The Work Place and Education: How to Build a Better Leader

1. The Work Place and Education: How to Build a Better Leader Presented By: Gilray Madrid Edna Olmos Lisa Noe Denisa J. Garcia

2. Overview There are many books on Management and Theory that have great applications in both the world of education and the world that lies outside the classroom. It is important that the connection between business and education not be broken, because, after all, the future is in our students and they, some day, will be the leaders of the both the business world and the educational one.

3. List of Titles and Authors • The Fifth Discipline By Peter Senge • Good To Great By Jim Collins • In Search of Excellence By Thomas J. Peters & Robert H. Waterman, Jr.

4. The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge Business as it relates to Education Systems Thinking The basis of all of the five learning disciplines. Allows a holistic view of the organization. Visualize what underlies in complex situations. Understand relationships rather than a linear cause and effect outcome. Seeing processes of change not snapshots. • Systems thinking = Systemic Thinking • Personal mastery = a philosophy of recognizing the continuum of learning • Mental models = how we take action (DATA) • Shared vision = a vision that dwells in our hearts and minds • Team Learning = developing the capacity of the team to create the desired results

5. Shared Vision The Learning Organization • The basis of all of the five learning disciplines. • Allows a holistic view of the organization. • Visualize what underlies in complex situations. • Understand relationships rather than a linear cause and effect outcome. • Seeing processes of change not snapshots. • Lifelong learning • Never arrive • Always in a state of practicing • Becoming better and worse • Goal-oriented behavior • Innovation & recreation

6. The Fifth Discipline, Peter SengeConclusion “Learning organizations are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together.” Peter Senge The Fifth Discipline (1990)

7. Good To Great : a visual • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yetHqWODp0

8. Good To Great by Jim Collins How does this apply to education? Look for: A principal who credits his/her team with success Empowers leaders on the campus by sharing knowledge and giving responsibility • Level 5 Leadership • Humility • Choosing/grooming a predecessor

9. Who leads to What… • First Who……Then What • Get the wrong people off the bus • Get the right people on the bus in the right seat • Then decide on the goals of the organization • How does this apply to education? Look for: • Teachers who transfer because they don’t agree with the principal’s vision • A principal who moves teachers to a new position where they become more productive • The school improvement team looks at the campus action plan and revises it from year to year based on the school’s vision

10. Look at the Problems • Confront the Brutal Facts • Examine current path • Even if you’re on the wrong path, never lose faith • Prevent de-motivation by allowing for heated discussions • How does this apply to education? Look for: • The school improvement team looks at school’s data to determine areas of strength and weakness • Have honest discussions about where goals weren’t met and why

11. Sometimes it hurts! • The Hedgehog Concept • What are you deeply passionate about? • What can you be best in the world at? • What drives your economic engine? • How does this apply to education? Look for: • A statement of the campus vision • The school improvement team advising the principal on the development of the vision

12. Foundation • Culture of Discipline • Have structure and discipline • Freedom of creativity • Adherence to the Hedgehog Concept • How does this apply to education? Look for: • Activity on the campus that is inline with the campus action plan • New ideas accepted and implemented as long as it adheres to the campus vision

13. Trying New Things… • Technology Accelerators • Using new technology to accelerate growth …Can be scary • How does this apply to education? Look for: • New innovations to meet the goals of the campus action plan • Examples include: interactive whiteboards, ipods, kindle, use of web resources, teacher/student web pages

14. Slow But Sure Wins The Race! • Flywheel and the Doom Loop • Build momentum over time which brings success • Successes motivate and add to momentum • Lack of momentum disheartens so many stop and change direction many times and never develop momentum • How does this apply to education? Look for: • Campuses who slowly reach goals and Level 5 principal celebrates small victories • Teachers feel empowered and bring more positive energy to the classroom which is felt by students—successes become bigger • Campuses who have small successes but principal admonishes lack of growth and changes vision often—sustainable growth never occurs

15. In Search of Excellence Thomas J. Peters & Robert H. Waterman, Jr. • Shared values consist of culture; today, our culture is diversified in our educational setting. • How many educators really use computers to their fullest potential? • Are administrators providing technical, meaningful training for all educators to successfully use them as teaching tools? SHARED VALUES • Innovation redefined - to include continual respond to change. • Most technologically advanced country and the most affluent one • The quality of products and the productivity of workers depend on management (Peters and Waterman, p. 34).

16. FLEXIBILITY • Honda - lots of project teams, flexible, innovative. • Flexibility in the organization was also supported by Hewlett Packard. • Today, schools are promoting Professional Learning Communities. • Concept - allows for team member participation from different disciplines and promotes flexibility in our school organizations.

17. INCENTIVES • Systems - designed to produce many winners and once constructed, they celebrate their winnings. • Non-monetary incentives promotion. • Educators - need to be praised by administrators; Teachers need to believe in and acknowledge students. • Intrinsic motivation is invaluable for our students.

18. Policies & Simplification • Minimized policy manuals & down-sized corporate staffs. • Focus - few key values. • Dana - one-page statement of philosophy that focuses on the “productive people”. • Proctor & Gamble - one-page memos for communication. • Texas Instruments promotes having two objectives, insinuating that more is not realistic. • The education system has a mission statement in place, an overall district improvement plan, and campus improvement plans. • TEKS and TAKS objectives are implemented by every school district. • Can we further simplify our statements and plans?

19. Motivation & Morality • Transforming leadership. • Mutual support for common purpose. • One must lead by example. • All the contributors in the system must accept the defined purpose, and values understood by all, from top to bottom.

20. Motivation & Morality • Administrators support for teachers. • Encouraging further teacher development, earning of additional certifications, and pursuance of administrative degrees • Administrators’ manners - promote all educators to buy into the proposed organizational theories.

21. Decentralization • Putting it all together! • Create own internal marketplace. • learning organizations. • Decentralization of functions • Dana allow approximately ninety store managers to have their own cost-accounting system, purchasing, and control personnel policy. • In the business world, this allows for internal competition.

22. Decentralization (con’t) • Principals - campus budgets, designating budget amounts to departments, and directing their own personnel to follow policy as set forth by the district and campus. • Decentralization within departments. • Teachers - teach the subject as seen fit, as long as the state, district, and campus objectives are being met. • Principals meet their campus goals. • Today, the competition is evident between campuses for state academic recognition. Every campus is shooting for “Exemplary” status.

23. Recognition • 3M - many successes and failures. • Incorporate the “executive champion” in their system. • Tenured, serves as a coach or a mentor and is paid for his patience and his skill in developing other champions. • 3M’s venture team or task force. • Composed of volunteers, not assigned employees.

24. Recognition (con’t) • School districts employ this concept when they form committees on their campuses on a volunteer basis. • “Executive champions” -Mentor teachers and administrators. • School campuses have successes and failures. • Importance - effort to implement the idea. • Effective committees - cooperation, responsibility, and the willingness to progress. • If something does not work, reevaluate and try something new.

25. Communication • Walt Disney Productions - hierarchical, from top all the way to the bottom. • First name tag identification. • One of the best service providers in the world. • Every employee - Disney’s philosophy and operating methodology. Each employee is part of the big picture. • Hewlett Packard also supports the “first name” basis. • The open door policy is effective - IBM, Delta Airlines, and Levi Strauss. • United Airlines, Corning glass, 3M, and Citibank - informal communication from management.

26. Communication (con’t) • Atmosphere - start from the top. • Visibility of administrators. • Open door policy - important means of communication with other administrators, teachers, students, parents, and visitors. • Schools are service organizations. • All too often, this is an idea that gets lost in translation.

27. Listeners • Excellent companies are better listeners. • Most of their real innovations come from their market. • Customers invited into the company • True partnership. • Educators - recognize that the students are our number one customers. • Pay closer attention to their needs. • Growing diverse culture - intense listening to identify different needs of our customers.

28. RESPECT • IBM philosophy - divided into three simple beliefs: Willingness to train Set reasonable and clear expectations Grant practical autonomy to step out and contribute directly to his job. • Treated as adults, partners, with dignity, and respect. • Most important - our respect for the individual.

29. RESPECT (con’t) • Crucial - administrators treat teachers as professional adults. • Make teacher expectations clear. • Support leads to autonomy in their classrooms and successful education of students.

30. Being Needed • Excellent companies - thrive on the feeling of being needed. • Considered to be the magic that produces high expectations. • Measurement- being happy and performance-oriented. • Incentives: monetary, non-monetary, and experimental or newly introduce programs. • Not one device is considered to be effective indefinitely.

31. Being Needed (cont.) • Extrinsic and intrinsic motivating factors - improved performance of educators. • Monetary incentives - career ladder, improved academic performance, and teacher of the year awards. • Non-monetary incentives - recognition of teachers by administrators or the school district. (pins, certificates, and gift certificates)

32. Slogans • RMI, Hewlett-Packard, Wal-Mart, Dana, Delta, Disney, McDonald’s, and IBM - similar themes and believe that language is first. • People-oriented companies - establish their own words and languages to describe the very special importance of individuals. • Wal-Mart, Tandem, HP, Disney, Dana, Tupperware, McDonald’s, Delta, IBM, TI, Levi Strauss, Blue Bell, Kodak, P&G, and 3M view themselves as extended families.

33. Slogans (cont.) • Ernesto Serna Middle School – “Con Orgullo”; which means “With Pride” • Montwood High School – “Bleed Green” and “Montwood Family”. • Schools promote their phrases to demonstrate unity and the importance of belonging in the organization.

34. Philosophies • Excellent companies Ingrained philosophies “Respect the individual.” “Make people winners.” “Let them stand out.” “Treat them as adults.”

35. Philosophies (con’t) • Mission statements for school districts - values and beliefs that are recognized by all organizational members. • Administrators - duties to “sell” these mission statements to their co-workers and subordinates. • Communicate these beliefs formally and informally to the teachers, students, parents, and community. • Economic growth will be the student outputs. • They will be successful, contributing individuals in society.

36. Homogeneity • At Delta Airlines, Caterpillar, J & J, and McDonald’s - conduct daily senior staff meetings. • Hands-on opportunities for success. • Senior staff members or leaders unleash excitement for the companies to a certain extent.

37. Homogeneity (con’t) • Administrators - communicate with other administrators to motivate them. • Trickling effect - campus administrator meetings, department head meetings, and then down to department meetings. • Daily informal communication - can promotion motivation for the organization • Willingness - positively socialize with other employees. • Difficult task, but a good administrator will make that extra effort of productive visibility for the organization.

38. Simplicity • Johnson & Johnson - simple structure, categorized divisions, and promoted autonomy. • This concept can relate to school districts, campuses, and departments. • Allows for flexibility, decentralization, and autonomy. • Flexibility for communications - Division of campuses and department; educator autonomy in classroom. • The educational system is simply structured to be able to produce educated students, but just like a business organization, it takes committed people.

39. Their Words – Sound Familiar? • Their words: mission, shared values, flexibility, communication, respect, structure, competition, diversity, mentoring, decision-making, incentives, beliefs, belonging, decentralization, committees, innovative and autonomy. • The educational system already has characteristics of the so-called excellent companies. • Administrators can learn from these attributes, reinforce them, relate them to leadership training, and lead their own organizations to excellent educational institutes.

40. Leaders Survival Kit • Future leaders at work pencil: keeps you sharp and ready for walk-through’s • Pencil Sharpener: To keep those pencils sharp and at the ready • Eraser sticks: To correct any errors we may make along the way • Foam bookmarks: To help us keep our place so we can multitask better • Clown fish finger puppet: to remind us to laugh, and to help us practice for those hard conversations • Smiley face ball: To help us relax before one of those hard conversations • Gold coins: represents those BIG raises we will get • Gold “Winner” Medal: our reward for finishing this, and many other, classes