GOOD MORNING! Community of Practice December 10, 2013 Advancing Racial Equity TAKE IT UP!

It always seems impossible until it's done. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” It’s All About Leadership

Here’s what we are going for today...  Connect with each other and with our ‘Racial Equity’ work  Talk, share, reflect and learn together as a ‘Community of Practice’. GIVE AND GET ideas, tools, resources.  Connect to some ideas for “taking it up”  Practice – using each other – talking about and leading ‘equity work’ inside your organization

Community Agreements An invitation to try these on Show up (or choose to be present) Pay attention (to heart and meaning) Tell the truth (without blame or judgment) Be open to outcome (not attached to outcome) ADDITION... Maintain confidentiality

1- Taking it Up 2- Relational Trust 3- Nondiscussables 4- An Equity Imperative 5- Leading with Grace TODAY’s BIG IDEAS

YOUR ORGANIZATION is a ‘Living System’ Adopted from Dalmau Network Group Technical Relational

We don’t want to be so process- driven that important business can’t be completed, NOR so product-driven that unproductive dynamics are ignored…

Update from Thrive WHERE ARE WE NOW? WHAT’s HOT? WHAT’s COMING UP? Hopes and Intentions for the future

On your post-it... Events or happenings coming up  Ideas for meetings  Strategies  Tools  Resources  Contacts  Connections

Taking Leadership for Equity “Those who practice leadership for equity must confront, disappoint, and dismantle and at the same time energize, inspire, and empower.” Sharon Daloz Parks, Leadership Can Be Taught Share an experience when you have taken leadership for something that matters to YOU?

What does YOUR leadership look like in your organization?

Nondiscussables “The health of an organization is inversely proportional to the number of nondiscussables… The fewer the nondiscussables, the healthier the place. The more nondiscussables, the more pathology in the culture.” Roland Barth

Pair share What role does trust play for you in your job? What does it take for you to trust your colleagues?

“Relational trust facilitates the development of beliefs, values, organizational routines, and individual behaviors that affect results.” Trust in Schools - Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider 2002 Relational Trust

Helps to... “Reduce the vulnerability that people feel when asked to take on new tasks connected to practice. Relational Trust

“ Is the connective tissue that holds improving and changing organizations together.” Relational Trust

Critical attributes that build relational trust include: Respect – Do we acknowledge one another’s ideas and dignity? Competence – Do we believe in each others skill and ability to fulfill our responsibilities effectively? Personal Regard – Do we care about each other both professionally and personally? Integrity – Do we keep our word? Do we follow through? Relational Trust

Vulnerability-Based Trust – Patrick Lencioni Fundamental Attribution Error: Human beings tend to falsely attribute the negative behaviors of others to their character (an internal attribution)… While they attribute their own negative behaviors to their environments (an external attribution).

Vulnerability-Based Trust – Patrick Lencioni Overcoming the Fundamental Attribution Error: …team members come to understand one another at a more fundamental level; they learn how they became the people they are today. As a result, there is a far greater likelihood that empathy and understanding will trump judgment and accusation when it comes to interpreting questionable behavior.

THOUGHTS ABOUT.... developing and improving relational trust at my work place... SO THAT we can continue to work toward the goals of advancing racial equity

LUNCH BREAK

Your job requires you to support the learning, growth and development of others... How do you feel about that part of your work? An ASSERTION about your role as a leader

Leading With Grace Who do you know in your life that moves through the world with grace?

Keys for Leading With Grace: Warmth Openness Attunement Concern Care Empathy Genuineness Respect Distress-free

Brain Fact Our emotional system is a complex and error-prone system that is quite resistant to change. Emotion is often a more powerful determinate of our behavior than our brain’s logical/rational processes. Robert Sylwester

Emotional distress interferes with intelligent thinking and caring behavior.

When a human being senses a threat, …The result is literally less oxygen and glucose available for the brain functions involved in working memory, which impacts linear, conscious processing. The Social Brain David Rock, SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others

Brain Fact The brain has been observed to “shut down” when negative psychological feedback such as threat, criticism, and failure result in the defensive measure of downshifting. John Abbott

NEGATIVITY BIAS The brain’s primary job is to scan its environment for threats. The social brain is twenty times more focused on negative comments and actions than on positive ones. Experiences like being criticized, ostracized, or labeled are like Velcro and compliments and positive actions are like Teflon.

THINK ABOUT... SOMEONE I DO OR WILL ‘LEAD’ 1.How do I feel about my relationship with this person? 2.What might be challenging for ME about interacting with him/her? 3.What is my goal or intention for our next conversation/interaction? 4.What am I trying to influence? 5.When might be a good opportunity to approach this person? 6.What’s my next move?

“Helping Trios” Find 2 partners Share and help each other get ready for the conversation. 15 minutes each

Core Competencies of a Leader for Equity Equity Imperative Design Leadership Social Emotional Leadership Instructional Leadership Facilitative Leadership Instructional Leadership © 2012 National Equity Project

Developing an Equity Imperative  You understand and acknowledge power, privilege, and oppression as factors shaping inequitable outcomes.  You champion a vision for equity and enroll others to participate.  You have the courage to respectfully interrupt conversations and behaviors laden with unconscious bias.  You publicly commit to a specific equity result.  You guide data collection and analysis to reflect the complexity of equity challenges to surface root causes and foster insight. Some indicators...

When have you been…? What caused you to be this way? What can you do to overcome it? When have you been…? How was this encouraged? How can you be sure to remain this way? Passive Distrustful Pretending Insecure and Powerless Fearful of emotions Active Trustful Authentic Confident and powerful Accepting of emotions Getting Ready to Lead for Equity

“It is not up to you to finish the work, but neither are you free not to take it up.” The Talmud Moving It Forward