Removing Roadblocks

For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour. 

Mary Kay Ash

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to remove roadblocks so that people can innovate and move the mission forward.  Change is a difficult process without roadblocks in place.  Unfortunately, leaders often unknowingly put additional roadblocks in the way.  Here are a few of the roadblocks that I have seen put in place by leaders with great intentions.

1. FORMS - People are required to fill out a form for absolutely everything.  These forms could be filled out to document that a meeting took place, a meeting will take place, planning occurred, etc.  If you put a box on a piece of paper it will be filled out. That doesn't mean that anything different will ever take place.  Take a close look at what you are asking people to complete.  Does it match what you say you are about?  What would be different if nobody filled in a form?
2. COMMITTEES - It seems like there is a committee for absolutely everything these days.  That is not the true essence of shared leadership.  Always start with your priorities.  If it isn't a strategic priority, there shouldn't be a group of people meeting about it.  
3. MEETINGS - I successfully led a building without ever having a staff meeting.  It truly can be done.  Technology can be utilized to convey the messages of traditional staff meetings.  Your schedule tells people what is truly important to you.  Every time you gather a group of individuals, it has to be focused on the mission of the organization. How much time do you currently spend in meetings?  Is there a better, more effective and efficient way to accomplish the task?

These are just a few of the most common roadblocks disguised as organizational improvement structures.  I'm quite sure you can find more at your workplace.

As a leader, keep the following three questions in front of you as you embark on a new year?

What is preventing the necessary changes that need to take place?

How are you contributing to these roadblocks as a leader?

What roadblocks can you move out of the way for your stakeholders this year?  

Run Your Day

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
Friedrich Nietzsche 

You have two choices as you enter each day.  You can either "run your day" or "your day can run you".

Which will you choose?

Get a plan or someone will get one for you.  Do something and start running your day.

People Development is the Key to Organizational Improvement

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. 

Albert Einstein

Organizations will only improve as the people who work there improve their practices.  Much of what we currently do in terms of people development is isolated, ever-changing, and rarely related to organizational goals.


How can we begin changing the face of professional development?  


Effective professional development occurs at the intersection of meeting both organizational needs and individual needs.  How often does that typically happen in your workplace?  


Here are some ideas to begin moving towards more effective professional development in your workplace.


1. Differentiate - One size fits all doesn't meet the needs of your stakeholders  
2. Simplify - Choose one focus area the Development Plan
3. Recognize - Tap into individual strengths while raising the bar in other areas
3. Involve - Provide opportunities for individuals to be instrumental in developing their plan
4. Consistency - Avoid the temptation to constantly change your focus
5. Follow Up - Monitor the progress of individual plans through conversations and focused questions

Organizational improvement has ALWAYS been about people improvement.  Effective professional development will be the key to your organization's success in the new year.

Stop Waiting For A Map

"Please stop waiting for a map. 
We reward those who draw maps, 

not those who follow them."

- Seth Godin

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book Poke the Box (a definite must read for all individuals that breathe in and out).  

Leaders have a responsibility to initiate the drawing of maps that will move their organizations forward.  Unfortunately, these maps often appear in the form of lengthy, comprehensive improvement plans.  These plans are largely ineffective and stakeholders rarely get passed the first page.


I believe leaders should create a very different type of map.  Create a map that is similar to one that you would use in a GPS device.  These maps provide structure for reaching your destination but still offer you choice and flexibility.  They are relentless in getting you to your destination no matter how many times you fail.  They will reroute you no matter how many times you get lost in the journey.  Better yet, they typically fit on one page/screen. Leaders must take a GPS approach to moving organizations forward and exceeding goals.  


Put away the volumes of improvement plans that have done little to move organization forwards.  Instead begin creating a map for your organization by...

• Involving stakeholders in creating a map that will move your organization forward
• Including checkpoints to make sure that you are on the right track
• Honoring that all of your stakeholders at different starting points
• Differentiating development opportunities 
• Embracing failure that will eventually get you closer to your destination

There are many other factors involved in the creating maps.  What would you add?

The Impact of Accountability on Technology

During standardized testing windows all computers are set aside for testing purposes only.  

The picture above represents the scene in many schools.  

We get the results faster using this method but at what cost to learning?

Is this really how we want to measure readiness for college, careers, or life?

I could think of a million things that students could be doing with the same tools that would better prepare them for their future.    

Creating Problems Solvers Who Need Answer Choices

“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things,

not simply of repeating what other generations have done

- men who are creative, inventive and discoverers”

- Jean Piaget

The accountability movement has created a generation of problem solvers who rely on the fact that they will have multiple choices.  This is the time of year where many states begin giving their standardized assessments. I thought I’d provide some thoughts about what I believe and practice as a leader in regards to standardized testing.

I believe that….

• students should be creators of content not consumers of bubble sheets
• true learning and discovery are open-ended and have no answer choices
• students that are taught to think and problem solve without answer choices can easily navigate a multiple-choice test
• putting a multiple choice test on a computer does not make it more engaging or effective
• time spent on teaching test-taking strategies would be better spent on teaching a love of reading
• students are passionate about saving the world not circling the best answer
• performance based assessments provide a more authentic form of assessment
• students should get multiple opportunities to demonstrate knowledge of a concept
• no teacher got into this profession for the purpose of teaching students how to bubble in answers
• the leader has a responsibility to go beyond what a multiple choice assessment can measure

These are just a few of my beliefs in regards to the current accountability movement.  What do you think?  What would you add and/or delete?

Deliberate Excellence

“Excellence is never an accident; 

it is always the result of high intention, 

sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; 

it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

- William A. Foster

This quote comes alive for me every time I work with, coach, and have conversations with leaders.  The most successful initiatives have these key ingredients in them.  Likewise many disastrous decisions are missing one or more of these components.

Often people do what they have always done or even what is easy to do.  Instead the focus should always be on "Doing the Next Right Thing" using the quote above as a guide.

What if everyone subscribed to this definition of excellence?  What if everyone in your organization did this? How would this change your practices or the practices of your organization?  Remember that it all begins with you and your intent...