Switch How to Change Things When Change is Hard Leadership is the practice of guiding and inspiring others to journey willingly toward an identified target; done well, it nurtures a culture of risk-taking and learning, thereby creating the opportunity for meaningful changes in the direction, beliefs, values, practices, and skills of the individual, group, and organization. Cassandra Erkins, Leadership at Every Level. Charlotte, North Carolina, 2008 Leadership "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Alan Keith Thinking About Change Rider = rational side, intellect Has the reins Tends to analyze (or over-analyze) Elephant= emotional side Really big! Goes where it wants Has the passion (but is into instant gratification!) Smoothing the Path = making it easier Switch (p. 8) Team members will have understanding without motivation. Team members will have passion without direction. Reach Riders but not the Elephants Reach Elephants but not their Riders In both cases, the flaws can be paralyzing. The Rider Evidence But insufficient for difficult change (diet, exercise, smoking) True but useless Behavior change easy & clear vs. complex Move from in-actionable to-dos to well defined, do-able next actions What does good look like? Concrete Use riders power of analysis to figure our how to get to motivating destination, rather than on how to resist the change Direct the Rider Drink 1% milk Specifics! strategies scheduling grouping Resources Time for collaboration Eat HealthyTeach literacy What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. When the rider is not clear, he may lead the elephant in circles. Direct the Rider Find the bright spots Concrete, clear Script the critical moves Eat healthier vs. drink 1% milk Point to the destination Big Hairy Audacious Goals (Built to Last, Collins & Porras, 1994) clear, compelling, unifying focal point Destination postcard vivid picture from near-term future that shows what is possible (p. 76) What looks like laziness is often EXHAUSTION! Heath & Heath, 2010, p 12 Motivate the Elephant Find the Feeling! See-feel-change (rather than analyze-think-change) Shrink the Change! Quick easy wins to establish momentum Grow Your People! Were the kind of people who _______ Fixed vs. growth mindsets (Any new path, even one thats ultimately successful, is going to involve failure. p. 162) Changes often fail Because the Rider simply cant keep the Elephant on the road long enough to reach the destination. (p. 7) Fixed or Growth Mindset? (p. 163) Agree or disagree You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are cant really be changed. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are. Risk of Failure If you are a fixed mindset, you avoid challenges Agree with 1 & 3, you are a fixed mindset Agree with 2 & 4, you tend to have a growth mindset Agree with 1 & 2, you are confused. Your answers will determine how easy it is for you to handle failure, and how dogged you will be in pursuing change. Shape the Path Tweak the Environment Reduce friction for desired behavior Make the right behaviors a little easier and the wrong behaviors a little bit harder Build Habits Action Triggers (ex: plan a time to do a task) Checklists WORK!! Rally the Herd Find fast horses and work to create a language Public display of performance Support momentum What looks like a person problem is often a situation problem (p. 180) Fundamental Attribution Error: Assuming people are unwilling to change rather than looking at factors which lock them from changing (Lee Ross, Standford Psychologist) Successful change efforts focus on changing the situation to bring about the behavior change. Solution Focused Imagine overnight that your XYZ literacy projects obstacles were resolved. Specifically: What would the LDEs role look like? What would the principals role entail? What would the teachers day look like? Roles and schedules in planning, implementation & evaluation What would the students day look like? Engagement, opportunities, supports, accessible materials What would the parents role entail? What would supports look like? To move systems towards successful literacy programs, what can we do to direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and smooth the path: At the state level? At the district level? At the school building level? At the classroom level? Your Riders Successful literacy programs What evidence do they need? How do you shift their focus to solution implementation rather than problem rumination? Are there bright spots in the school, district, or region? What critical moves are needed to get changes underway? What destination postcards can been sent? Your Elephants Successful literacy programs Is there a see-feel-change emphasis? What can we do to provide some quick wins in terms of collaborative practices? How can we minimize fear of change? The Path (make the journey easy) Successful literacy programs Do state, district and school structures (e.g., schedules, staffing, resource access, guidance, technology) support implementation of evidence based literacy practices? Are there stumbling blocks which could be removed to make implementation easier? What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. (p. 192)