebrate these events. If possible provide a cake, and put up a sign or banner in the break room saying "Today We Are Celebrating……………".
If you get the opportunity during this fast-paced week, let's do a little research. Please ask your team members what would be fun for them and then let's share those ideas in the comments section and spread the word to the Social Committees. Perhaps we could find a few simple ideas to implement during the upcoming stressful time of testing to help keep things cheery.
We continue our reflection on Ten Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment....
7. Be Approachable
Always communicate to staff that you are there to support them. It has been said that non-verbal communication accounts for 70% of the messages that a person sends whereas 30% is accounted for through verbal communication. What does this tell us about interactions with staff?
If we want to present ourselves as approachable there are many strategies that we can work to employ. For example, always make eye contact and smile frequently. When speaking with a team member be aware of the messages that your body language is conveying. Instead of sitting behind a desk, walk around and lean on the front of the desk to remove physical barriers. Ensure that your body language communicates interest and attention. Since verbal communication accounts for a much smaller portion of the message, choose your words wisely. If you make a statement about performing a task for following up on an action be sure to do so.
Here's a simple action research project for the week: After one of your interactions with a team member, reflect on your non-verbal and verbal communication with that individual. What did you do non-verbally and what did you say? Self-assess your skills with non-verbal and verbal communication. Is there anything that you'll work to change? Why or why not?
Here's a great quote on perspective and opportunity for the week ahead. From Winston Churchill, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity ; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
We continue our reflections on 10 Ways to Build a Positive Working Environment....
6. Give Credit and Take Responsibility
Always give credit for success to your staff, and take responsibility when things don't go well. As the boss it's your job to make sure your staff is well trained, capable and competent. If for some reason they fail to perform their job in the expected manner, it's your responsibility to insure that they receive further direction and training so they will perform up to standards.
This can be a tough one sometimes. To swallow one's pride and take the blame when it really wasn't your fault can be challenging but it is also the mark of a mature leader. So doing takes the emphasis away from spending time on the often futile practice of trying to figure out who caused it to go wrong and shift attention toward next steps.
In remembrance of one of America's greatest examples of how to be a peaceful leader while persisting in the face of unimaginable challenges, I share with you a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This quote seems fitting for this week's discussion point as well.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
We continue our study of Ten Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment....
5. Give Recognition and Appreciation
Whenever you can, 'catch people being good' and make sure they and others know about it. Give recognition and appreciation to everyone at every opportunity. For example: "Susan, I appreciate your organizational skills and the way you organized your team today to deliver quality care." "James, thank you for staying overtime yesterday. I really appreciate your positive, can-do attitude."
When verbalizing appreciation try to make it as personal as possible. Rather than just saying something vague like "good job", be specific about the personal quality or skill your team member brought to the task. Recognizing excellent job performance and attitude, and showing appreciation for these things will go a long way towards making your staff members feel that they are a valued and respected part of the team.
What are some ways that you have given recognition/appreciation to your team members in the past? How did your team members respond? Finally, research for one new way to give recognition/appreciation that you haven't done before and share about it in the comments section.
Over the next several weeks we will revisit an article titled Ten Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment. Each week we will examine some of the suggestions from this article for bringing and consistently maintaining more positivity on our teams.
4. Create Team Spirit
One of our basic human needs is to feel we belong to something bigger than ourselves, and for many people that need is met by being part of a supportive work group. As a team leader, part of your job is to create a feeling of unity among your staff. This unity will help your team members feel valued and that they belong. As a result they will want to be at work, tardiness and absenteeism will be minimal, your team will function smoothly and your team will be better able to carry out the missions and goals of our school.
To foster this team feeling you must convey to the entire team that every person plays an important role. Encourage an attitude of cooperation rather than competition. When you create team spirit and identity, staff members will see themselves as a group of people all working for a common goal, rather than a bunch of individuals competing with each other.
By letting each member know they are a valued part of the team you will teach your staff members to respect each other for their unique contributions. There are many group exercises designed to foster this kind of unity. One easy exercise is to begin team meetings by going around the table and having each person say one nice thing about the person on their right or left. Especially things they've noticed about their work with students. . Be sure to acknowledge the little things that mean so much to the students, their families and coworkers that are the mark of an excellent team member.
An important aspect of creating team spirit is demonstrating that you are open to communication from everyone, including students, families and team members. When you walk through the hall be sure you smile, are friendly, and acknowledge people you pass. You should always show that you are aware of and care about each person. This will demonstrate to them that you are aware of them as people, and are also aware of what's happening on the team. By doing this you will also demonstrate that you are willing to listen and are responsive to their needs.
Another exercise you can do with your staff to increase their appreciation of each other and feeling of team spirit is called Skill Appreciation. In this exercise team members recognize and appreciate each other for the unique skills each brings to the team. Take time at one of your team meetings to focus on this aspect. Give each person a 3 x 5 card and ask them to write their name at the top. Have each person place their card on the table in front of them, and then move one place to the right so they're sitting in front of their neighbor's card. Then ask them to write words of appreciation on the card of the co-worker, including positive personal characteristics, attitudes and skills they bring to the team. Examples may be things like:
1. Ability to relate well with students and families.
2. Creativity.
3. Ability to organize well.
4. Having a positive attitude and kind word for everyone, etc.
Have team members continue moving around the table and writing on cards until they are back at their original place.
There are many other ways a team leader can foster team spirit. Some of these are:
Give verbal and written communication to individuals and the group for jobs well done.
Make sure team members know a bit about each other's personal life by setting aside 5 minutes at each staff meeting to have one person tell about something positive that's happened in their life in the past month.
Find reasons to celebrate together, such as birthdays, birth of a baby or grandchild, moving into a new house, etc., and have small parties to celebrate these events. It's especially good to share your celebration with all the teams by inviting others to join you or putting up a sign or banner in the break room saying "Today We Are Celebrating……………". By celebrating together you will be connecting the entire staff.
Let them know that you are also part of the team by asking your staff what they need from you to make their job more satisfactory, and doing your best to provide it.
Schedule stretch exercises that you do together before school. Have different staff members lead the exercises each day.
Ensure that humor is part of the daily work environment. Put a humor section on the bulletin board and invite team members to post things they find funny (keeping good taste in mind, of course). Also, encourage them to respectfully find the humor in situations at work. It's important for you as the supervisor to learn to laugh at yourself, and model this for your staff. Let them know that since we all are human we make mistakes. It's much better to find the lesson and humor in mistakes than to become upset over them.
Please comment and share 3 additional ways you have or could build team spirit.
Over the next several weeks we will revisit an article titled Ten Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment. Each week we will examine some of the suggestions from this article for bringing and consistently maintaining more positivity on our teams.
Expect The Best From Your
Staff
"There is a concept called 'The
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy' which states that people generally will perform in
the way others expect them to perform. So, if you have high expectations for
your staff, treat them as if they are capable, competent people and expect them
to function as such, they will rise to the occasion and be the excellent
employees you see them to be. However, if you ... expect them to
be mediocre and treat them as if they can't function well on their own, that is
the behavior they will give you. A good supervisor always has high expectations
for his/her staff and treats them accordingly."
This excerpt was quite thought-provoking for me. In my reflections, I've recalled times that I DID have high expectations and I DID expect team members to function well on their own, and yet I was disappointed. I just couldn't get a team member to fix that pacing guide or give that overdue retest or to turn their Specific-Praise: Redirect ratio around into a better proportion for the students despite a lot of additional supports. What I learned from these experiences is that not giving up reinforces our high expectations. While it took many repetitions, attention to detail and a LOT of follow up, those folks eventually had a perfect Pacing Guide, completed retests in a timely manner and turned that ratio around. It helped me to keep going with my high expectations with those few individuals when I remembered that just as many and often even more team members were consistently meeting high expectations.
It must be true that expecting the best from our staff will do more to promote positivity in our school culture than if we settle for mediocrity. Do you agree/disagree? List some specific ways that you implement high expectations/encourage the best from your team members.
