Description
Book SynopsisBuilding change for the long game
It’s natural to resist change – but when we fundamentally commit to putting our students first, we must also commit to make lasting changes in current practice. Can we lead individuals and school teams to embrace strategic effort and lasting growth despite challenging circumstances and inevitable resistance?
For school leaders willing to change their behavior on behalf of their teams, the answer is Yes! This practical, thoughtful book builds on what we already know about change, invites reflection, and provides guidance to develop changes that will last. Readers will learn to:
- Organize and create conditions in which staff and students flourish
- Focus on phases of change and address the critical leadership practices that will simultaneously move change forward and address the kinds of resistance that may appear
- Apply two long-term stories of district change to their own particular contexts, so they can avoid mistakes and focus on strategies that work
- Create their own relationship-rich, personalized path for leading and managing change
We can build more reliable and effective changes in schools by ensuring steady progress over time. Dig into this informative book to discover the what, how, and why of a holistic change architecture to move your teams toward impactful changes that will stand the test of time.
Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments About the Author Introduction The Reality The Good News What This Book Will Not Be A Peek Inside Chapter 1: Build It for the Long Haul Nourish Change for a Long Life Lead With a Deep Knowledge of Each Phase of Long-Term Change Lead With a “People-Sensitive Mindset” of How the Change Efforts Will Play Out A Snapshot of Our Two School Districts Attempting Change Chapter 2: Giving Initiation the Attention It Deserves Take the Time to Start the Right Way Leadership Essential Actions During Initiation The Leaders of Our Two School Districts Initiate the Work Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Implementation Over Time Lead for the Long Term and Expect to See a Range of Quality in the Change Leadership Essential Actions During Implementation The Leaders of Our Two Districts Implement their Work Chapter 4: Ensuring Permanence Don’t Think the Work Is Over! Leadership Essential Actions During Institutionalization Our Two School Districts and the Attempts to Institutionalize the Work Chapter 5: Anticipating Some Pushback Accept and Appreciate That Resistance Will Happen at Some Point in the Change Realize the Complexities of Resistance and Why It Triggers Strong Emotions in Us Our Two School Districts and the Attempts to Manage the Resistance Chapter 6: Strategies for Understanding and Managing the Pushback Embrace the Unpleasantness, but Embrace It Calmly and Strategically Chapter 7: Productive Talk About the Change Effective Conversations Are Your Most Powerful Tools for Learning and Change The What The What Combined With the How Our Two School Districts and their Attempts to have Productive Talk About the Change Chapter 8: Finding the Moments References Index
