Chapter 4: Aligning for Success The Leader in Me Chapter 4: Aligning for Success

Beginning with the End in Mind Goal: Successful, ubiquitous, school-wide integration and implementation Aligning reward systems school structure The team realized they had 4 basic “arrows” that all needed to point in the same direction; they must align with the overall goal in order to be successful with full implementation of the program. At first they were all over the place like the arrows indicate here. This chapter explained how they aligned each one to the leadership models. Stakeholder buy in training

Bringing People on Board Considered staff as stakeholders “ ‘All on board’ beats ‘All are bored’ ” (p. 73) Philosophical differences existed AB Combs piloted program first Other stakeholders = parents, community leaders and business leaders * Asking staff what their ultimate goals were for their students was an eye opening experience. They wanted the same thing business leaders and parents wanted too. * The team realized that not everyone would be on board right away and knew they would have to work to change that. These reluctant teachers helped bring about a focused effort (i.e., test scores, keeping academic focus, etc *The school decided to pilot the program first, using the model in one class per grade level. Before long, everyone wanted to do it because it naturally just made sense.

Alignment and Organizational Structure AB Combs attached leader to titles for all staff Teachers as leaders - committees, correlates, and special projects Community service leadership *The team worked to align every school aspect to this leadership model. For example, the PE teacher became the physical fitness leader. The cafeteria staff became nutrition leaders. * teachers were viewed as leaders within their classrooms but also in areas of interest *Everyone in school had the opportunity to give back in some way of community service. The school holds record for most donations to the NC Foodbank.

Leadership Roles Classrooms - all students were leaders These are not the entire list but rather examples from schools across the U.S. that use the “Leader in Me” model. Every student in every classroom is given a leadership role or job. Classrooms - all students were leaders

Student Leadership Example odel expected behavior ccept responsibility ive respect mprove through goals ooperate oyalty xcellence chievement iscipline A to E G A I D C During a student led focus group discussion, a student wanted to change their behavior acronym from MAGIC to LEAD. The leader of the group listened to his reasons and the principal realized the student was right. Despite the old code of cooperation being painted on walls around the schools, she chose to change the code based on the suggestion of one student.

Training AB Combs and other schools suggest training all staff Understand and live Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Train on using Baldrige Principles Revisit and add to tools and 7 Habits Infuse 7 Habits into curricular lessons Use The Leader in Me website By internalizing and truly living the ideals set forth in the 7 habits book, teachers made changes not only professionally but personally as well. This transformation helped them become better teacher leaders. The Baldrige quality principles are also used in a variety of ways like goal setting, understanding academic material, and even helping staff see the flow of the implementation goals and processes.

Aligning Rewards System More then just compliments Reflect 4 basic needs of all people (physical, social-emotional, mental, and spiritual) Meaningful to students “Just showing up to school each day can be a reward.” (p. 85) Making rewards meaningful took some thought, but by infusing the 7 habits into the students daily academic curriculum the ways to reward naturally stood out. The PE leader at AB Combs chose students to compete in an athletic competition not based on ability alone but rather how they worked as a team, how well they keep their emotions under control (being proactive) and more.

Rewards Teachers choose which traits to reinforce pp. 83-84 Level 1 They have to wait extra time and what they get is not what was requested. Instead they got a sack of greasy fries. Level 2 They get a hamburger on time but its is mildly warm and is missing the cheese and relish they expected. Level 3 They get a hot-off-the-grill hamburger that has everything they expected. They get what they asked for. Level 4 Their hamburger is just how they wanted it and the waiter says, “Today I am also going to give you some fries and a shake for free.” Clearly more than what was expected. In this example, teachers use a rubric, called the Hamburger Rubric, to emphasize creativity and hard work. When the teacher assigns the project students are graded using the metaphors for service and food at a hamburger restaurant. Students know that if they earn a level 4 they truly exemplified these traits. pp. 83-84

Rewards…and discipline Realized there will be problems Empowered staff to use 7 habits to guide behavior Carried out their plans with fidelity The book didn’t really outline what they do to handle discipline issues other than referring the student back to the 7 habits for reflection. The student would be asked what the goal of the behavior was and if it was appropriate (begin with end in mind), how it could be handled differently (being proactive), and more.

Most Importantly… “Just showing up to school each day can be a reward.” (p. 85) http://youtu.be/GUzOE0nUCwg

Aligning for Success stakeholder buy in guidelines resources Goal: Ubiquitous Integration school structure resources budget training Since they began with the end in mind, the team knew that in order to reach their goal the four “arrows” would have to be aligned with their overall goals, but soon they realized each arrow had its own aspects that needed alignment. These other areas that must be considered are things like budget, communication channels, resources and tools, state and county guidelines, and more. All of these things need to be aligned before sharing and implementing fully. communication aligning rewards

Aligning for Success Ubiquitous Integration communication schedule Stake- holders School structure training rewards Instead of being all over the place, the “other” systems were aligned to fit the leadership model clearly. Questions were cleared up and procedures put in place before full implementation began. communication schedule resources tools

Reflection Staff continues to revisit and realign their “other arrows” as needed Thought and effort were a key factor Systems and process alignments were key By beginning with the end in mind they were successful