Self-Differentiated Leadership with Crucial Conversations

When starting an organization change you have to start with a Why Statement. It needs to speak to the heart as well as the mind with a great a sense of urgency. Simon Sinek says in his TED Talk video, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” In order to help bring your “why” to life, you must know why you are doing what you are doing. You must have passion and drive with purpose so other people can feel your energy and you can lead by example.

In order to implement my innovation plan of using ePortfolios in Pre-K, I need to develop my path, plan, and strategies like Influencer Strategy A and B and 4DX Plan. This plan helped me derive at my WIG (Wildly Important Goal). Next, we are going to use our lead measures to make changes. Our lag measure is to get the students involved and to use their ePortfolios. The scoreboard is the most valuable component in my opinion. This represents where we are headed and where we want to go. It provides motivation and inspiration to complete our WIG. Lastly, we are going to hold each other accountable by meeting once a week to ensure we are on target. Utilizing all the research I have learned in this class, I am confident we will "win" or complete our goal with ePortfolios in Pre-K.

One of my favorite parts of this plan is the scoreboard. I know the students will love having a visual representation of what they are doing. Students at this age are "reading" pictures, so having something they can see on a regular basis will help them stay focused and help motivate them to reach their own personal goal.

Teachers are focused on their own priorities and are trying to avoid the whirlwind. After learning about the six sources of influence and seeing the “All Washed Up” video, I knew that I would need to incorporate as many sources as possible. As they mentioned in the video, you need at least four sources of influence to increase the chances of success by 10 times.

It is important to have some conversations with others. Crucial conversations are happening all day every day with many people in one day. It might be your co-worker, husband, or a student. When you are having these conversations you have to keep your emotions in check and think through your words.

In the book, Crucial Conversations (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, & Switzler, 2012) they say there are three parts to a conversation (p.3). The parts are: opinions vary, the stakes are high, and emotions are strong.

The book also mentions that people fall into different categories (p.13). Those categories are: People who make threats or call people names, others are fuming without talking, and people who can speak openly and honestly.

I seemed to connect with the information in Chapter 7 - State my Path: How to Speak Persuasively Not Abrasively. I made a graphic (or click here for the pdf) that will help me with my upcoming conversations.

Henri Matisse said, "Creativity takes courage". When making changes you do have to be creative and a forward thinker. As I read the book, I did some personal reflection. There are 7 necessary steps. "Words do matter" (p.102). When having conversations with others about sensitive subjects, we have to choose our words carefully.

I am becoming a self-differentiated leader using the conversation skills that I have learned. First, I will create a safe environment to have a discussion. Next, I will be a role model on how to keep my emotions in check. Finally, I will keep my goal in mind during these conversations. I have to keep myself in order because I am the only one that I can control during the conversation. I need to make sure my vision is clear and know what I want from these conversations.

As a leader, I have to make sure I don't get caught up in the whirlwind and keep the conversation focused. I have to pay attention to early warning signs so I can keep things on track. I also have to keep my emotions in check. Teachers want what is best for their students, so their emotions will run high and some will be quick to anger. In order to keep things focused, we have to be respectful and show that we care. I will let the other teachers know that we are in this together and that I care about what they have to say and how they feel. When we are upset, we tend to blame others. We have to share our stories and refrain from hurting one another. I will encourage others to share their thoughts and feelings as well. I will listen to others when exploring their paths. I will consider their thoughts and opinions. With all that I have learned we will get "unstuck" and be able to move forward with the plan of ePortfolios.

In the end, people handle conversations differently. They can either avoid you, handle it poorly, or handle it well. Although, most people are not a fan of change, change is going to happen. If change is done in steps and over time, we can change our views toward change. After clarifying our why, using the influencer model and the 4DX, together we will use self-differentiated leadership and crucial conversations to move forward with positive changes for these pre-k students and their ePortfolios. By using the books, assignments, and knowledge I gained in this class, I am confident we will do what is best for the students and we will be successful.