" One of my goals is to have a school led by many leaders, not one leader. The one rule I have is this, if you come in with an issue or a complaint, you will need to have two solutions ready to go." The next thing I said to the staff was this. One of the first statements I made when becoming the Principal of Olympic View was this."My office door is, figuratively speaking, always open. Be humble, be honest and learn alongside your team! What did this accomplish? First, it showed the team that I am "Learning Alongside," and two it helped me gauge where the team was both in terms of their functionality and instructional practices. We scored the essays and engaged in an amazing conversation. As the team enthusiastically agreed I felt a little torn between joy (the team actually wanted me to be apart of their time!) and anxiousness (I was really putting myself out there and being vulnerable!). Each member of the team brought student essays and calibrated the scoring against the rubric. Recently, our fifth grade team was engaged in an assessment scoring calibration during their team time. Are you a leader who is willing to say " I don't know the answer to that, but WE are going to find out!" Are you a leader who has the ability to pivot to those around you who have the answers, learn from THEM, and then give THEM credit? If you are committed to the idea that Collective Efficacy is real and will change your institution, then you must be willing learn alongside your staff. Leaders who are grounded in Collective Efficacy are also grounded in being humble and honest. Organizations that engage trust and transparency virtually guarantee idea generating innovation simply because the team believes they are part of the solution. If this were me, I wouldn't ever take a shot! In education we have to cultivate a climate of trust and true transparency. When he passes the ball to you and you take your first shot and miss, does he yell at you? Does he say "I knew it.I should have never passed you the ball!" No! Can you imagine your second, third or fourth miss. Think about it, let's say that you are on the Chicago Bulls basketball team playing with Michael Jordan. True "Collective" organizations do not point fingers, they resolve set backs and constantly move forward. We all know what that moment is! The "Gotcha!" moment is when an organization launches a new idea or initiative without the proper development or implementation strategies and when "mistakes" are made fingers are pointed and blame is leveled. Of course it will not always be high fives and laughter, however staying positive can mean simply, moving forward!Īn organization that values trust and lives in this work everyday will never have a "Gotcha!" moment. They prioritize by identifying those small number of objectives, provide meaningful professional development targeted to those objectives, monitor the progress frequently and celebrate success! True collective organizations stay positive in the work as well. Or the organizations where the leader goes to a conference and comes back saying, "Ok great I have this great idea I just learned, let's implement this now!" Good and great organizations have a laser focus on the work and a small set of core beliefs and objectives. the institutions where objectives change so frequently that there is never any follow through. How many organizations have "Shiny Object Syndrome?" You know these types. While this idea that the group's shared belief can translate into levels of attainment, leaders must be cautious and intentional in leading their institution to this next level. As I reflect on the past three years as the proud Principal of Olympic View Elementary in the Federal Way Public Schools I believe that the concept of Collective Efficacy is THE most important idea that will bring about significant change to any educational institution the schoolhouse, central office or school district.
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