The Uncomfortable Truth About Leadership Failure (B)

A continuation of the discussion from yesterday.

It is leadership that is positioned to see the “big picture.” It is leadership that controls resources. It is leadership that oversees the system. It is leadership that leads. 

When all, or even some, of the critical components of instructional infrastructure are not provided in a district or on a campus, it could be that leadership is either unaware of the need of the component(s), the value of the component(s), or the availability of the component(s).  Not knowing is a form of ignorance, harsh, but correctable.

On the other hand, if leadership is aware of the need, value and/or availability of the critical components of instructional infrastructure and does not provide them for teachers, then the fairest assumption is that some fear is preventing leadership from acting. Not some seemingly valid internal or external constraint, but the fear of addressing the constraint.

In the case where all of the critical components of instructional infrastructure are available to the district or campus, and one or more of those components are not being implemented at scale, with fidelity; this represents either leadership fear or failure.  It could be fear: fear of addressing teacher concerns or pushback; fear of dealing with vocal fringe elements in the community; fear of answering Board questions.  Fear is real, but as a veteran principal explained to rookie principals, “You have to face your fear, that’s why you get paid the medium sized bucks.” 

When ignorance and fear have been ruled out, and the implementation of critical infrastructure is not occurring at scale, all that remains is leadership failure. Because, bottom line, if leadership is not in charge of the system, who is?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Uncomfortable Truth About Leadership Failure (A)

When one or two teachers are not successful, that generally represents a personnel issue.  Personnel issues are best solved through coaching. A leader will coach the teacher to success or coach the teacher out of the organization.

But when lots of teachers are unsuccessful, that generally represents leadership failure.   The mere suggestion of leadership failure is a scary proposition.  The immediate and invariable responses are either anger, “How dare YOU,” or defensiveness, “What YOU don’t understand is...”

Recognizing this, a brief explanation of why this is the case is warranted.  When teachers are not successful, at scale, the ‘system’ is failing. School ‘systems’ often fail due to the lack of provided and/or implemented instructional infrastructure.  And the provision and implementation of instructional infrastructure is a function of leadership.  So in spite of the excuses, we must recognize that when the system isn’t working, the blame isn’t on the shoulders of the teachers or the students.  The blame rests on the shoulders of those responsible for the “big picture.”

Something to chew on.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Being a Smart Ass Isn't Leadership

Recently, I observed a Principal who was sitting with some teachers during a staff development session. A nice guy with a quick wit.  For each point made by the trainer, he had the funny, sarcastic example that belittled the point.  When doing a group exercise, he focused of the attributes of two of the teachers at his table.  Making fun of both, one in a positive way, the other in a negative way.

He evidently missed E. Don Brown's first lesson of the Principalship, "The Principal doesn’t get to have a sense of humor... the stakes are too high." 

Our comedian (and he was funny) diminished the importance of the training session and put a staff member in the position of have to laugh at her own unflattering characterization.

Oh, and his campus is losing ground to his peer campuses.

Who’s laughing now?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Five Teachers

Two brothers, one year apart in age. One ends up with multiple degrees, a professional job, and stable home life.  One ends up with no degrees, trouble with the law, and multiple children with multiple women. What drove the different outcomes? 

My premise... Five teachers. 

Two elementary teachers, Rasmussen and Harris, who broke the rules to nurture a poor kid in a suburban school.  A sixth grade teacher, Maas, who recognized that the status quo track was the wrong track.  A middle school teacher, Shipper, who stayed focused on the academics and ignored the behavior. A high school coach and teacher, Wallace, who taught more through example, action, and character than through words and content. 

One brother was lucky enough to have the right five teachers. The other, not as fortunate.

Lives were changed. 

Be one of the FIVE.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of October 2, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of October 2, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. "If you want to be a leader that makes a difference, then you've got to be a different kind of leader." -Sherilynn Cotten (By @sixoclock)

2. There is a huge difference between legal and right. Not doing “Right” because it is legal shows a lack of character. (By @LYSNation)

3. Successful schools have a lot more people visiting classrooms a lot more often. (By @jackson_carrie)

4. If you want to become better at instruction, go see more instruction. (By @jackson_carrie)

5. Without short-cycle common assessments, your scope and sequence is just a poorly implemented suggestion. (By @LYSNation)

6. Leadership is creating arbitrary order inside chaos... (By @sixoclock)

7. Principals are either the accelerator or the brake on our campuses. (By @jackson_carrie)

8. Allowing a kid to retake an assessment says to the kid you believe in them and their ability to do better; it says your learning is my goal... (By @justintarte)

9. We do NOT need more police. Or more jails. We need more education. Proactive. Not reactive. (By @Snowmanlearning)

10. When we put it on the calendar, we say it's important. What gets rescheduled/canceled all the time at your school? (By @jackson_carrie)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook