Coach Kent's philosophy has permeated many facets of my life. As a recruiter and leader in school districts, during the hiring process more often than not I will look for the recruit with the highest ceiling. One who may not be as experienced as other candidates in the field but has potential for greatness. In order for us to grow as an organization we need talented people who can do things we simply can't. As I look at the teams I work with, I am proud of the fact that the individuals who comprise these teams are simply better than me at most things, and I consider myself to be a pretty talented individual.
The second component of Coach Kent's philosophy was one of trust. Coach trusted the individuals that once they were their that they would do the work necessary to become successful. As a leader I've worked to bring this practice into my career and my life. Once, Carolyn one of our building instructional assistance remarked that I was "hands on without micromanaging." Simply I knew and understood the details of her work and her world yet gave her space and trust to make the decisions and adjustments necessary to be successful in her work. When you invest in quality people and let them become leaders in their work, they will create better products than you can ever imagine. Annually we see that by giving staff the simple aspects of trust, space, time, and faith they create unique solutions that improve our organization and our world.
These sentiments are wonderful and positive until we reach the point when struggles arise that the individual cannot overcome independently. As leaders we often preach that we should embrace that we need to "Fail = First Attempt In Learning" in order to succeed. However, when we say that we often are believing that it's ok to hit a hurdle. It's acceptable to have moments and times when you hit a barrier and it takes 2, 3, or 4 opportunities to be successful. What we don't frequently mean is that its ok for something to entirely fall apart and not reach hundreds or thousands of students and families successfully. As leaders thats when we step in and try to create solutions for success.
At work, we often joke that I am not focused on the details. The reality is that I trust my people to figure out the specifics and develop solutions that work and are meaningful to them. In truth, when I am working on the specific minute components of an operation it usually is a red flag that I don't trust someone/something or the experienced has fallen apart to the point where I feel that I need to personally go in and fix it.
Beginning in late July, we began preparing to roll out key resources to our students and teachers. We have been excited about these resources as we see them being key to making a significant impact on how we engage children in learning, provide differentiated instructional resources, and allow them to create unique products. We were excited about how the tool would provide us with more control over the resource as it was implemented. We noted to the vendor some concerns we had about how the tool needed to roll out, but accepted the vendors plan as a necessary step to implementation of a key resource. As you may expect from the title of the column, it didn't work. Like so many previous hurdles, I chose to follow my typical pattern of solutions.
First, assign more people and resources to the task. When people are struggling I want to give them supports. This started as a three person operation, then four, then five, then six. Before I knew it, I was working on the project 14-18 hours a day. Another administrator was working equivalent hours on the same project. Our kids were in working on the project. Our kids friends were in working on the project. Staff members were showing up to work at 6:30 in the morning to work on the project and back working on it via google docs at 9pm at night. Teachers, principals, non-departmental administrators were working on the project. Good people who saw value were working to make a difference but the barrier still stood.
Second, change the parameters of the project. As leaders we look for silver linings in order to get some successes. Getting the old version of the resource out to students so that some could begin utilizing it was our first win. Getting students who weren't dependent on the new tool but would be new to the program was our second win. We celebrated both.
Third, seek outside help and don't be afraid to go as far up the chain as possible. We have been speaking with the vendor on an ongoing basis. We have expressed our disappointment and at times frustration with the process. The challenge is that we believe at our core, their product is the best resource for our learning environment. We have sought technical assistance and human assistance only becoming frustrated when their is a communicated lack of understanding regarding the resource. To paraphrase from the movie Spies Like Us:
General Sline: When we commissioned the Schmectel Corporation to research this precise event sequence scenario, it was determined that the continual stockpiling and development of our instructional resources was becoming self-defeating. An instructional resource unused is a useless instructional resource.
The reality is, I am not sure if these challenges are simply a hurdles or represent a complete and total failure. I know that each day that passes we adversely impact the tools our students and teachers have to implement learning. I am cautious about how many more resources I can ask to be thrown at the situation. I've seen each member of my team get sick over the last month. I've seen them fall, get back up, and ride forward again. I've looked at the mirror and seen a face that I am no longer comfortable with. One that's changed from the relaxed patience of Yoda to the jittery and impulsive Han Solo. I see exhaustion and frustration on the hands of our team and the teams we serve. These are not faces I'm comfortable with but they are those of reality. Yet through all of this, those within the team and those we serve, although frustrated they remain supportive. They express patience and optimism even in the face of a dour current reality.
This we we will try some different tactics. We will reach out in new ways with new pushes. We will continue to throw even more resources at the challenge, ones from far beyond my anticipated level of reach and hope that it makes a difference. The reality is, as a leader and a person my biggest struggle may be that I can't tell the difference between a hurdle that can be overcome and a failure that requires us to go back to the drawing board.
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