Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Leadership Is Understanding and Using Adult Learner Principles
LEADERSHIP IS UNDERSTANDING AND USING ADULT LEARNER PRINCIPLES
Leaders and managers often get upset with their subordinates because they feel that their direct report “doesn’t get it”. It becomes very frustrating when a reoccurring problem takes place during a process or in a report monitored by a superior.
Let us be honest. How many of you department leaders/managers have employees who, “JUST DON’T GET IT!”? Is it them or is it you?
It is important that we do not overlook the “people resources” necessary to carry out the mission of the business. Business staff members represent a building of “adult learners”. The leadership for the training and development of staff with the vast learning resources available is important. Confident and knowledgeable staff members can excel which will mean that their contribution to the organization may excel also. The following are sample ideas to help leaders maximize worker’s learning and efforts.
1. Take your “self-study” data and compile the recommendations for improvement.
a. Work with staff members to brainstorm ways to make these recommendations happen.
b. Set up the goals and strategies with time lines to make these happen
c. Post goals and strategies on line, on the walls of the office as well as on the back of business cards. Staff members can hand out their cards for networking. This is good for business as they are networking and marketing at the same time.
d. Constantly revisit these in individual and group meetings
e. Establish a scoring rubric for measurable results
f. Post measurable results so that the staff and public are constantly
reminded of the benefits of working for or doing business with the
company.
2. Build adult learning communities and opportunities for the staff members. Capital Works * reported that employees learn at work through the following means:
a. Company provided training 10%
b. On the job experience 35%
c. Interaction with co-workers 18%
d. Mentored by peer or manager 10%
All other ways reported were 5% or less... so they are not the most effective way to build learning in a concentrated effort.
The trick is to understand the informal learning in the organization, find more accidental learning and encourage it to strengthen the interaction with co-workers.
3. Use andragogy – “the art and science of helping adults learn” making classrooms learner- based classrooms…not teacher based” *. There are specific “adult learner principles” to be understood and utilized by every leader and department manager. These should become a part of the management culture to help all staff members “get it”.
Business workers are “adult learners”…not just adults hired to do a job. Most need to be treated as such so that they can develop the confidence to become more intrinsically motivated, excel in at their work and add enthusiasm for the business’ culture.
* Marcia Conner – “Introducing Informal Learning” http://marciaconner.com/intros/informal.htlm
Leaders and managers often get upset with their subordinates because they feel that their direct report “doesn’t get it”. It becomes very frustrating when a reoccurring problem takes place during a process or in a report monitored by a superior.
Let us be honest. How many of you department leaders/managers have employees who, “JUST DON’T GET IT!”? Is it them or is it you?
It is important that we do not overlook the “people resources” necessary to carry out the mission of the business. Business staff members represent a building of “adult learners”. The leadership for the training and development of staff with the vast learning resources available is important. Confident and knowledgeable staff members can excel which will mean that their contribution to the organization may excel also. The following are sample ideas to help leaders maximize worker’s learning and efforts.
1. Take your “self-study” data and compile the recommendations for improvement.
a. Work with staff members to brainstorm ways to make these recommendations happen.
b. Set up the goals and strategies with time lines to make these happen
c. Post goals and strategies on line, on the walls of the office as well as on the back of business cards. Staff members can hand out their cards for networking. This is good for business as they are networking and marketing at the same time.
d. Constantly revisit these in individual and group meetings
e. Establish a scoring rubric for measurable results
f. Post measurable results so that the staff and public are constantly
reminded of the benefits of working for or doing business with the
company.
2. Build adult learning communities and opportunities for the staff members. Capital Works * reported that employees learn at work through the following means:
a. Company provided training 10%
b. On the job experience 35%
c. Interaction with co-workers 18%
d. Mentored by peer or manager 10%
All other ways reported were 5% or less... so they are not the most effective way to build learning in a concentrated effort.
The trick is to understand the informal learning in the organization, find more accidental learning and encourage it to strengthen the interaction with co-workers.
3. Use andragogy – “the art and science of helping adults learn” making classrooms learner- based classrooms…not teacher based” *. There are specific “adult learner principles” to be understood and utilized by every leader and department manager. These should become a part of the management culture to help all staff members “get it”.
Business workers are “adult learners”…not just adults hired to do a job. Most need to be treated as such so that they can develop the confidence to become more intrinsically motivated, excel in at their work and add enthusiasm for the business’ culture.
* Marcia Conner – “Introducing Informal Learning” http://marciaconner.com/intros/informal.htlm
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Leadership Is Doing The Right Thing...Even When It Is Unpopular
Many corporate cultures reward productivity. Once you cost the company more money than you are bringing in…you are fired, re-organized, laid off and/ just gone. This sounds simple and is taking place daily in our Corporate America. Public school education is not one of those cultures. This culture rewards consecutive contracts (longevity) and loyalty (no insubordination). Few teachers are fired each year due to the difficulty of proving incompetence. Teachers who are fired, especially after a few years on the job, are usually blatantly incompetent, insubordinate or morally bankrupt.
It becomes difficult to remove an employee when a culture rewards longevity. What would you do if you were in a leadership position, had an incompetent employee and were told that it was ill advised to pursue firing that employee?
Leadership calls for doing the right thing….even when it is unpopular.
I once had a teacher who had been a very good teacher but she became very ineffectual and the children were losing opportunities to learn. I was told by my boss that I would not be able to fire her in less than two years due to what could be seen as potential litigation problem. I developed a 24 month timeline to deal with the problem.
An enormous amount of time was devoted to dealing with this one problem. It would be easy for a leader to say that it took too much time to devote to one problem when so many others needed attention. However, this one problem affected many children and could not be allowed to happen in the business. The following was the 24 month prescription to correct the problem:
• Weekly classroom observations were made
• Weekly notes outlining strengths and weaknesses of during the observation were made along with suggestions to address the weaknesses
• Bi-monthly conversations were held discussing any points of interest
• A follow up email with a requested read message returned was sent to the teach covering the points discussed and suggested during the meetings
• Additional formal evaluations were conducted as permitted by the Master Contract.
The teacher had repeatedly stated that she was not going to retire. She did decide through our meetings and our discussions that I was against her. She felt all of the negative reports were my fault, not hers. However, she turned in her school keys and resigned in March of the second school year. There is not enough time to discuss the shock this sent through the culture. It may have been an unpopular action, but it was the right thing to do.
It becomes difficult to remove an employee when a culture rewards longevity. What would you do if you were in a leadership position, had an incompetent employee and were told that it was ill advised to pursue firing that employee?
Leadership calls for doing the right thing….even when it is unpopular.
I once had a teacher who had been a very good teacher but she became very ineffectual and the children were losing opportunities to learn. I was told by my boss that I would not be able to fire her in less than two years due to what could be seen as potential litigation problem. I developed a 24 month timeline to deal with the problem.
An enormous amount of time was devoted to dealing with this one problem. It would be easy for a leader to say that it took too much time to devote to one problem when so many others needed attention. However, this one problem affected many children and could not be allowed to happen in the business. The following was the 24 month prescription to correct the problem:
• Weekly classroom observations were made
• Weekly notes outlining strengths and weaknesses of during the observation were made along with suggestions to address the weaknesses
• Bi-monthly conversations were held discussing any points of interest
• A follow up email with a requested read message returned was sent to the teach covering the points discussed and suggested during the meetings
• Additional formal evaluations were conducted as permitted by the Master Contract.
The teacher had repeatedly stated that she was not going to retire. She did decide through our meetings and our discussions that I was against her. She felt all of the negative reports were my fault, not hers. However, she turned in her school keys and resigned in March of the second school year. There is not enough time to discuss the shock this sent through the culture. It may have been an unpopular action, but it was the right thing to do.
Leadership Is Commitment
LEADERSHIP IS COMMITMENT
What commitment does a true leader need to offer his employer? What commitment does this same leader need to offer himself and his family?
I had to answer these question in 1989, 2005 and in 2008. I moved my family to Valparaiso in 1989 to make a commitment to the Valparaiso Community Schools. My commitment to my family was that I would not leave until 2005 when my youngest graduated from high school. Many exciting initiatives at Valparaiso were in the immediate future in 2005. I had met my family commitment and now was the time to make a commitment to my employer and myself. I was ready to start a new job, but knew that over 40 % of the staff would be replaced by 2008 due to growth and retirements. I made a commitment to myself to work three more years at my position to develop the strongest staff possible and leave them as experts in the new Valparaiso initiatives.
A strong leadership commitment was necessary to accomplish success in the following areas over a three year period :
• Employ new teachers with the greatest potential to be great teachers
• Give training and guidance to these new teachers so that their potential could be met
• Give training and guidance to all staff members for language arts curriculum development, student assessment development, standards based reporting, electronic record keeping, electronic report cards, electronic parent portals, North Central CASSI Accreditation, and development of a student writing program
• Establish supervision, goal setting and evaluations to help each staff member prosper with skills
• Strengthen and in some cases develop informal networks for the staff members to strengthen professionally
Change is not an event; it is a shift of beliefs and behaviors over time. My vision was that I would develop and lead my staff through these changes knowing that I would leave the strongest building staff ready for their new boss. My goal was to prepare everyone for an almost seamless transition of leadership as this would be best for the teachers, students and parents.
The new school year is four months old. The calls and emails that I get from the staff are all positive about what is happening at school, the processes being used, the teams and the new leader. The principal has affirmed my vision and goal as he states that the staff is generous, helpful, knowledgeable and outstanding educational role models. He went on to say that Memorial was a great place to work.
Leadership commitment paid off very well for my employer, staff and for me.
What commitment does a true leader need to offer his employer? What commitment does this same leader need to offer himself and his family?
I had to answer these question in 1989, 2005 and in 2008. I moved my family to Valparaiso in 1989 to make a commitment to the Valparaiso Community Schools. My commitment to my family was that I would not leave until 2005 when my youngest graduated from high school. Many exciting initiatives at Valparaiso were in the immediate future in 2005. I had met my family commitment and now was the time to make a commitment to my employer and myself. I was ready to start a new job, but knew that over 40 % of the staff would be replaced by 2008 due to growth and retirements. I made a commitment to myself to work three more years at my position to develop the strongest staff possible and leave them as experts in the new Valparaiso initiatives.
A strong leadership commitment was necessary to accomplish success in the following areas over a three year period :
• Employ new teachers with the greatest potential to be great teachers
• Give training and guidance to these new teachers so that their potential could be met
• Give training and guidance to all staff members for language arts curriculum development, student assessment development, standards based reporting, electronic record keeping, electronic report cards, electronic parent portals, North Central CASSI Accreditation, and development of a student writing program
• Establish supervision, goal setting and evaluations to help each staff member prosper with skills
• Strengthen and in some cases develop informal networks for the staff members to strengthen professionally
Change is not an event; it is a shift of beliefs and behaviors over time. My vision was that I would develop and lead my staff through these changes knowing that I would leave the strongest building staff ready for their new boss. My goal was to prepare everyone for an almost seamless transition of leadership as this would be best for the teachers, students and parents.
The new school year is four months old. The calls and emails that I get from the staff are all positive about what is happening at school, the processes being used, the teams and the new leader. The principal has affirmed my vision and goal as he states that the staff is generous, helpful, knowledgeable and outstanding educational role models. He went on to say that Memorial was a great place to work.
Leadership commitment paid off very well for my employer, staff and for me.
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