Overcoming Resistance

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Overcoming Resistance

• 2008 TITLE I STATE
• SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
• WORKSHOPS

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Quote Walk

• Look, Sonny, Ive been a teacher in this school
  longer than you have been alive. My students
  math scores are always excellent and always above
  my expectations. I feel very comfortable doing
  what Ive always done.
• -Oscar, HS math teacher

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Quote Walk

• The lions might lie down with the lambs, but
  the lambs wont get much sleep.
• -Woody Allen

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Quote Walk

• I realize hes not making the changes Ive
  asked him to make. I checked his age, and hes
  62. At best he has 3 years more. I think we can
  wait him out.
• Robert
• A first year principal

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Quote Walk

• The key to everything is patience. You get the
  chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
• -Arnold Glasow

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Quote Walk

• I know what my mission is. Ive got a great
  vision of what this school could be, and I know
  what my values are. This exercise is a waste of
  my time.
• Bubba Smith
• HS football coach

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Many Changes

• Is there any doubt that education is changing?
• Local control is being diminished greatly in
  favor of state and federal requirements
• School districts are held accountable to the
  state and to the feds for student learning
• As leaders, we must
• Move forward
• Embrace the new mandates
• Lead the change efforts

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The Challenge

• As a leader you must build trust among your staff
• Build communication bridges
• Be honest with your staff and listen to them
• Discuss change ideas with your leadership team
  and gain their support prior to presenting your
  ideas to the whole staff
• Explain your ideas for change to your staff
• Listen some more

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Resistance Kills Change

• Many change efforts fail due to resistance
• Research tells us that lack of involvement is the
  single largest reason for change initiatives to
  fail
• The cost of failed change is high
• Loss of trust
• Blaming
• Managing change means managing resistance

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The Value of Resistance

• Give respect to the resisters
• Listen to them
• Understand them
• Build the relationship
• Working with resisters creates win-win situations
• The voice of resistance can keep us from taking
  untimely or foolish actions
• You might have to slow down to go fast

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• The biggest dilemma facing all leaders with
  moral purpose is what to do if you dont trust
  the competence and motivation of the people you
  are expected to leadLeaders need to take action
  to counsel out or otherwise rid the schools of
  teachers who persistently neglect their own
  learning.

Michael Fullan The Moral Imperative of School
Leadership, 2003
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Fullans Challenge

• Most leaders are in contact with one or more
• Angry
• Troubled
• Exhausted, or
• Just plain confused teachers
• Many of us are guilty of looking the other way
  or counting the years to their retirement
• They damage your school culture and lower the
  achievement of your students
• We must deal with these resisters

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Getting Beyond The Wall

• Is there any doubt in your minds that dealing
  with resistance is difficult?
• But we cant allow our imaginations, our
  fantasies, and our fears to overwhelm us
• We must engage the resistors in a constructive
  manner
• Touchstones to consider

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Touchstone 1 Maintain Clear Focus

• If your ideas are attacked
• Dont try to get even
• Focus on your original goal of building support
• Maintain a dual focus
• Focus on the goal, and
• Focus on the work of the moment
• Persevere and maintain your stamina

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Touchstone 2 Embrace Resistance

• If you are going to get beyond the wall, you must
  let down your guard
• Enter the world of those who resist you
• Counterintuitive
• Skiers are told
• Go down the fall line
• Keep your skies pointed down the hill
• Make quick turns
• Always keep that weight on the downhill ski
• Seek to understand the resistance and build
  commitment for your ideas

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Touchstone 3 Respect Those Who Resist

• You give up nothing by treating people with
  respect
• If you are going to build trust, you must start
  with respect
• Listen deeply with an open heart and mind
• Be honest
• Remember respect is a behavior, trust is a belief

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Touchstone 4 Relax

• Dealing with resistance is stressful
• People attack you, your ideas they dont
  exhibit respect
• The more you relax, the easier it will be to
  embrace resistance
• Listen to the resistors Draw them out
• Seek common ground
• The more relaxed you are, the more you will be in
  control

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Touchstone 5 Join with The Resistance

• Building support requires you to blend your ideas
  with the resistors
• Search for a common vision
• Forget about the zero sum game with a winner
  and a loser
• Join interests and search for a win-win

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Flip-Side

• Maintain clear focus does not mean win at all
  costs
• Keep your sights on the vision and the goals and
  realize that you will be influenced by others
  along the way
• If you have only respect, you risk giving in to
  others and achieving nothing
• When you relax, be alert and ready
• Be cautious about joining-in
• Use the touchstones together

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Assertive Interventions

• Sometimes you may need to be more direct
• Leave no doubt in the resistors mind about what
  must be done
• Conduct a planned assertive intervention
• Strategy to help you say what needs to be said
• Keeping in mind our touchstones

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Assertive Interventions

• Multi-stage, ongoing process to bring about
  behavioral change in problem teachers
• Requires Assertive Leadership
• It is positive, forthright, honest,
  trust-building
• It is not aggressive or bullying
• It is not hesitant or lacking in confidence

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Interventions Are Assertive

• Mature and fully cognizant of your role in school
  improvement
• Unwilling to be distracted from the schools
  mission
• Unwilling to take responsibility for resistant or
  dysfunctional staff members
• Consistency and fairness
• Aware that by lowering standards for one or
  excusing bad behaviors
• lowers the standards of the entire school
• Puts at risk the schools progress and the
  improvements already made

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Interventions Are Explicit

• Describe clearly what the staff member is doing
  and how it negatively impacts the school
  community
• Be Objective and avoid inflammatory adjectives
• Leave no room for misunderstanding
• Document thoroughly the entire AI

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Interventions Are Supportive

• Express your support for your staff members
  efforts to eliminate the problem behavior
• Provide options and alternatives
• Counseling
• Observation of exemplary teachers
• Consulting with in-district instructional
  specialist
• Possible resignation
• Begin to develop a plan together for change
• Discuss how to monitor the plan

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AIs Are Systematic

• Presentation of the facts
• Allow for staff members reaction response
• Develop a plan for change
• Be supportive
• Provide incentive
• Establish a monitoring plan
• Motivate the staff member

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AIs Are Ongoing

• One meeting will not do!
• Continuing process
• Lead the way by your example and other staff
  members examples
• Carry out the staff members improvement plan
• Monitor progress

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AIs Promote Growth and Change

• If you treat an individual as he is, he will
  stay as he is, but if you treat him as if he were
  what he ought to be and could be, he will become
  what he ought to be and could be.
• Goethe
• Active process for those failing to meet
  professional standards
• Staff member must desire to change
• You must continue to utilize the AI approach

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Factors Influencing Change

• If the angry or troubled teacher
• Respects the leader and the schools goals
• Is influenced by effective staff members and
  their successes
• Acknowledges the need for acceptance,
  affirmation, and affiliation
• Realizes the possibility of being discharged
• Then the chances for change are better!

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Positive Leadership

• People will be more productive if their
  supervisors take into account their social,
  emotional, and self-actualization needs.
• Affirm, energize, and empower your teachers
• -Hersey Blanchard