We are all hiring principals, assistant principals and other administrators this time of year. The individuals selected need to learn not only the nuances of their positions, but also how to successfully navigate a new context. One of the biggest deficits I have seen with incoming administrators is how they approach the change process, so let’s focus on that issue for today.
Most have great new ideas and some want to implement them immediately, without much reflection, planning, or collaboration. At times they hit a home run with a hastily approached change effort, but more often than not they strike out. Unlike in baseball or softball, as educational administrators, we can’t strike out 70% of the time and be considered effective. In fact, one home run does not equalize the gravity of your reputational loss when you strike out.
Change is not easy. Often administrators consider it the hardest thing to do successfully, thus one must reflect upon it, be a student of it, and recognize that it is a volatile and unpredictable process. Therefore, I believe, administrators who bat for average (reflect, plan and collaborate) achieve the greatest record of sustained success with the changes they implement
So how do we guide administrators to bat for average rather than seeking to be home run hitters? One approach is to give them a process to follow as change is considered. It is not that they must follow the process verbatim, but rather that they have a template which spurs thought, reflection, planning and collaboration.
Each superintendent likely has established their own philosophy regarding how the change process can be successfully implemented and has imparted that wisdom to incoming administrators. In case anyone is interested I have attached as part of this blog post the template that I use. Please contact me if you are unable to see or open the template and I will be sure to email you a copy.
As always, if you have information on the change process which you provide to incoming administrators, or others, I encourage you to share it in the comments section below. Please remember that we all accelerate our wisdom when we share thoughts and ideas with each other.