What lessons have I learned that specifically impact my leadership style?
Let's talk Appreciative Inquiry, shall we?
I don't have all the answers and I shouldn't. This is something that Ann taught me along the way. I realized I made quite a few mistakes along the way. See in the beginning, Ann would assign a task, project or responsibility and I was bound and determined to be "successful." If Ann said "get it done," I would proceed to "get it done." The problem with this approach, I soon found out, comes with the metaphor of "bull in the china shop." Let me provide you with an example ... Ann very clearly laid out her vision for one of my tasks ...which was streamlining the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) structure. So, on my way I went. I involved a few stakeholders initially (not strategically either, might I add.) I had Ann, of course ... but I also had the Behavioral Specialist & MTSS Coordinator, Amy, who was also a new addition to the school. Amy and I were determined to create the MTSS system of all systems ... the Mack Daddy MTSS structure, if you will. We had some great information to drive us forward. I was fortunate to be able to sit in on MTSS meetings from the preceeding year to wrap my head around some of the concerns. I had also heard lots of conversation from teachers as well as the MTSS team about everything that was "wrong" with the structure. So armed with this information, Amy and I got started. We created templates and flow sheets and Standard Operating Procedures for student induction into the MTSS process. We had hand outs, and power points, and structure ...OH MY!! It was beautiful. We stood back in awe of our work. We worked for weeks and weeks and weeks continually making often modest tweaks and at other times huge tweaks to the process.
So, then how am I considering this a lesson? Well along the way, I realized that I had messed up royally by not including all the stakeholders in the process. There were individuals, key players that held major pieces of this puzzle ... skill sets and experience that I just didn't consider. Hurt feelings and feelings that I did not value the work that had been done before me or the value that these individuals had... I had new policies where the old policies were already very structured. Talk about how not to "WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE." I started with a "deficit" view (I know Dr. Luis Moll, author of Funds of Knowledge, Dr. Zorka Karanxja and Dr. Leonard Burrello are all shaking their heads in dismay ... did my graduate studies not teach me anything??) The concept that drove the work of Funds of Knowledge is that we should value the skill-set and assets of those involved in the process to maximize the potential of the students, the classroom and in this case the organizational framework that drove the support for student interventions. I considered everything that was wrong with the MTSS structure and nothing that was right. Amy and I expended a lot of energy into solving problems and fixing things that never even needed to be fixed. We had assigned roles to people who had never had that role and overlooked very skilled individuals who had value in various capacities that should have been included as key stakeholders in the MTSS process. We excluded whole individuals and skill sets simply because we did not look at the MTSS structure through the lens of Appreciative Inquiry. The Appreciative Inquiry model functions on the basis of asking questions to get to the source of the problem. I didn't engage in this part of the Problem Solving process. I didn't really ask any questions at all. I was steadfast and grounded on my assumptions and my deficit thinking.
How is this opening my eyes as a leader? I realize that I have to involve all stake holders in the process. This is something I have watched Ann do so eloquently time and time again. If there is a concern or a problem, Ann never arbitrarily attempts to solve the problem single-handedly. She never rides in on her trusty horse with her sword drawn eager to "save the day." She models the notion of Appreciative Inquiry by asking questions and identifying the possible solutions and outcomes from the perspective of all individuals involved.
So maybe, next time ... I will save myself frustration, hurt feelings, and a lot of unnecessary work in trying to fix something I don't completely understand.
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