The Four Critical Behaviors of a Transformational Leader Anthony Muhammad, PhD

Two Forms of Change Technical–structural (skill) Cultural (will)

Change Challenge How should leaders engage people in the complex process of cultural change? Should they be tight - assertive issuing top-down directives that mandate change? Or should they be loose – merely encouraging people to engage in the change process, but leaving participation optional? The challenge at all levels of the system is to navigate this apparent dichotomy and find the appropriate balance between tight and loose, between assertiveness and autonomy. If we know anything about change, it is that ordering people to change doesn’t work, nor does leaving them alone. -DuFour and Fullan (2011)

Will and Skill Culture Practice

High Will and High Skill Low Skill High Skill Low Will

Don’t Underestimate Culture “The health of an organization provides the context for strategy, finance, marketing, and everything else that happens within it, which is why it is the single greatest factor determining an organization’s success. More than talent. More than knowledge. More than innovation.” —Lencioni, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business (2012), p. 2

Choosing Being “Smart” Over Being “Healthy” The “sophistication bias” The “adrenaline bias” The “quantification bias” Build a cohesive team. Creating clarity. Reinforcing clarity —Lencioni, The Advantage: Why OrganizationalHealth Trumps Everything Else in Business (2012)

Avoiding Culture “Most leaders prefer to look for answers where the light is better, where they are more comfortable. And the light is certainly better in the measurable, objective, and data-driven world of organizational intelligence (the smart side of the equation) than in the messier, more unpredictable world of organizational health.” —Lencioni, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business (2012), p. 7

School Culture “School culture is the set of norms, values, and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the ‘persona’ of the school.” —Deal & Peterson, 2002

Healthy School Culture “Educators have an unwavering belief in the ability of all of their students to achieve success, and they pass that belief on to others in overt and covert ways. Educators create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the ability of every student.” —Kent D. Peterson in Cromwell, 2002

Transformational Leader Transformational leadership is defined as a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing leaders. Enacted in its purest form, transformational leadership enhances the motivation, morale and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms. -Bass (1985)

TL Essentials Model integrity and fairness (Who?) Set clear goals (Do) High expectations (Do) Encourage others (Who?) Provide support and recognition (How?) Stir people’s emotion (Who?) Encourage people to look beyond their self- interest (Why?) Inspire people to reach for the improbable (Why?) -Bass (1985)

The Four Critical Behaviors Communication (Why?) Building Trust (Who?) Support/Capacity Building (How?) Accountability (Do) Hollie and Muhammad, The Will to Lead, the Skill to Teach (2011)

Healthy cultures are two-way streets. Support Accountability

Critical Behavior #1 Communication (Why?)

Good to Great, Jim Collins What do great corporations/organizations do differently than good/average organizations? They seek and confront the “brutal facts” They get the right people on the “bus” and sit them in the “right seats”

The Quandary (Muhammad, 2009) Tweeners Believers Survivors Fundamentalists (Muhammad, 2009)

Communicate What? Purpose for change (Brutal Facts/Data) Rationale for Proposal (Persuasion)

Data/Facts Stimulate commitment to a cause bigger than self Identify starting point for improvement Stimulate ownership and intrinsic commitment

Persuasion Context - How has this idea been helpful to others in our situation? Expect resistance – What arguments should I anticipate? Details – How will this idea be practically implemented in our environment

Critical Behavior #2 Building Trust (Who?)

Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. It can be divided into ability EI and trait EI

Openness to Experience Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness The Five Factors Openness to Experience Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism Tupes and Christal, Recurrent Personality Factors Based on Trait Ratings (1961)

Intelligence is not enough to be a good leader! Important Note Intelligence is not enough to be a good leader!

Trust Empathy Credibility

Empathy Genuine concern Listening without rebuttal Collaborating to move forward

Credibility Establishing and demonstrating moral commitment Pursuing and demonstrating deep knowledge of the task Predictable and reliable implementation

Support/Capacity Building (How?) Critical Behavior #3 Support/Capacity Building (How?)

The Task at Hand “If schools are to be transformed into learning communities, educators must be prepared first of all to acknowledge that the traditional guiding model of education is no longer relevant in a post- industrial, knowledge-based society. Second, they must embrace ideas and assumptions that are radically different than those that have guided schools in the past.” DuFour & Eaker, Professional Learning Communities at Work (1998), p. 34

Collective Inquiry “The search for knowledge in a PLC is a collective one. This search is ongoing and improvement is nearly impossible without it. Collective inquiry is the engine of a PLC.” DuFour & Eaker, Professional Learning Communities at Work (1998), p. 64

Teacher Curriculum Review Critical Data Choose Goals (No more than four/five) Identify best literature/research that helps increase staff ability to meet goals Develop study questions that applies the research to school’s current reality Prepare study guide for teachers and pace their curriculum for the entire school year

Learning Centers Use staff meetings as “learning centers”, not for announcements and trivia Make sure that study sessions are used to find solutions for your problems, not for complaints about the current state of your school. Be prepared to answer Fundamentalists Tie the information learned in your book studies to the vision for the school Suggested Reading: Nothing’s Impossible, Lorraine Monroe, Turning Points 2000, Anthony Jackson, Getting Started, Eaker, DuFour and DuFour, Transforming Schools, Zmuda and Kuklis

Reflection What is your current system of support for teacher learning? Do you prepare teachers professionally before you expect them to improve practice? Brainstorm ways that your school could possibly institutionalize a comprehensive system of learning for educators directly linked to the school’s vision.

Critical Behavior #4 Accountability (Do)

Accountability defined….. The quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s action Merriam-Webster Dictionary

What Accountability Is? A system to ensure effective implementation of organizational aspirations A necessary component of an effective organization trying to maximize human capital Essential in the development of a results- oriented and fair organization The natural result of effective support

What Accountability Isn’t….. Compensation for lack of emotional intelligence and leadership skill An excuse to micro-manage A list of directives A substitute for professional development and capacity building A tool to silence disagreeable subordinates

Loose-Tight Leadership Determine what are the essential and universal responsibilities that all staff members are required to exhibit Monitor those essentials through tight systems of monitoring and hold everyone accountable without exception Relinquish control of things that are not essential to group performance and provide teachers a level professional choice (2012)Dufour and Marzano, Leaders of Learning

Collaborative Culture Team: A systematic process in which we work interdependently to analyze and impact professional practice to improve individual and collective results

4 Phases of A Collaborative Culture Forming Norming Storming Performing

Pause to Think! How do you define accountability? What are you loose about in your school/organization and what are you tight about? How do your subordinates view accountability? Do they view is as a professional imposition or a professional responsibility? Did support proceed accountability in your school/organization?

Two Must-Reads for Follow-Up

New Release! Anthony Muhammad has hereby entered the ongoing debate in America about the compatibility of equity, excellence, and meritocracy in the nation’s quest to eradicate achievement gaps. It’s a meaningful and worthwhile read! Ronald Ferguson, Faculty Director Harvard Achievement Gap Initiative

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