Steering Your Organization through the Permanent Whitewater of Change Nancy S. Dickinson Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies Conference August 21, 2012

Presentation Leading in Child Welfare  The NCWWI Child Welfare Leadership Model  Strengths-based Leadership  Meeting Adaptive Challenges  Visionary Leadership  Resilience A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 2

Acknowledgement The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) is currently funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the Children’s Bureau, Award No. 90CT0145. NCWWI is a partnership of 9 universities. A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network

Surviving Permanent Whitewater Leading in Child Welfare A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 4

Key Leadership Tasks  Do things right  Do the right things  Do the right things right A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 5

6 NCWWI Leadership Model A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 6

NCWWI Website   NCWWI Leadership Model – e pdfhttp:// e pdf A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 8 The Path to Great Leadership “The path to great leadership starts with a deep understanding of the strengths you bring to the table." (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 9  We can’t ignore problems—we just need to approach them from the other side.

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 10 Key Findings from the Gallup Research The most effective leaders:  Always invest in strengths  Surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team  Understand their team’s needs (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 11 Four Domains of Strength Influencing ExecutingStrategic Thinking Relationship-Building (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 12 Strategic Thinking  Leaders with dominant strength in Strategic Thinking keep the group focused on what could be. (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 13 Influencing  Leaders with dominant strength in Influencing help their people reach a broader audience. (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 14 Relationship-Building  Leaders with dominant strength in Relationship Building hold a team together. (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 15 Executing  Leaders with dominant strength in Executing domain know how to make things happen. (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

New Yorker Cartoon A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 16

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 17 Four Basic Needs of Followers Trust HopeStability Compassion (Rath & Conchie, 2008)

The Task of Organizational Leadership….. …Is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant. ~Peter Drucker As quoted by Cooperrider & Whitney, A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 18

Adaptive Leadership ….the practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive Adapted from The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing your Organization and the World (2009) by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, & Marty Linsky A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 19

Conditions of Adaptive Leadership  Changes that build on the past rather than jettison it  Organizational adaptation that occurs through experimentation  Adaptation that relies on diversity  Adaptation that takes time A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 20

Myth of the Broken System The organization needs to change because it is broken………….NOT Reality: any social system is the way it is because people in that system want it that way. “Every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it currently gets.” A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 21

Distinguishing Technical Problems from Adaptive Challenges  Technical problems: – Have known solutions that can be implemented by current know-how –Can be resolved through application of authoritative expertise and through current structures, procedures and ways of doing things A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 22

Distinguishing Adaptive Challenges from Technical Problems Adaptive challenges can only be addressed through changes in people’s priorities, beliefs, habits and loyalties. Requires:  Going beyond authority  Shedding certain entrenched ways  Moving through losses to a new place A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 23

Adaptation as Conservation  Of all that we care about, what elements are essential and must be preserved into the future?  Tough choices  Uncertainty of ongoing, experimental trial and error  Hard work A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 24

Applying Adaptive Leadership to Change  Leadership is more than identifying adaptive challenges.  Involves framing the challenges in a way that everyone shares a common goal.  Anticipates differences in perceptions.  Leaders must listen, reflect and integrate new ideas.  All team members must be willing to learn and collaborate. A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 25

Behaviors of Adaptive Leadership  Get on the balcony  Act politically  Be open to all voices  Orchestrate conflict  Give the work back to the people  Hold steady A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 26

Get on the Balcony A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 27

Act Politically  Create allies  Keep close to the opposition  Find ways to generate commitment from the uncommitted A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 28

Be Open to All Voices  Unexpected voices of leadership  Diverse groups and diverse opinions  Provide opportunities for all players to give input  Manage any attempt to invalidate new voices A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 29

Orchestrate Conflict  Conflict as an engine of creativity and innovation  Use of dissonance and consonance in the creation of harmony  Using only consonant sounds gives music a timeless, motionless feel  Dissonance creates tension that needs to be resolved Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 30

Give the Work Back to the People Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network  Success is far more likely when everyone involved carries responsibilities for both the problem and the solution. 31

Hold Steady  Keep focused on the task at hand  Hold steady in the heat of action Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 32

Role of Leadership  Inspire with a vision  Align agency values, mission and practice  Provide resources to do the job  Create a learning organization  Communicate  Celebrate performance Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 33

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” ~Saint-Exupery 34 A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network

Thrive  Grow your personal support network  Create a personal holding environment  Renew yourself  Be coolly realistic and unwaveringly optimistic  Expect to make mistakes and give yourself permission to keep learning in action Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network 35

Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network Adaptive Leadership  Stay alive to the opportunity to contribute, to add value to the lives of other people. 36

THANK YOU A Service of the Children’s Bureau, a Member of the T/TA Network