While sitting on the train we noticed a woman traveling with a large 4 wheeled suitcase and a backpack. The backpack was connected to the pull handle of the bag. She casually held the pull string of the backpack in her hand. It was fascinating to watch how the train stopped and started continuously but the bag stayed in place with little to no movement. As we were watching and discussing one of our presentations about change it made us reflect on how being grounded impacts change and how you can maneuver through it.

1. Avoid quicksand, you don’t have to be grounded with lead feet. You do have to have enough of a hold, i.e. The suitcase and a small string were able to keep the case steady in an unsteady environment.

2. Adjust your footing. One of the most important things about change is being able to look at the situation and make adjustments. At one point, she noticed the suitcase was edging it’s way into the aisle and adjusted it back into the desired position. If something is not going as planned, stop and adjust.

3. Remain secure. As leaders it’s our job to provide security to those at all levels of the change continuum. Majority motion is what truly creates a sustainable change so don’t become wary of creating safe places for individuals to adjust to the new normal. Creating environments without fear moves everyone forward.

4. Keep your eye on the goal. As soon as the individual got distracted and didn’t keep a conscious hold of the backpack string, the suitcase started to shift and roll as the train was in motion. The suitcase needed that small amount of adjustment to stay on track. Use a light hand and be a presence.  

5. On one of the stops the suitcase rolled out of her reach and ran into the barrier in front of her.   She got out of her seat and moved the suitcase back to the desired location. It’s OK to make significant changes if necessary. 

The suitcase arrived at its destination, and so will you. It had stories to tell along the way and regardless of the route, it was successful. We are all on a journey,  and working to stay grounded as a leader you realize sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.  Adjust the path, trust the process and celebrate the successes.

Leaders who support and guide change do the following:

1. Have a clear vision of how the change fits into the organization.
2. Know the key individuals within the technology adoption curve.
3. Encourage all individuals to participate and design change that will improve the system.
4. Develop policies that create safe environments for innovation and risk taking.
5. Use relationships and interactions to manage expectations, celebrations, & risks.
6. Use Professional Learning Communities to model how to manage the emotions that change brings to the surface.
7. Engage in conversation about the change with everyone and anytime the opportunity presents itself.
8. Use meaningful data to connect vision and change. Adjust course as needed based on data points.
9. Provide individuals room to grieve the old way, experiment in the darkness, and embrace the future.
10. Celebrate, often and in ways that are important to the learning community.

Change is the one constant and how you lead matters.

More at http://smithandgann.com/grow

As we get older our eyesight changes. We lose the ability to see close up and it’s easy to miss the small details in life.  When we think about vision, it’s important to notice the small details, while keeping your eyes on the larger vision. Leaders must think about the whole picture and an important part of your role is to make sure a clear vision is directing your team’s path.  Leaders must be realistic when creating vision, however, at the vision setting level it’s important to keep the day to day challenges in perspective so they do not cloud clarity for the future.

A few questions we think are important for leaders to consider when creating and monitoring vision include:

• When was the last time you analyzed how the organization is moving towards its vision?
• If you are a new leader, what do you know about the vision that is currently in place? Is it your vision and if not, how do you honour the past vision while integrating it into yours?
• Are the stakeholders working toward and aligned with the ultimate goal the vision is trying to reach? If so, how do you know? If not, what is missing?
• Does your vision reflect today’s culture?
• Does your current vision fit within the overall ethical and legal requirements?
• Is your vision too broad or too narrow?
• Do the employees, students and community know the vision?
• Do they know what the organization is doing about moving towards the vision??

When your vision is clear and you have received input and support from your leadership team and/or mentor, model and reinforce the vision throughout your learning community. Successful strategies that you may consider in helping define/redefine and keeping the vision alive and current include:

• Attending Conferences
• Identifying and working with a mentor
• Participating in Professional Development
• Being part of Professional Learning Communities
• Following leaders on Twitter and being a part of Twitter Chats
• Visiting other schools/organizations
• Reading Research
• Evaluating Standards
• Dissecting Data
• Listening to stakeholders
• Reflection

Determining, communicating and maintaing an organizational vision is the first step to guiding a successful change process.  Next is keeping the larger purpose in focus as day-to-day details pull your attention in different directions.  Taking time to reflect on the questions above, and creating spaces to learn will only make you a stronger leader who builds sustainable change within their organization.

http://smithandgann.com/coach/

Convincing others to accept and share your vision while providing the tools to self-navigate through the process of change can be daunting. Take a moment and consider the following:

People know how to change, they do it every day. They encounter a detour on the road to work and have to take a different route. They go to the grocery store and the cereal has been moved or discontinued. Somehow they still arrive at work and they find breakfast food. They know their vision and navigate the change to find a solution.

We are acutely aware that organizational change is not as simple as driving to work or shopping for breakfast cereal. How does a leader make sustainable change in an organization? William Bridges states in his book Managing Transitions, “Change is situational. Transition is psychological. Getting people through the transition is essential if the change is actually to work as planned. When a change happens without people going through a transition, it is just a rearrangement of the chairs.”

Have you ever felt like you were in a place where all you did was rearrange the chairs?  We believe it’s a common problem in schools today.  It’s not uncommon for veteran teachers to say things like, “this too shall pass.” or  “Same thing, different name.”  We both can speak of numerous experiences we’ve shared in this realm during our educational careers.  The world has changed.  Education is beginning to change at a rapid pace. With the additional tools that a mobile society brings, opportunities for learning have exceeded what many may dream.  However, there is so much more happening and it’s not going at a snails pace.  Innovative leaders are creating spaces where learning can occur outside of buildings.  Teachers are embracing new pedagogy where learning is occurring in the classroom, outside of the classroom, and on days when school is not in session.  Transformation in education occurs when students are able to apply learning not only in the classroom with common core and state standards but to their daily life.

Creating transitional change within an organization should be at the top of every leaders priority. Healthy organizations experience constant change and leadership must help others share in the vision so they can self-navigate. We are going to spend the next few weeks writing about a few strategies that have helped us implement change within organizations.  Over the next few weeks we will share a number of posts to assist:  Vision setting and four strategies we have used to build sustainable change structures.

Join us at ISTE 2015 to learn more about how this process will work in your organization:

Strategies for Guiding Sustainable Change in Any Organization  Monday, June 29, 12:30-3:30 

Leadership in and Era of Change Tuesday, June 30, 2:15-3:15

A couple of tips that have worked for us are:

• Getting clarification on the goal of a specific task.
• Turning off email for 30 minute blocks of time so concentrated effort can be given to activity.
• Setting a timer for small amounts of time where the only thing you can work on is the project.
• Schedule time on the calendar so others can’t interrupt your worktime.
• Setting personal deadlines that may be a day or week before actual deadline.
• Creating an outline of the project, especially when it feels bigger than life. Then filling in details as they occur. This way we are not stuck on the small details.
• Keep a reasonable to do list.
• Find a friend or colleague to hold you accountable.
• Celebrate and have fun.

When you are feeling the procrastination bug hit, try to remember what it feels like when you can cross something off the “To Do List!”.  The energy you get from that memory is inspiring.