Author Archives: tregoed

The Implementation Game: 4 Lessons from the Trenches

April 28, 2015

Articulating a new strategy can be exhilarating. But once the euphoria of rallying around a common vision has faded, we are left wondering: “how do we make this a reality?”  Pretty much all visions are inspiring – but why do so few become realized?  Successful implementation is no game – but it is often an enigma.

Quinn Spitzer, former CEO of Kepner-Tregoe, Inc., once observed, “No amount of visioning will overcome a sloppy implementation.”  Implementation is usually messy – things rarely go as planned, unforeseen issues wreak havoc – but it doesn’t have to be sloppy.  With intentionality, forethought, persistence and a healthy dose of realism, most strategies can become more than a plan.

Here are four lessons I have learned from implementing strategy:

Lesson #1: Focus on the “what,” but be flexible with the “how.”  Real-life tends to throw curveballs.  Be flexible while moving forward and willing to explore other paths to get you where you want to be.  Don’t let your idea of how things should be prevent you from making something better.

Lesson #2: Be humble (and wise) enough to allow others to weigh in.   Collaboration doesn’t just happen – it has to be sought out. You need others to embrace these goals and make them happen – so give others a chance to make the goals their own.   I once saw a savvy principal enlist the help of his most contrary teacher leader in implementing a new initiative.  It was a calculated risk that paid off in a big way – the curricular equivalent of Life Cereal’s “If Mikey likes it, it must be OK.”

Lesson #3: Responsibility = Results.  Having someone’s name next to a goal or initiative means that it is much more likely to happen.  It seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how often responsibilities are not assigned.  No one person can do it all, but someone should have ultimate responsibility for making sure it happens.

Lesson #4:  Remember that many projects look like failures when you are only halfway through.   Change creates anxiety, chaos, and frustration – that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it.  I have seen more than one inspired idea prematurely jettisoned or neglected thanks to bumpy beginnings.

Do these lessons ring true for you? What lessons have you learned from your implementation efforts?  We would love to hear from you!

Leadership skills? Who needs them?

April 15, 2015

I have “risen to the top” of many community organizations – Bowling League President, Church Elder, PTA President, President of the NJ Association for Middle Level Educators, many just a matter of default.  I am a certified “supervisor” in the state of NJ, but never became an administrator.  That does not mean that I was not a school leader in the district.  In fact, the positions I held and roles I played while being a teacher required true leadership skills.  The ability to make good decisions, collaborate with stakeholders, and handle complex situations requiring an action plan were crucial to the role that I played as a Team Leader (who met regularly with team members, administration, and parents) and Union president (who met regularly with members, administration, board members, and state union reps with complex needs, wants and agendas).  But it didn’t end there – those same leadership skills were valuable in the classroom, too.  Having the skills/tools to prioritize tasks, address complex needs, participate in child study team decisions, manage behaviors, and collaborate with parents, colleagues and administration was invaluable.

Born to Lead

My natural born leadership abilities (aka my ability to speak in front of large crowds) was enough, in some cases, to get the job.  However, as I learned some of the basic skills of leadership (through summer leadership institutes and graduate work in education), it became clear that using strategies and frameworks during meetings took emotionalism out, let people’s voices be heard and helped me develop trust.  I did not seek out the skills, thinking that my ability to speak in front of large crowds would be enough, however – once I learned a strategy, it became clear how a rational process could help me.

Enter, a professional development opportunity- ASCD and the Tregoe Education Forum were bringing teacher and administrative teams together to teach us basic problem solving and decision making strategies to bring back to our schools.  My job was to learn the strategies and figure out how to get kids to learn them.  You know the story – teaching something is one of the best ways to learn and understand something.  Eventually, the lessons that members of the nationwide consortium developed evolved into an online discussion tool called SCAN.  SCAN is an acronym for the critical thinking strategy that allows you to take apart a complex situation, (See the issues, Clarify the issues, Ask what’s important, and Now, Name next steps).  TregoED made a whole library full of common core reading and writing exercise on engaging scenarios using a private online discussion platform totally free.  A great way to sneak some critical thinking on relevant issues in the classroom.  But, I digress.

Transparency and Rational Thought Works Every Time

The value of the problem solving and decision making strategies I learned, however, went beyond my classroom and became integrated in all aspects of my life, having the biggest impact on the leadership roles I played in education.

Having those strategies in my back pocket, allowed me to take on big emotion-laden issues – negotiations, grievances, parent and community concerns – with confidence.  Instead of being overwhelmed with issues and concerns, agendas and politics, ulcers and skin rashes, I had a transparent strategy that allowed all to be heard and considered in a rational and strategic way.

Having those skills not only benefitted the people that I represented, but it also benefitted the people that I needed to work with – school and district administrators, parents, community members, students and colleagues.  While it doesn’t hurt to be able to step up to any microphone, being the most powerful voice in the room won’t get you far for long.  True leadership, on any level, from the classroom to the district office, from the bowling alleys to the PTA meeting, embraces all constituents and issues, is based on trust and collaboration, and finds a way to develop the best possible solutions for all.

Leadership skills?  Who Doesn’t Need Them?

Transparency: Looking Through the Brick Wall

March 24, 2015

You can’t escape it these days.

It’s everywhere you look: politics, government, social media …and schools.
“It”…  is the cry for business…both public,and,occasionally, even personal, to be conducted in an atmosphere of total and complete transparency.
A Facebook and Instagram culture expects nothing less than immediate access to anything and everything.
Period.
What does that mean to school administrators?
Well, it probably does NOT mean doing what one district recently did: selecting a superintendent after imposing a blackout about candidate information to the public by claiming that the board was acting both expediently and in the general best interests of all concerned.
It is no surprise that media reacted swiftly and with vigor– calling the actions reminiscent of the “cloak and dagger” kind of government that went out of vogue (and law) decades ago.
Was the behavior of the school board deliberately meant to “pull one over” on residents?
Whether it was or not…suffice to say this: perception was not positive…at all.
School administrators and board members benefit from realizing that appearance sometimes trumps intention. If people perceive that difficult and important decisions are made with analysis, with reflection and without bias, the results are more likely to be accepted– even if they are not completely agreed with.
How do you achieve transparency?
Process…especially decision analysis…allows constituent participants the ability to transact business in ways that are visible, defensible and …transparent! Decision Analysis , as a process tool, is easy to fold into every critical juncture that school administrators face. If used consistently, and as part of the regular culture, people quickly come to appreciate the fact that decisions made with substantive evidence underneath them are, usually, sound ones.
It’s too bad that the district described above did not recognize the inescapable fact of living in the media-saturated 21st century: nothing…absolutely nothing…can remain secret from everyone. And, once the “secret box” is opened, the struggle to convince folks that nothing awry happened is, indeed, very much like concentrating on getting a great home security system AFTER the burglary!
Process, like security systems, is your chance to protect the deliverables in your work environment BEFORE they…and you…are  compromised!
How do YOU achieve transparency?

What drives your School’s Culture?

March 12, 2015

It is interesting how social media has played such a role in the way culture is developed today.  When we look at organizations, whether it is the largest companies in the world – Google, Microsoft, Cargill or school districts – Charlotte-Mecklinburg, Orange County, Florida, Iredell-Statesville, how is culture created and nurtured?  How is sustained?  I think that question is one that has stumped leaders for a very long time.  And social media has not answered it, yet.  It is only a channel for culture.

Is it the CEO, the Superintendent who creates the culture and then it trickles down to everyone else?  Is it the very embodiment of the organization and what it has been for years and is just continued?  Is it intentional or is it just “there”?  Important questions when we look at where education is today because culture is at the heart of what the school district is, and will be.  And, our belief is it should be intentional not just something that ‘has been’ or something that just ‘happens’ over time.

When we think of critical thinking for the 21st century, it cannot happen in school districts who do not clearly have a culture that believes in a different way of educating.  Critical thinking skills of problem solving and decision making have to be the hallmark of everything that comes after.  And the culture of the district has to embrace the importance and the necessity of critical thinking from the administration into the classroom.  Having worked with a number of districts that ‘get it right’, I will say it does come from the top, but it is imbedded in the entire organization – its people and its systems.  The environment nurtures the culture and creates expectations that it will be alive and well – no matter who is the Superintendent.  It lives and breathes as the very heart of the district – from students, to parents, to faculty and board members.  The community is proud of the culture that exists in their schools and are only too eager to support and sustain it.

Submitted by  Pat Schwarber

So, as you think about the culture you are a part of in your school, your district – what exactly is it?  Is it something you totally believe in and support?  If not, think about what you can do to change it.  If it is something that will add value to you and your school or district – remember, it truly only takes one to make a difference!!!  Maybe you are the difference.

Problems as Opportunities?

February 18, 2015

I’m sure you have heard variations of the old adage declaring problems are opportunities in disguise.  I don’t know about you, but when I am in the midst of a problem, it rarely feels like an opportunity!  When facing escalating conflict, finger-pointing, panic and blame-fixing, “opportunity” is not what leaps to mind.  Sometimes, though, seemingly isolated problems point the way to possible improvements in procedures and systems.

We have been working with one large district that was experiencing a lot of complaints (aka “problems”) when Exceptional Children transitioned from pre-K to Kindergarten.  It would have been easy to attribute the difficulties to the challenges of individual cases or situations.  Instead, the Exceptional Children (EC) Department took at a look at the whole transition situation and got input from parents, teachers, staff, etc.  What they discovered was that systemic inconsistencies and disconnects actually contributed to many of the problems. Teacher vacancies and misalignment of school calendars impeded accurate transfers of information.  There was widespread confusion about roles and lack of awareness about services and resources.  Furthermore, changes to laws and services were inconsistently and ineffectively communicated.

After speaking with stakeholders and charting their concerns, the team discovered that in actuality there was a lot of commonality in the issues brought to light.  Had the department not taken the time to apply Situation Appraisal, the team might not have recognized how underlying systemic issues contributed to the increasing number of complaints.

In response to identified issues, the EC department revisited the transition timeline to allow more timely decisions and better transfer of information.  They created a communications plan designed to better gather and disseminate required information, and a training plan which included skills and information for different stakeholders.  After implementing these changes, the team has been gratified to see many fewer complaints and a much smoother transition process for their incoming EC Kindergartners and families.

I still say it’s hard to see the opportunities in problems when we are in “fire-fighting” mode.  But once the smoke clears, we may indeed be faced with opportunity!

The Leadership-Student Success Connection

February 2, 2015

“So, what do you do?”  A common question, right?

If asked in an elevator I might say “I work for non-profit consulting firm that delivers workshops on collaborative decision making for school leaders.”

But given more time that nice succinct statement would expand to include….

I work for a non-profit consulting firm that was borne out of a desire the founder had to share research driven rational problem-solving and decision-making skills with the education sector.  I joined this firm after many years of working in the financial services sector in roles ranging from change management to investment banking to commercial real estate and then switching to work for K-12 education when I realized that I wanted to work in an industry that had impact on something other than the bottom line.  To be on a team…

…that delivers workshops on collaborative decision making for school leaders who, I realized after working amongst them for a few years, face seemingly insurmountable challenges that would become more manageable when armed with a structured processes with which to tackle their issues and a common language upon which to do so.  And whose success ultimately will translate into success for their students.

How do I help those leaders help students succeed?  I do so by teaching school administrators how to conduct a root cause analysis which can help them figure out things like what caused student math scores to improve at one school so that others can replicate its success or why a certain population of students did not meet expectations, so that they can put a plan in place to address their needs.   I teach district CFOs how to use the SCAN process to prioritize end-of-year spending so that funds are allocated to the resources most critical to student achievement or to sort out the complexities of implementing a new program so it is done right.  And to further help those school leaders responsible for implementing programs – I teach them how to anticipate what could go wrong so they can minimize the likelihood of it happening and put a plan in place just in case it does anyway.

So, I guess what I’m really saying is I can help leaders make and implement better decisions, I work to help students succeed.

How has your leadership helped students succeed?

The 12 Pay-offs of Leadership PD

December 19, 2014

Just recently, I read a comment made by a board member decrying teachers and school leaders taking time away from “their job” for professional development.  It is a sorry state of affairs when a voting member of the board does not understand the full positive impact that professional development can have on every operating aspect of a district.

To this end, I offer the last verse (with apologies to all) of:

The Twelve Pay-offs of Leadership PD

On the 12th Day of PD, my Super gave to me:

Twelve Happy Stakeholders

Eleven Issues Clarified

Ten Better Decisions

Nine Deeper Understandings

Eight Departments Collaborating

Seven Productive Meetings

Six Reduced Conflicts

Five Strategies for Success!

Four Data-based Solutions

Three Seized Opportunities

Two Implementation Plans

And a Culture of Excellence!

Districts are not successful by accident!  Professional development is a great way to foster and maintain a culture of excellence in our schools.  Plan for a new year of PD focused on evaluating where you are and planning for where you want to be!

Wishing all of you a holiday filled with good choices, great potential, clearly positive situations, and problems solved from all of us at TregoED!

3 Simple Questions to Increase Understanding

December 3, 2014

You said what????

My belief is that we seem to be losing each other because we are avoiding conversation!! I think I heard what you said, and I think you know what I meant, but, did you???

If there is one thing that brings this fact to mind this week, it is Ferguson.  I will not come down on one side or the other, but I will come down on the fact we need to be able to talk to each other.  And the question is “Why can’t we?”  I do believe it is because we don’t have the  right tools to discuss the most important issues and ask the most important questions surrounding potentially  contentious issues.  Whether it is cutting the budget for the district, or hiring the new C&I Director or just plain, how do I sit across the table from my team and make sure we all understand who we are and where we are going?  Those questions just begin the conversation.  We need more conversation to support the journey we all have to make if we are to be the best we can be.  That simple and, yet, that complex.

Let me offer these 3 critical thinking questions to help you on your journey with your team. 

  1. What are your working on?
  2. What are the most important issues?
  3. Who will do what, by when?

If you ask those 3 questions you have broadened the capacity for everyone around you.  And, you have reinforced, for you, what great leaders do –  ask the right questions!!! Continue to ask those 3 questions of your team.  It will change the conversation and the direction of where you are going.

 

Tearin’ Down Those Silos

November 21, 2014

Workplace silo:  “A system, process, department, etc. that operates in isolation from others.”(Oxford Dictionaries)

We have all run up against silos in the workplace.  We may have railed against their lack of responsiveness, cooperation or incomprehensible procedures. Or perhaps we have worked in a silo, enjoying the “us vs. them” camaraderie while lamenting the unreasonable demands of others. Silos exist when departments or areas fail to cooperate and share useful information with others within the same district.  No matter the origin or structure of silos, they limit communication, collaboration and a district’s ability to productively address issues or needs that cut across departments.

It’s relatively easy to identify the problems that silos create, but do we know what to do about them?  Recognizing a silo is a first step – but breaking them down is a whole different story.  Most experts suggest some variation of getting people to collaborate and work together towards a common vision, project, or goal that requires involvement across silos.    Conceptually this makes sense, but in practice it is more easily said than accomplished.  Without a way to manage involvement and direct the work, there is huge potential for conflict and dysfunction.

District 11 (Colorado Springs) used TregoED strategies to tackle silos by providing a framework for managing input, analysis, and collaboration.   They used SCAN (Kepner-Tregoe’s Situation Appraisal) to overcome the limits of silos and began changing the status quo. Read a case study documenting their success in the most recent edition of the Journal of the Grant Professionals Association.

What silo-defying strategies have you found effective?

 

The Scars of Decision Making

November 5, 2014

Choices have consequences.

Just as wounds in flesh are covered by scar tissue, choices create ramifications—sought and intended…or not.

Making decisions is, truly, making choices…and the laws of inevitability affects the conclusions.

Some decisions yield positive results; some do not.

Consider a small school and the challenges coming from their leader’s decision to safeguard children by requiring parent volunteers to have criminal background checks, child abuse clearances and fingerprint reports completed prior to being allowed any participation in the school.

The decision, made unilaterally, was expanded to mandate that parents would not be allowed to be on school property without all three of those conditions being met…nor would they be allowed to wait on school property for their children participating in after school activities.

While the motivating principles behind the decisions were both laudable and valid… (after all, who among us would want children subjected to individuals with questionable criminal activity in their pasts) BUT– the decisions made lacked the hallmarks prized by good critical thinkers: the decisions were not transparent, visible or defensible.

People subjected to the decisions railed under the perceived lack of collaboration and reason. Parents believed that the rules were draconian and not at all in sync with the culture of the school. While they were forced to comply, the school’s leader may, indeed, have “won the battle but lost the war”.

Parents who feel excluded from critical decisions are less than thrilled about being strong-armed into compliance. The negative push back is exacerbated when the decisions are presented as a “done deal”. Cooperative and supportive parents can quickly morph into adversarial and vociferous constituents rallied around regaining a say in the governance of their children’s schools. This is, assuredly, not a situation that maximizes collaboration. Answering parents’ questions for rationale behind decision by saying “we have a methodology” certainly belongs to a century long removed from this one!

Solid decisions are made by leaders who assess the situation in all its complexity before making a determination. Stakeholders are invited to the table prior to any “final edict” being handed down. While leaders always retain the right to make a final call, wise leaders understand that decisions are best implemented and embraced when the rationale is clear to everyone…visibility and  transparency yield defensibility.

The proven decision making tools offered by TregoED in its leadership training or via its consulting services can assist groups in making solid decisions that are recognized by those living within them as choices made after a clear and understandable process was utilized.

So…what happened to the leader in the school with the “tough policy” designed to protect students?

The leader, with less than two years service to the institution, resigned unexpectedly and bailed from the school…leaving a community with interim leadership implementing the “policy”.

But the result of the poor decision making process remains…as do all consequences coming from any decisions. Long after the actual wound has healed, the scar remains as a reminder of the trauma…don’t let your decisions create scars for your staff, parents or students!