1. Taking the First Steps: Empowering a Team and Finding Your Focus
Sue Szachowicz
Senior Fellow, ICLE
Principal (retired)
Brockton High
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12/15/2014

2. Agenda for this Session
Opener: Focus Focus Focus
Why a team? Do you really have a team?
Building your teams
Establishing ground rules, mission, goals
Running meetings, decision-making
Roles and responsibilities
Your turn! Finding Your Focus
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3. Opener: Everybody Writes
Write the focus/mission/purpose of your school as you would define it.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists; when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.”
—Lao Tzu
Would the following stakeholders answer this question in the same way?
Stakeholder
Yes No
Faculty
Students
Parents
Community

4. You have Building Leadership Teams! This is where the change begins!
WHY A TEAM???
You have Building Leadership Teams! This is where the change begins!
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5. Brockton High School Data
MCAS 1998
Failure
ELA – 44%
(Sped – 78%)
MATH – 75%
(Sped – 98%)
MCAS 1998
Advanced+Proficient
ELA – 22%
MATH – 7%

6. Empowered a Team Our turnaround: FOUR STEPS
Focused on Literacy – Literacy for ALL, NO exceptions- all means all
Implemented with fidelity and according to a plan
Monitored like crazy!

7. AND, that takes Leadership
My definition of leadership: Leadership is getting people to do what they need to do, but either can’t or won’t. And you can’t do it alone… it takes a team.

8. All means ALL – How do you make this happen in your institution?
Why Team?
“If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”
Patrick Lencioni
All means ALL – How do you make this happen in your institution?
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9. TEAM or COMMITTEE??? So what’s the difference?
I’ve seen lots of committees in schools …but very few real TEAMS.
So what’s the difference?
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10. TEAM
COMMITTEE
PURPOSE: A think tank, deep discussions around school improvement
Mostly dealing with crises, or business. Not really long term solutions, applying bandaids
FOCUS: Schoolwide improvement (school over grade, dept)
Changing focus, responding and reacting rather than setting the course
MEMBERSHIP: Clear criteria for selection, fair representation, majority teachers
No real criteria or selection process, mostly administratos in positions of leadership
MEETINGS: schedule set in advance, substantial meeting time allotted
Schedule changes, often called at last minute,, too brief to allow for think tank discussions
AGENDAS/MINUTES: Agenda set in advance, minutes kept and shared
No time for that!
ROLES.RESPONSIBILITIES: Voices, debates, leaders, implement what needs to be done
Seen as the “arm of the admin rather than teacher leaders. OR
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11. How Successful Teams Act1
Members trust each other. 2
Members engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas. 3
Members commit to their decisions and plans of action. 4
Members hold each other accountable for delivering. 5
Members focus on achievement of collective results.
adapted from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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12. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
“…teamwork is almost always lacking within organizations that fail, and often present in those that succeed.” 5
INATTENTION TO RESULTS
AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY 4
LACK OF COMMITMENT 3
FEAR OF CONFLICT 2
ABSENCE OF TRUST 1
adapted from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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13. Trust can be a team’s greatest strength, or biggest weakness
Building TRUST:
Foundation of teamwork
People are open with each other
Takes time
Must be maintained
Trust can be a team’s greatest strength, or biggest weakness
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14. Mastering CONFLICT Leader is key in this requires trust
teams need unfiltered passionate debate
can be uncomfortable
norms must be discussed, established and made clear
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15. Achieving COMMITMENT NOT consensus
“Buying into a decision precisely when they don’t naturally agree”
Key is agreement on unifying goal(s)
Always clarify decision (5 minute rule)
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16. Embracing ACCOUNTABILITY
Members remind each other about team goals, norms
Team members address the performances or behaviors of other members
Leader’s role is HUGE in setting tone and example
Must occur during the meetings

17. Focusing on Results Success must be clearly defined
Team agrees on measures of success
TEAM goals over individual goals
Keep goals and desired results visible
Use Scoreboard for results

18. ADVICE:
As the leader, when you begin the year with your team, take some time during your first meeting to share this with them.

19. Everybody Writes, Pair and Share
Your Turn
Everybody Writes, Pair and Share
Based on the pyramid, what are your teams greatest strengths?
Are there any areas on the team building pyramid that you feel your organization should spend some time improving?
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20. SELECTING THE TEAM TM & © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
About Me
TRAINER TIP: Before the session, insert your name, address, and any other pertinent information on the slide so participants know how to contact you. Be prepared to share a brief overview of your background and expertise.
Now that you’ve had the chance to learn a bit more about one of your colleagues, I’d like to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is _____, and I’m a consultant with the International Center for Leadership in Education, or ICLE. My expertise is in the area of _____.
Share a few sentences about your expertise and background.
Now I’d like to learn a bit more about all of you.
Briefly survey participants to learn more about their backgrounds. Consider passing out nametags or having participants create place cards to help you learn their names. Refer to participants by name whenever possible throughout the training.
Now that we’ve gotten to know one another, let’s engage in a quick reflection activity.
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21. Selecting the Team
How do we “…get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people into the right seats?” Jim Collins, Good to Great

22. Selecting the Team
Application- Written and interview according to contract
Recruitment – Go after the people you want! Even if you have to drag them kicking and screaming!

23. Selecting the Team Who should be on the team?
Represent all constituencies (subjects, grades, veterans, new teachers)
Balance of teachers and administrators (suggest 2/3 majority of teachers)

24. Selecting the Team Important criteria to consider: Trust Communication
Collaboration
Humor

25. Leadership Team Self-Check
Who is on your leadership team?
Who SHOULD be on your leadership team?

26. Restructuring Advisory Committee
Selecting the Team
Question we are often asked: What about parents and students, did you include them?
Restructuring Advisory Committee

27. Beware of…. Only selecting your “favorites”
Being manipulated into whom you select…selecting teachers from the “power” group
Keeping the same members year after year
Only selecting people who will agree with you
Selecting people who are always contrary and cannot work with others
People you cannot trust

28. Leadership Dilemma: Mr. Pick me, Pick me!
You are the new principal of a school designated as a priority school in need of improvement. You need to assemble a leadership team to help you begin the improvement process. The previous principal had a leadership team for many years that included mostly administrators, and essentially remained the same, but didn’t have a track record of results. So now you begin trying to recruit “your team.” Before you know it, people are lobbying you to be part of the team. In particular, one of your assistants, who is very politically connected, even plays golf regularly with the superintendent and two School Board members, has been saying how he’s “looking forward to working with this team.” After all, as he says often, “I’m a team player.” You aren’t so sure about that. In your experience with him, you have seen a sense of arrogance, and sometimes bending rules to suit his own agenda. You are worried that if you do select him, he won’t be a strong contributor, but if you don’t select him you may be hurting the improvement process because he could be in a position to sabotage the work of the team. SO, how do you handle this selection dilemma?

29. You now have a team together. What do you do with them?
Now what???
You now have a team together. What do you do with them?

30. BUILDING TRUST, ESTABLISHING THE GROUND RULES, MISSION, GOALS

31. Specific strategy will follow…
BUILDING TRUST
Specific strategy will follow…
(Don’t worry, it’s NOTHING touchy-feely!)

32. Ground Rules/Mission What do we believe in?
Key questions for team discussion:
What do we believe in?
What rules to we operate by?
How do we make decisions?
How do we disagree? Must discuss norms of conflict

33. Ground Rules/Mission Who’s in charge?
Recommendation: Co-Chairs Principal and a teacher

34. Ground Rules/Mission What do we believe in? For Brockton:
High Standards, High Expectations, NO Excuses
Everyone is responsible for every student
Believing that every student CAN and MUST
Our responsibility: to figure out how to help

35. Ground Rules/Mission What do we believe in?
We (Brockton High) set only two goals:
Improve students’ academic achievement
Personalize the educational experience for every student.

36. Ground Rules/Mission The Rules
Keep it simple: 3 rules
Respectful dialogue (we had some great fights!)
Criticizing only with a suggestion
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…

37. How do you handle it when trust has been broken?
Leadership Challenge
It is NEVER easy.
How do you handle it when trust has been broken?

38. Breaking the Trust: You selected a teacher for your leadership team who in the past has been somewhat negative, a union activist and generally a pain. But she had come to you and asked for consideration to be part of the team. She told you she was in a grad program, really wanted to learn more about the school leadership, so you decided to give it a try (hey, don’t we always believe the best in others… she will change, so you think…) That was the wrong decision! In no time, she was trying to derail meetings, and constantly breaking the trust of the group by sharing initial discussion topics with the union, and talking about it in the teacher’s room. The dynamic of the committee was damaged, trust was broken. Do you keep her on the committee, dismiss her? How do you deal with this so that the committee can start working effectively again?

39. So, for Breaking the Trust, what did you decide? Here’s what we did…
Leadership Challenge
So, for Breaking the Trust, what did you decide? Here’s what we did…

40. RUNNING THE MEETINGS MAKING DECISIONS

41. Running the meetings, Making decisions
Establish a meeting calendar in advance so everyone can plan (for us, Saturdays, once a month 8 a.m. to noon)
Co-Chairs set meeting agenda in advance
Follow agenda, begin on time, end on time!
Keep minutes of every meeting
Everyone must participate

42. SCOREBOARD: Third Key Trend
Keep agreed upon team goals posted, visible. The SCOREBOARD should serve as a reminder of the work of the team, particularly when the group strays.
SCOREBOARD:
Third Key Trend

43. FIVE MINUTE RULE Third Key Trend
To alleviate any confusion about what the team agreed on, invoke the FIVE MINUTE RULE. With five minutes left in EVERY meeting, stop the discussion and recap what was agreed upon, posting it so that everyone is on the same page.
FIVE MINUTE RULE
Third Key Trend

44. Samples of Restructuring Committee Agendas
Restructuring Committee Meeting
January 7, 2012
8:00-12:00
Agenda
I. Review of Minutes
II. Harry Wong Visit
III. World Café Comments
IV. Feedback Faculty Meetings
V. Next Steps: January 19th Faculty Meeting
February 9th In-Service
Restructuring Committee Meeting
April 12, 2012
2:30-4:00
Agenda
I. Review of Minutes
II. Feedback from March 1st and April 5th meetings
III. Planning May 3rd and May 15th meetings
IV. June 21st Restructuring Meeting, 8-12
V. Accreditation

45. Samples of Restructuring Minutes

46. Beginning the Process How we Began
Background research, reading
Examined the data to guide the process
Are you focused on the RIGHT data?

47. Beginning the Process How we began
So, it was back to the drawing board to figure out a different approach. That led us to LITERACY for all.

48. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TEAM

49. Responsibilities of the Team
Serving as Teacher Leaders, providing faculty voices, feedback
Leading and facilitating faculty discussion groups
Conducting the professional development, presenting the Literacy Workshops (Train the trainer approach)
Providing support for colleagues
Chairing the Restructuring Subcommittees (Literacy, Freshmen Transition, School Climate)

50. AND, WHAT THEY DO NOT DO!

51. Responsibilities of the Team What they do NOT do
They do NOT evaluate! Support, NOT evaluation.
Not involved in the monitoring of the literacy implementations.

52. Losing the focus by allowing members to side-track the agenda
Beware of…
Poorly planned and executed preparation of the team for the work (ensure that the team is ready to step up and lead others)
Losing the focus by allowing members to side-track the agenda
Team bullies/tyrants

53. Leadership Dilemma: Ms. Tyrant
Your leadership team has really started to take shape and is doing some good work. They have been presenting literacy workshops to their colleagues, and you are seeing some positive results in what the students are producing. One member who is passionate and deeply committed to the beliefs and mission of the school, has been instrumental in moving the agenda forward. But she has been demonstrating that she is lacking in patience with her colleagues, and in people skills. Rather than responding to questions and concerns from her colleagues positively, she is dismissive and curt in her approach. She also gets angry when colleagues do not fully participate in the workshops, and is quick to point that out. People are now starting to identify the literacy initiative with this individual, rather than seeing it as a school wide improvement process. This is impacting the process negatively. Even other members of the team have said to you privately that they don’t want to work with her. How do you handle Ms. Tyrant?

54. The Power of Teacher Leadership
The discussions are powerful, focused, spirited.
It is about teacher leadership.
The team OWNS the decisions.

55. Teacher leadership clip
To view entire video, go to YouTube and search PBS Need to Know Brockton High. The entire video segment is thirteen minutes in length.

56. Your Turn II. (5 min) Building your team Self Check:
a. Talk about who is on your team.
b. Then discuss who is missing that should be there.

57. Third Key Trend Making your team a team!
(5 min) Building Trust, Getting to Know Each Other: Personal History Exercise
Go around and answer 3 questions:
1. Where did you grow up?
2. How many kids were in your family?
3. What was the first or worst job you ever had?
Making your team a team!

58. Next up: FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS
It Takes a Team (Recap)
Next up:
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS
Brockton High’s 4 Steps
Empowered a Team
Focused on Literacy Literacy for ALL, no exceptions- all means all
Implemented with fidelity and according to a plan
Monitored like crazy!

59. You now have your team together and they are ready… What’s next???
SO WHAT’S NEXT?
You now have your team together and they are ready… What’s next???
FINDING YOUR FOCUS

60. Focus, Focus, Focus
If I went into your school and asked the kids what the most important LEARNING objectives were, could they answer that?
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61. Beware Multiple Focuses
Excessive suspensions
Increase proficiency on state assessments
Student Attendance
Business partnerships
Parent Outreach
AHHHHHHH!!!!!
STEM
Instructional Walks
Flipping classrooms
Data Driven Planning
IEP reviews
Professional Learning Communities
Setting SMART goals
Character Counts
Early literacy plans for every child
Graduation Rate
Faculty Attendance
Curriculum Mapping
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62. FOCUS: It’s About Instruction – For the Adults
The key to Brockton High’s improvement had nothing to do with the students. It was about adult learning.
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63. Let’s talk next steps: Before the Summer Institute in July:
Assemble and empower your team
Determine your focus by examining your data – Be strategic and be political.
Select ONE focus area that you can implement school wide
Engage your faculty

64. Let’s be specific: a “roadmap”
1. With your team, examine your data DTSDE Results and determine ONE area you are in need of improvement that will have the greatest impact on improving student performance.
For ex: 3.3: (I’m paraphrasing) Teachers are consistently using and monitoring skills aligned to CC and NYS
Based on state assessments, with your team, select a skill to focus on that will benefit your school’s results, for example, at K-5 level:
“Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.”

65. Let’s be specific: a “roadmap”
For 6-12: “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.”
NOTE: Use your own data!!!
Engage the faculty to discuss this (Strategies to follow after lunch)
At the Summer Institute, we will plan HOW to bring this to life!

66. Strategies to Engage and Empower Your Faculty
Time for Lunch!!!
After lunch:
Strategies to Engage and Empower Your Faculty
See you at 1:00!
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12/15/2014