Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast – Even in Downton Abbey

I worked in a school that had a rule: No Hats. It was just “the way things are done around here“. In my time in the school, no issue was more hotly debated and more emotional than the discussion about whether or not students should be permitted to wear hats at any time. It was about respect, it was about tradition. The power of this cultural norm was never more apparent to me when, one day, a new staff member arrived to the pro-d day, waltzed in, grabbed his coffee and sat down proudly wearing his red tattered baseball cap proudly backwards on his head. You could have cut the air with a knife.

Peter Drucker’s famous quote about the power of culture is simple, clear and correct. Recently when someone used it at a meeting I attended, it also struck me that if someone has a strategy that doesn’t include dealing with culture, then they are seriously misunderstanding what leadership is and how essential it is to always have culture as the core part of your strategy.

For about a year I worked at the district level asking the question to our senior managers “how can the district do the best job of serving schools?” In the end, the overall themes that emerged have proven to me to be timeless in any organizatation. The themes were:

Communication – communicate effectively, in a timely manner, give background information, and don’t have multiple people in the Board Office send the same or similar URGENT memo to schools and expect them to all jump. The often used quote “a lack of organization on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” comes to mind. Nothing lands worse than the bullet from upon high saying I need this and I need it now. Communication requires planning and communication requires consciously thinking about how things land in the field.

Collaboration – people need time to connect, to get to know each other, and to be part of the process. Consider the above common email issue that happens when urgent messages come from the district to schools. Simple planning, giving the schools a heads up and rationale can go a long way to soften urgent time sensitive messages. Use the structures you have to collaborate so people know that you care and that they are part of the plan. Think of how one or two simple phone calls to key leaders in the field can help soften such an urgent email. A few moments to give a rationale and talk about the need allows the word to spread a little more effectively when talk starts in the field about why things are done.

Obstacles – those higher up in the hierarchy of things should constantly be thinking of what you can do to remove obstacles to work getting done. Sometimes when you’re looking for the enemy you only need to hold up a mirror. Often districts set up routines and rules that not only don’t make sense, they actually halt processes rather than support them. Policies created a decade ago that don’t reflect current reality but simply have become “the way we do things around here” can often be part of the problem. You need to constantly review practices, policies and procedures and ask your self if they really help. Good policy is essential, and conversly, bad policy is useless and will only end up in people doing work-arounds to actually get anything done.

These three themes could emerge in the culture of any large operation when it looks at how to work more effectively together. Classroom teachers may say we just want effective, timely and respectful communication, time to collaborate, and the autonomy to do good work. Does this sound familiar to anyone? It’s the same themes in a different context.

I spend most of my time considering and working at culture. I found a blog  by John Bernard which had the following acronym to describe culture – STAR. This acronym described culture as the Stories, Taboos, Artifacts and Rituals of an organization and it really made sense to me. I also found a good description in this paper which added ceremonies and I agree that they form an important part.

Whatever your strategy for moving an organization forward, I agree with Drucker and it isn’t as much culture eats strategy but that if your strategy doessn’t include culture you aren’t going far. In fact, you may actually go backwards as just another leadership initiative that went nowhere.

The room quietened as the young staff member arrived (slightly late) to the session for all staff, grabbed his coffee and took his seat with his red ball cap on backwards. I was standing at the front presenting at the time, just doing welcomes. What was most interesting to me was that for all our conversations about hats in our school and what an important part of the culture it was for staff, for all the passionate stand and deliver speeches I heard about tradition, integrity and the importance of our no hat rule, not one single staff member asked him to remove his hat. Instead…everyone kind of looked up at me as if to say “Well, Jordan – what are you going to do about that?” I could see that those on both sides of the argument were watching with great interest.

As I normally try to do, in some kind of light, joking way I managed to ask him to remove his cap. He did so most willingly. But this episode reminds me of the power of culture, traditions and norms in a building. In its own way, that small red cap would have been the artifact to dominate the day if it wasn’t dealt with in the moment. Writing about it makes it sound so trivial but I can tell you that in the moment and 100 people looking on – our norms, beliefs, traditions and values were all being challenged and everyone knew it. Not only that, his reputation and relationship with many staff members was being shaken just by the act and, to this day, I don’t know if it was a simple oversight or a purposeful shot at some of his collegues. My careful strategy for the pro-d day was indeed being eaten for breakfast by a simple red cap.

Everything you do unfolds as part of the culture. Every person in the building plays a role in the culture of a building as culture is all about how we relate to each other on a daily basis. What you do today may become part of tradition tomorrow.

The wonderful series Downton Abbey is rife with great material for leadership, culture and traditions. Mr. Carson is among my most favourite characters as he staunchly clings to tradition and standards while watching the world change around him. As a study in tradition and cultural norms, the series is a gem. For the Crawleys and the Granthams, culture and tradition not only are their way of being, they are the actual strategy to secure their future. We’ll all watch with great interest how the future unfolds for Downton because one of the central struggles is, of course, that their personal strategy to maintain their own traditions are being eaten for breakfast by the changes in culture around them. As this great exchange between Shirley MacLaine and Maggie Smith shows:

Dowager Countess (Smith): “You Americans never understand the importance of Tradition.”

Martha Levinson (MacLaine): “Yes we do, we just don’t give it power over us. Maybe you should think about letting go of its hand.”

If Shirley MacLaine was watching closely, she may have seen that Maggie Smith was indeed right, but the outcome is certainly one she won’t expect and it will challenge Downton to its core. We’ll all watch with interest.

DBA – Death by Acronym

A while ago I wrote a post titled “Nothing you say matters if people can’t understand you.” Recently, we were talking with a group of parents and I was reminded of how easily those in education jump at acronyms and often this leaves those to whom you are speaking simply in the dark. So this post is a reflection on all the acronyms we use and a reminder to just speak plainly with no jargon when talking to parents or others who don’t live in our daily world.  All that education jargon doesn’t help convey the meaning of the real message.

We had a good DPAC meeting last week where we presented on the BCedPlan. After the meeting I met a couple of ABA parents who had questions. I reminded them that in November, there is a joint BCSTA, BCSSA, BCASBO, BCPVPA, FNESC, MoE, and BCCPAC pro-d meeting. I don’t think that the ABCDE are co-sponsors of the event but I believe the event will also be the BCSSA’s AGM.

BCPSEA and the BCTF both commented recently on the LIF monies districts have received from the MoE. Many districts will hire ESL support, LST’s,  OW’s, ICSSW’s, EA’s or SEA’s and we make sure that the focus is on students with an IEP, some who may need an SLP or OT. In our district, we met with CUPE and the STA to debrief the process.  With LIF, we think our SER will be down.

September was the end of student enrolment for funding. Likely some will be talking of the recent comments by FISA about enrolment. Speaking of enrolment and FISA, FTE versus HC is always critical in September. We need to make sure there is no GAAP as we head to spring and the time for FSA. We were watching the number of IDS courses but not so concerned about CAPP. 

At our recent NID, teachers had Pro-D events on Web 2.0 technologies supported, of course, by PLN. There were no workshops on BCeSIS. There was, however, a workshop on EBS. Another workshop that would be helpful is for educators to understand FOIPPA and all the info that is held by a PEN. Perhaps if we did that on a NID, it wouldn’t require as may TOC’s.

Ok, enough. All of the above tongue in cheek of course.

So the next time you are talking to a parent, a community member, or even an educator from another jurisdiction please remember that acronyms that fall so easily off of our tongues do not mean anything to those who aren’t “in the system.” If want people to truly understand what we say, we need to take the time to communicate the full message.

After all, DBA can come as easily as ABC if you don’t watch your P’s and Q’s.

September Stories – Education in B.C.

The office staff greeted me warmly as I entered the school. It was lunchtime. Kids were everywhere on this hot September day. After introducing myself, the admin assistant told me that I would likely find the principal on the upper field supervising students and I headed that way. As I wandered to the top field, a child in tears was coming down the hill. He was very young, kindergarten I guessed as he stopped in front of me to seek assistance. Something had happened, he wasn’t injured but he was upset. I felt rather helpless standing there with this weeping young child at my feet. Keenly aware that I was an “outsider” I looked around for a helping adult. Coming my way, only a few short steps from me was a young staff member who saw the situation and arriving at my side she knelt at his feet. She asked him what was wrong, comforted him and they began to move inside. She said thank you to me for helping and she was off. I knew the boy would be well cared for.  This was the start of a reminder for me of how great and caring our schools are. In this post, I devote a few stories to the beginning of school this year and what these stories tells us about the quality of our schools and those who work within.

I walked up the hill glancing back to see if the boy had stopped crying. He already looked better and I felt more at ease knowing that he was in good hands. As I got to the top of the hill, a gravel soccer field was before me. It hadn’t rained for quite a while and grey dust filled the air as groups of children moved to and fro on the field in search of the ball. What was immediately obvious was that this was not eleven a side soccer. This was a game for all comers regardless of age or ability and a great time was being had by all. Children of all sizes and shapes were laughing, running, and chasing the ball in the mid-day heat. Teams on each side were so large it was impossible to count. Through the dust, on the far end of the field, I saw a man in an orange safety vest. Whistle in his mouth, blowing from time to time, he called out the names of children, guided them in their play and watched with interest. It was the principal, I realized and I went to say hi and to chat, carefully dodging running children on the way. After a short talk, I left him to his most important task which was supervision of this large group and to let the play continue.

I headed down the hill toward my car. I began reflecting on all the schools I had visited in September. While not having visited all 125 of our schools, I was now well over 30. The stories I heard and the sites I saw showed me a system that is welcoming, focused, open, and inclusive. It left me with so much hope and simply reaffirmed all that I know about schools in BC. Some of what I saw:

• The Special Education Assistant who stopped me to introduce herself and to tell me about her startup and the joys of watching children progress. From tiny steps to giant leaps, the joy with which she told the story showed me how much care our adults have for those with whom they work.
• The group of 42 teachers, administrators and district staff who spent the afternoon talking about how we can work together to ensure that our district commitments are focused on the needs of teachers and schools. Their level of engagement in the task and their resolve for improvement was palpable.
• The principal who with his fellow administrators spent the better part of the morning doing a barbeque for students to welcome them to the year and to support them in their journey ahead. It was more than the gesture, it was the open commitment to the well-being of students and working to ensure that they connected to their school.
• The four boys, who leaving their school at the end of the day stopped, opened the door for me and welcomed me to their school as they headed out. Smiles, a warm greeting and truly pride in welcoming me to their site.
• The office staffs who in the opening weeks managed to deal with the pace and frenzy of competing demands from parents, students, staff and the public, yet in each and every case welcomed me to the school, clarified who I was, what I wanted and pointed me in the right direction.
• The PAC at one school who ran their local fun fair that night. Reaching out to the community, engaging parents, students and staff all in the interest of building community and yes, raising funds for a specific school need.

These are only a few of the many stories I could share. The essence of this post was that I was so struck by the quality, care and integrity of our programs and sites that I felt compelled to write.

So if you want to know about the quality of education in BC, it’s easy. Visit your neighbourhood school. There you will likely find the same caring teachers, support staff, administrators, students and parents that I see every day.

Education in B.C., it’s something of which we can all be proud.

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Leadership Story

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Picking the hill on which to die – the fine art of de-escalation

Ever get in a battle with a 4 year old and you reach a point (very quickly) where you realize you’ve lost? That realization normally comes when you’ve taken a stance that you realize you can’t possibly uphold. The mind starts to spin with “how am I going to get out of this?” What about teenagers where you may say “you do that one more time and I’ll….” – you’ll what? In my role, I spend a lot of time helping people through tough situations. When things are at their breaking point, they sometimes head this way. In so many cases, I am reminded of how important it is to find ways to de-escalate a situation before it gets to the point of no return. Sometimes the road back is a lot longer than the road to get there. Here are some thoughts on strategies to avoid or de-escalate conflict in the public arena.

1)      Pick the hill on which to die. I won’t put listening as the first skill and advice as it truly is but…as you listen to situations, as you weigh core values, processes, the overall situation, you need to decide what your eventual stance will entail. As you weigh things, you have to decide if this is the hill on which you wish to die. This really is important as often people think that conflict is about power when it really isn’t. Conflict is about differing views, process, negotiation, compromise. It is hard work and it requires that each side normally must give something to the process. If your starting point is “I’m right” and they just need to know why I’m right…you are in for a long day. Picking the hill is about weighing core values. If the conflict is about a clash of core values and not process or procedure, as you begin you need to carefully think about how far you are willing to go to seek resolution. Values-based conflicts are among the most difficult to resolve.

2)      Enter the situation prepared to lose. Dealing with conflict certainly isn’t about winning or losing but often I feel that it can go that way for one side or the other. If you enter a situation prepared to realize that you or the institution may be wrong, then it’s a good starting point. Feeling that you come from a place of power, that people simply don’t understand the complexity of the situation and you need to help them understand is normally not a good starting place. If you aren’t willing to believe that you or the organization may not have got it right, then you really aren’t open to the possibility that they have a legitimate concern that you need to hear.

3)      Take your sail out of their wind. As you listen to the concern, don’t counter-argue. The first step is to truly understand their concern not to further establish a counterargument. Listen, then listen some more, then articulate back to them their concern in different language so that you show them that you get it. Show people that you truly understand their viewpoint, their concern and that you take it at face value.

4)     Don’t reaffirm things you don’t agree with. Sometimes, when I watch people listen to tough situations, they nod their head, they smile and they reaffirm the speaker to let them know that they are listening. Just a word of caution in that sometimes, people are telling you things that are not positive about your employees and they may not be accurately representing the scenario in its full context.  A nod, a smile and “yes” that you may have intended to be reaffirming that you are indeed listening can be taken as agreement that the employee has done the wrong thing or behaved inappropriately. As stated above, don’t counter and absolutely listen with interest but don’t lead people to believe that if they tell you someone did something inappropriate, that you agree with that. What you are affirming is that you understand, not that you agree. What you want to avoid is, for example, the potential for a parent dissatisfied with a principal’s decision going back to the principal and saying that they’ve met with district staff and the district agreed that the principal was wrong.

5)     Seek resolution that honours people’s concerns. Each side will have a point. Each side probably feels strongly about the role they played. Your job, in seeking resolution is to find an outcome where people know, most importantly, that you listened, you were fair, and you gave full weight to their concerns.

6)      Seek help when needed. No one knows it all. As you listen, as you form a resolution find a trusted colleague to bounce it off of. If you are unsure at all, seek help. This is the best thing you can do and as a colleague, there is actually a great feeling to have someone come and ask “what do you think about this” knowing that you get to give your unbridled feedback and then let them lead the way. People love to offer advice. It is valued. It is valuable. It honours others and makes you better. So want to know if you’ve got it right – just ask someone. Great colleagues are all around you.

7)      Delivery is everything. Facebook has a “Like” button but have you ever looked for the “Unlike” button? You get one shot at making an impression on people where they feel that they have been dealt with fairly or not. When you have a resolution or a decision, themanner in which you deliver it is of utmost importance. Your outcome should reflect that you heard what people had to say, you weighed the consequences, processes, and you’ve made a call. Deliver with care. Deliver as if you were the recipient.

8)      Make a call and act as if there is no higher level. – The worst outcome is no outcome. People come to you looking for help. A delay or a pushing up or off to another level really isn’t help at all. As a leader, you were hired to make a decision in a transparent and fair manner. You should be comfortable making a decision and standing behind it. Don’t suggest that it’s the best you can do and if they don’t like it they can appeal a higher level. There may be a time for that when you’ve done all you possibly can do but, you should act as if you are the highest level and you want an outcome that is final with people leaving feeling that they were dealt with fairly.

9)      The gut test, the front page test, the mom test. In homage to Rushworth Kidder, when you serve in the public, you need to be comfortable with whatever you’re doing being on the front page of the local paper. No one wants a headline that puts the district in bad light, but if you feel that the headline will be bad (“School Board Denies Education to Homeless Child”) then the situation probably requires a bunch more work. Not because you are afraid of the media – but because what is happening probably really isn’t the best you can do. If it doesn’t “feel” right, if it isn’t something you would be comfortable sharing with your mom as an example of good work, then it probably is a situation that requires more work. So when you make your final call, give it the test and see how it holds.

One of the great joys of working in service of the public is that you get to help people. Every day you can make a difference in people’s lives. Inserting yourself to help in situations of conflict can be rewarding and yet it can be tough as well. People call on you because they need your skill and expertise. They called because they want you to help. Hopefully, the above offer some points of reflection on how to wade through tough times.

So the next time someone comes to you with a problem. Listen with interest, clarify for them to show that you understand, seek a resolution that is honouring and test your result with a colleague. If it’s really tricky, ask yourself the mom test. Would she be proud of your work?

Finally, often I hear that people need a resolution today/now – or they’re going to the media or government or lawyers or elsewhere. Rarely is it true that an immediate resolution is required. They might want a resolution today but it isn’t essential. Seeking a quick resolution is often also seeking a bad resolution process-wise.  My experience has taught me that in the vast majority of situations, you always have more time than you think you do. Take the time you need get it right. Spending time to get it right may be the most important thing you do as you work to a successful outcome. In the end, people will appreciate the time and care that you did invest in addressing their concern.

So the next time you see a toddler in a tantrum, watch a teenager up the ante when a parent doesn’t want them to do something, or you see two adults moving up the anger mountain, look for the strategies at play. Likely, with some of the above suggestions, you too can have success with the next opportunity to test your skills.

Transparency is more than handing out the spreadsheet – revisiting the Six Secrets

On a few of my posts I have reflected on good works in the past that seem to fly by. When the “next good book” on leadership or process comes out, we often simply turn our minds to new thoughts and trends in educational leadership or leadership in general. I tend to keep things around and reflect back on things that people wrote that really had an impact on me. Some works come to mind like Ernest Boyer’s In Search of Community or Ursula Franklin’s The Real World of Technology. Another book that is really a benchmark for me is Michael Fullan’s Six Secrets of Change. It is a benchmark because what he said about transparency really struck a chord. Transparency (Secret #5) is more than showing the numbers. It is more than handing out a spreadsheet or formula and saying there it is. Transparency is giving people the evidence and material that they need, and helping them see the meaning behind the numbers or words. Transparency isn’t about sharing the data. It’s about sharing the meaning and nuances behind the data. I want to share an example of what I believe transparency looks like and the benefits that can be gained.

Last year we used a new method to deal with staffing allotments at secondary. One of the things we did was take the staffing we held back to deal with last minute adjustments needed in September and we formed a very small working committee to hand out that staffing. One of our starting points was to hand out all the initial staffing allocations to all schools to everyone on the committee. This was a bit of a watershed moment as I’m not sure that everyone had seen everyone else’s staffing in the past. They may have but to hand out the excel spreadsheets seemed a bit of a new twist. In doing so we also asked any school asking for staffing to share their entire timetable structure so we could weigh requests. This small committee had a defined task – look at requests for staffing, look at timetables and needs, and hand out staffing – about half a million dollars worth overall. I share the above only for context but I want to talk about the benefits of doing this small activity – dealing with staffing allocations in a transparent way.

First, we worked as equals. Everyone brought their knowledge and experience to the table and everyone had value and insights to add to the issue at hand. Every decision we made really was by consensus.

Second, the schools sent their most knowledgeable timetable people to the table. In some cases, this meant vice-principals since they did most of the timetabling or were in the details enough to make a solid contribution. This gave me an opportunity to work closely with VP’s and get to know them more in detail and see their strengths and styles. It also meant that our Human Resources team who did secondary staffing was at the table with the schools so the conversations that normally were behind closed doors or 1:1 were now way more in the open as everyone sat and listened to HR’s needs and to school needs as well.

Third, we got to look at the whole district. HR brought all the data about school class size and composition and we were able to weigh requests from schools against their actual timetables and allotted staffing of the day.

In the end, we had a small group with a defined task. We had the information we needed and we had the expertise in the room to get the job done. The group met only a few times and, as promised, we gave out our half million dollars in staffing. However, really the whole goal of the exercise was to make staffing in September a little more transparent.

What does this type of transparency and process accomplish? Secret #3 is about the importance of capacity building. Working together with colleagues on a task that has impact really shows you what people offer, their expertise and allows you to get to know them. They, in turn, get to see the district picture and more context about the demands of balancing competing interests. Everyone gains and the system capacity grows.

Secret #1 is about valuing your colleagues and employees as much as your “clients.” Trusting people with a major decision like staffing is demonstrating such value. As you can imagine with staffing on the line, not only do these committee members want to do good work, but they also will be judged by their peers in the field to ensure that the work is fair and transparent. When you work by consensus on a clearly defined task, you show people that you value their contributions, expertise, and the meaning they bring to the table.

But the real intent of this post is about transparency. I have learned over the years that transparency is often thought of as sharing the “stuff” (whatever the stuff is) and I don’t actually believe that is transparency. I’ve seen (and probably handed out) enough 6 point font spreadsheets to know that really if you don’t take the time to explain to people what you’re giving them, it really isn’t transparency.

In the examples I’ve shared, I’ve used formula-based information and numbers. But transparency is also about the nuances behind any information you share. When you explain concepts that have taken years to evolve and are adjusted to local context, they require a little time and detail. Most often, the person sharing the information knows the time-tested questions that went into shaping things the way they are. It would be the most unusual situation where a complex topic simply is “solved” on the spot once and forever more it is unchanged. Things evolve, things take time. Complex topics require the history and context that goes with the spreadsheet or handout.

In the end, transparency is about who you are as a leader. It requires work to communicate well and to help people understand the meaning behind the words and, in some cases, numbers. Transparency is about openness of intent, it’s about openness of mind to new possibilities. In short, being transparent in your leadership practices will not only make you a better leader, it will make everyone around you better as well.

So the next time you’re dealing with a difficult topic or something that took years to evolve. If it took you two years to build the spreadsheet or guidelines, it’s probably worth half an hour to explain. It will be time well spent.

Feedback – the single most powerful mechanism to improve leading/learning?

John Hattie’s (2003) research paper titled “Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?” has been referenced many times when I’ve been present to talk about what we know about learning. His research explored the factors that have an impact on learning and which factors make the biggest difference.

One of Hattie’s first findings was that “it is what students bring to the table that predicts achievement more than any other variable.” This background knowledge and ability account for about 50% of the variance of achievement. After this opening finding, he goes on to look at several other factors including home, the principal, the school, peer effects, and finally teachers. Not surprisingly, next to the background that the student brings to the classroom, the overwhelming determinant on learning is the teacher.

When you continue into Hattie’s study and what makes exceptional teachers, he finds that effective feedback has the single highest impact on learning. Once he goes in depth into discrete factors in all areas, effective feedback is seen to have even more impact on learning than prior cognitive ability. This is an astounding finding in that effective feedback as an indicator of achievement even surpasses what students already know and are able to do.

I am always curious about what research tells us about learning and how this knowledge not only applies to students, but applies to adults. When you move into a position of leadership – it is a learning journey. If you are to be an effective leader, you must prove to be a powerful learner. This learning, as so many people know, occurs on the job and is situational. You learn from your experiences and (hopefully) become a better leader with each year. If effective feedback is the greatest determinant of learning, then how do you as a leader gather such feedback? Sometimes this is difficult in a role that has power-over relationships.

In earlier posts, I wrote about:

• Critical friends;
• The importance of perception;
• The power of apology and accepting responsibility; and
• The importance of learning to listen.

The link that I’m trying to make in this post is that the above items are all feedback mechanisms. If you choose to use them and to pay attention to “the song beneath the words” as Heifetz would say, you not only are responding to the feedback you are getting, but you are probably learning a great deal along the way.

If it’s good for young people, it’s probably good for all of us. Effective feedback is more than just words. When people give you feedback, they are helping make you better. It’s your choice to listen or not but the reality is that we all need great teachers in our lives. The best teacher you have may be that critical friend, colleague or peer who simply tells you in a kind and gentle way about how you are doing. So Hattie would suggest that you do pay attention. After all, it may be the single most powerful thing to help you in your leadership/learning journey.