Recap
In Part I of this series, we touched on the following topics:
· What are they saying about your school?
· What does school culture mean?
· Why and how should I evaluate my school’s culture?
· How can I use feedback to develop a plan?
Part II: Developing and Communicating a Plan!
Once I had the focus areas identified, my next step was to develop a plan of action. The idea of developing a plan to immediately improve TEN focus areas quickly became overwhelming. In the book Extreme Ownership, Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin address this issue. When battle plans become too complex and overwhelming, the Navy SEALs prioritize and simplify. When they complete a task, they repeat the process. They continue to prioritize and simplify until the mission is complete. The importance of simplification is to ensure all team members are on the same page. In the SEAL world, not being on the same page could cost a team member their life! Although the stakes are nowhere near as high in the world of educational leadership, I decided this tactic was appropriate as I developed my plan to address the identified focus areas. I prioritized my ten focus areas, and chose to keep my plan as simple as possible. I knew that if I wanted my faculty and staff to buy in and support the coming changes, the implementation process would have to be simple and clear.
Before introducing the plan, I took time to set the stage for culture shift. I started with the “why” by sharing the feedback I had received from stakeholders, and the importance of creating a strong culture. I didn’t roll out a grand plan to my faculty all at once. I used the upcoming monthly faculty meetings and built in professional development days to address a few focus areas at a time. It’s important to note that culture shift is not a quick fix. It is a process! To quote my pastor from one of his sermons, “Deep issues do not have quick fixes.” We are now in year three of this journey. We have focused on each prioritized area as long as needed before moving on to the next one (some areas are still ongoing). So, I know some of you are thinking, “Just tell us your focus areas already!” Without further ado, here are the ten focus areas that were identified at my school:
· Attitude/Disposition
· Expectations
· School Safety
· Discipline
· Relationships
· Communication
· Involvement
· Tradition/School Pride
· Celebrations
· Partnerships
· I also discovered another very important area that we focused on during this process. I will share this bonus area with you a little later.
Upcoming Post:
Based on the feedback I collected from the “temperature check”, I chose to address our attitude/disposition and expectations first. In my next post, Part III of this series, I will share (in depth) exactly how I addressed theses focus areas with my entire faculty/staff.
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