Paradigm Shift

Continuing from the previous post on Lincoln’s leadership qualities and skills that Alvy and Robbins highlight, these are five more qualities for effective leadership that is worth considering.

• Exercising Situational Competence and Responding Appropriately to Implement Effective Change

The authors quote Heifetz and Linsky’s (2002) explanation of technical and adaptive challenges: The technical challenges “involve the implementation of change efforts based on problems we have faced before and solutions in which we ‘have the necessary know-how and procedures’ (p. 13). Adaptive challenges ‘require experiments, new discoveries, and adjustments’ (p. 13), not just from the leader but also from a host of individuals. Thinking in new ways must occur and must include ‘changing attitudes, values, and behaviors’ (p.13). Heifetz and Linsky stress that with adaptive change, internalization of the problem must occur; that is, personal commitment to make the change is critical. Moreover, ‘the single most common source of leadership failure we’ve been able to identify. . .is that people, especially those in positions of authority, treat adaptive challenges like technical problems’ (p. 14).”

Evans’ (1996) description of first-order and second-order change: “First-order change efforts strive ‘to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of what we are already doing’ (p. 5). Second-order changes create a new world view ‘and modify the very way an organization is put together, altering its assumptions, goals, structures, roles and norms. . . [and require changing] beliefs and perceptions’ (p. 5).”

“. . . Change represents, by its very nature, a sense of loss — loss of the familiar. . . . Change is context driven. What works in one culture, for instance, may fail miserably in another because of the unique characteristics of each context. . . . Effective change agents possess specific competencies as human beings that distinguish them from their mediocre counterparts.”

“School leaders need to realize that when the ‘structure of meaning is rooted in feelings and experiences that have great emotional significance, . . .perceptions and purposes can rarely be altered by rational explanations alone’ (Evans, 1996, p. 30). Yet, swept up with the urgency of a problem and the promise of a solution, school leaders often fail to realize that those who will have to adapt to a change may reel with agony as a consequence of its implementation. Recognizing that technical changes bring emotional reactions more often than not, school leaders can proactively plan for change by inviting individuals who will be affected by it to be part of naming the problem and engaging in the process to address it. Evans succinctly and insightfully describes the duality of change when he writes, ‘The different meanings change has for its advocates and its targets mirrors a fundamental division within each of us, between our overt embrace of change and our conservative impulse to resist it’ (p. 38).”

“School leaders who pave the way for successful change often spend time talking to the informal power brokers in the workplace culture. They solicit their insights, ideas, and commitment so that the change takes root in fertile soil. Successful implementation of a change depends heavily upon whether the envisioned change has meaning for those who must implement it.”

“Schlechty (2001) reminds us that ‘compared to sustaining change, starting change is relatively easy’ (p. 39). He points out that this is why more changes are initiated in schools than are sustained. In writing about the challenge of sustaining change, Schlechty notes, ‘Two things sustain change; one is a leader or leadership group that acts as a change agent; the other is a system or group of systems that supports change’ (p. 40). This explains why, when the school culture does not have the capacity to sustain a change effort, ‘the change rarely outlasts the tenure of the change agent’ (p. 40). A key leadership task, then, is to study and then create those conditions within the culture that will support and sustain a change.”

“Jay Conger (1989) identifies four stages of charismatic leadership that can be transformational:

1. Being sensitive to constituents’ needs, seeing current problems as opportunities, and building a vision that addresses them.
2. Articulating this vision in a way that simultaneously makes the status quo unacceptable and the new vision appealing.
3. Establishing trust among followers through proof of sincere commitment to the vision.
4. Showing the means to fulfill the vision, including the setting of their own personal example, the empowerment of others, and the use of unorthodox methods. (pp. 25-34)”

• Rising Beyond Personal and Professional Trials Through Tenacity, Persistence, Resilience, and Courage

“Leaders must find out what their individual capacity is to cope when difficult times occur, when the wounds are inflicted. Questions to ask include: Will I remain resilient? Will I have the courage to take the organization to the next level? Ackerman and Maslin-Ostrowski (2004) ask, ‘How does a reasonable, well-intentioned person, who happens to be a school leader, preserve a healthy sense of self in the face of a host of factors that may challenge that self or even lead to a wounding crisis?’ (p. 28). The good news, they say, is that these challenging times offer the opportunity to learn ‘how leadership truly emerges from our inner struggles and how we consciously project that inner life onto others’ (p. 28).”

“The constructive response to disappointment or failure has been called ‘resilience.’ Resilience is a characteristic of highly effective leaders. It involves developing the capacity to persevere — to be tenacious and to bounce back when the chips are down.”

• Exercising Purposeful Visibility

“The importance of purposeful face-to-face interaction and visibly observing whether the organization is operating effectively cannot be overstated. Leaders are shaped by the organizational culture and, in turn, help shape the culture when they get out and about (Alvy & Robbins, 1998).”

“Lincoln was visible to the general public; to troops in the field, camps, and hospitals; and to military leaders. His presence communicated care, accessibility, and assessment. School leaders can follow this example and practice purposeful visibility. When principals, superintendents, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and assistant principals spend time in classrooms, for example, rather than in their respective offices, they send a strong message that the center of the schoolhouse is where student learning is taking place. Further, these visits provide observation-based data about the quality of instruction, student learning expectations, climate, and school culture that can, in turn, inform future decisions. In addition, visits such as these can build schoolwide norms of practice. What school leaders focus on during these visits sends a strong message to organizational members about what is important.”

“Leaders can also shape the culture of the school . . .by what they pay attention to, celebrate, allocate time or resources for, or reward. . . . Expanding leadership roles to include teacher leaders has had a profound effect on the culture, making it more participatory. And culture can inform action. For example, knowing who the informal power brokers in the culture are provides leaders with information about whom they should go to in order to test out ideas regarding potential changes in the organization.”

• Demonstrating Personal Growth and Enhanced Competence as a Lifelong Learner, Willing to Reflect on and Expand Ideas

“Lincoln’s life models the conceptualization of the leader as a learner and the importance of maintaining a learning community that builds capacity. . . . Lincoln’s example of lifelong learning serves as an inspiration for contemporary school leaders. Learning broadens horizons, affords additional perspectives, and provides the resources of multiple thoughts to enrich our work. Writing, in turn, allows us to put our experiences, and the connection we’ve made with formal and informal works and with individuals, into words so that we may reflect upon them and share them with others. School leaders make conscious choices about their capacity to grow by the activities in which they choose to engage.”

• Believing That Hope Can Become a Reality

“Evans suggests that school leaders can learn from President Lincoln’s example by maintaining clarity and focus (p. 222). However, Evans warns that clarity and focus are not enough to implement successful change: hope must also be present. . . .The community must recognize that for hope to be realized, both realism and reach must be embraced. Evans describes hope as a ‘balancing’ act between realism and reach: ‘It means not expanding the horizon of goals faster than dedicated people can advance’ (p. 291).”

“Reach and realism must be partners. Reach is a formidable hurdle and a primary reason why change, especially sustainable change, often is unrealized or abandoned. But reach should never be abandoned when a goal is worthwhile.”

“Engaging in work that inspires others to hope for a better world is courageous work. Effectively articulating questions and messages of hope with simplicity, and inspiring others with that message, is a skill that must be practiced.”

“Although hope includes a meaningful dream, thoughtful short-term and long-term strategies, articulation of a message, and operating as a team, other dynamics must be present. One such dynamic is the belief in the individual or individuals who lead the effort. We make judgments about taking ‘journeys of hope’ based on the character and personality of the leaders. Do we respect and trust the leadership? Do we believe in their character? Leaders are real people, not abstractions; they have personalities.”

In the next post, I will raise the question “How do these ten qualities help define leadership in the 21st Century?”

References in the quotes:
Ackerman, R. & Maslin-Ostrowski, P. (2004, April). The wounded leader. Educational Leadershi, 61 (7), 28-32.
Conger, J. (1989). The charismatic leader: Behind the mystique of exceptional leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Evans, R. (1996). The human side of school change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Heifetz, R. & Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the line. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Schlechty, P. (2001). Shaking up the schoolhouse: How to support and sustain educational innovation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.