Self-Differentiated Leadership
Because in the end, we’re all going to face anxiety in leadership. It’s how you respond when you notice that defines you as a leader.
Karin Stateler
Change is inevitable. As I continue my journey in Applied Digital Learning, I keep coming back to why we should change right NOW. While COVID was devastating, we can use the post-COVID structures that are in place to continue our trek toward a paperless office and blended learning. In my blog From Cog to Metacognition: My Story, I talk a little more about how the ADL program supports this shift. As we make changes, it is important to recognize that there will be pushback.
How can we implement systemic change? The answer: by honing our leadership skills, getting clear on our Why, and setting SMART goals with intentional, systematic processes for accountability and support.
Crucial Conversations
To avoid being a virus, it is crucial to be the master of your story. What does this mean? This means that during crucial conversations, you are continuously aware of your feelings and you create a safe space for others to share their thoughts and feelings openly (Patterson et al., 2012). Only then can you create shared meaning and have successful conversations (Patterson et al., 2012). My journey applying crucial conversations and self-differentiated leadership includes a reflection on communication, my empathic abilities, and my plan to implement open communication in GCISD. Learn more!
My Why
To influence others to buy into what you do, it is important to communicate Why. While there are many reasons I could give, the biggest is that people respond with their hearts. When we explain why we do something, we reach into the limbic system and tug on the subconscious. That same subconscious makes so many decisions. Learn more about why we should go paperless!
This is the assignment I struggled the most with. However, by the end of the course, my Why was more than clear. Read more about my journey in my blog post Lizard Brains and Long Threads.
Influencer Strategy
To influence others means to inspire action. Because this requires two parts – inspiration and action – it is important to speak to the heart and have a plan. To implement my plan, I identified the results, three vital behaviors, and engaged the six sources of influence (Grenny et al., 2013). Learn more about how!
Installing 4DX
As I consider installing change toward a paperless office and how that will support a blended learning environment in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, I recognize the importance of planning change using proven methods. I will demonstrate how to use 4DX to supplement and complement the Influencer Strategy as GCISD makes meaningful steps toward a Paperless Office and Paperless District. Learn more here!
References
Grenny, J., McMillan, R., Maxfield, D., Switzler, A., & Patterson, K. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition (Paperback). McGraw-Hill Education.
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., Switzler, A., & McMillan, R. (2012). Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition. McGraw-Hill Education.