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You never look good when you belittle someone else.

I totally agree with your response, everyone will react differently to change. This I believe is based on our life experiences and how we view change. I know when I worked with individuals who had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder I found that their life experiences really dictated how they handle crisis situations. i.e. While working at Wellesley burn center in Toronto I had the opportunity to work with a young boy who was a refugee from Bosnia. He had been beaten, tortured and his family had been killed while in Bosnia. His attitude to change was so adaptive and optimistic, he embraced change and he just rolled with the punches. However, a young lady who was also a burn victim at Wellesley had a very protected life. She was an only child from a very loving and doting family. Her parents at times seemed over protective. Needless to say she had a harder time in adjusting to change, her coping skills were poor and she was often resistant even to minor change. As nurses we had to work on a Holistic approach which eventually allowed her to adapt to her new situation. So to answer your question how do we get others to be excited about change without causing distress? I think we need to use an empathetic approach and try to understand change from the other person perspective. This way we can vary our methods as school leaders when implementing change. I find the following criteria are my guiding light for implementing change. – Give people maximum warnings of the change – When ever possible explain the reasons for change – Training sessions – offer people the chance to develop new, relevant skills – Sell – benefits – “what’s in it for them” (Transactional approach) – Empathize with their feelings or present position – Offer support, guidance and check on them how they are coping Regards Denise

Hi John

I totally agree with your response, everyone will react differently to change.  This I believe is based on our life experiences and how we view change.  I know when I worked with individuals who had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder I found that their life experiences really dictated how they handle crisis situations. i.e.  While working at Wellesley burn center in Toronto I had the opportunity to work with a young boy who was a refugee from Bosnia.  He had been beaten, tortured and his family had been killed while in Bosnia.  His attitude to change was so adaptive and optimistic, he embraced change and he just rolled with the punches.  However, a young lady who was also a burn victim at Wellesley had a very protected life.  She was an only child from a very loving and doting family.  Her parents at times seemed over protective.  Needless to say she had a harder time in adjusting to change, her coping skills were poor and she was often resistant even to minor change. As nurses we had to work on a Holistic approach which eventually allowed her to adapt to her new situation.

So to answer your question how do we get others to be excited about change without causing distress? I think we need to use an empathetic approach and try to understand change from the other person perspective. This way we can vary our methods as school leaders when implementing change. I find the following criteria are my guiding light for implementing change. - Give people maximum warnings of the change - When ever possible explain the reasons for change - Training sessions – offer people the chance to develop new, relevant skills - Sell – benefits – “what’s in it for them” (Transactional approach) - Empathize with their feelings or present position - Offer support, guidance and check on them how they are coping

Regards Denise

Hi Frank I can see how the four disciplines would need to be considered when implementing change. Most people can and do handle change, once they get by the initial anxiety. Some people enjoy change; they are stimulated by it and even initiate change. Others dislike it and prefer to maintain things as they are. However as a leader of change you have to be considerate of other people’s feelings. When I implement a new procedure I often find it is the delivery of the change that is important. I find the following criteria are my guiding light for implementing change. - Give people maximum warnings of the change - When ever possible explain the reasons for change - Training sessions – offer people the chance to develop new, relevant skills - Sell – benefits – “what’s in it for them” (Transactional approach) - Empathize with their feelings or present position - Offer support, guidance and check on them how they are coping Denise

Hi Lee I absolutely agree with you in that we do need to model behavior that demonstrates that we validate ourselves and others. Life is not all about work; however this is coming from the mouth of a work-a-holic. As I mentioned above I do give 110% when I’m at work, however I do believe in prioritizing tasks, like you suggested there is always tomorrow and I do put down the pen and leave.

Denise

Hi Shelly

Good thought provoking questions.

I believe that we need a powerful unifying vision for school boards and strong leadership that creates social harmony, rejects racial hatred, brings communities together and shows them how to value people of all backgrounds. The main focus would be on our similarities not on our differences. I think the first challenge of dealing with race and diversity for a leader is to embrace diversity and secondly, try to reverse the trend of “them and us” to “we”. Schools need to become vehicles for social change. Greater awareness, better understanding, respect and tolerance are values that school leaders need to endorse.

Denise

Good question!

I don’t think it is ever okay to act against our Moral Purpose. According to Fallan, Moral Purpose: the intention to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals such as employees, clients and society as a whole. Even in real life situations when we are forced to make difficult decisions we should not compromise our integrity, our sense of doing what is right, even if that means expelling a student, giving an unsatisfactory mark. However, these decisions need to be made in the “best interest” of the individual in question not at the ego of the school principal.

Regards

Dan You are good. So when you wife asks you “do I look fat in this” I can see you easy no how to use tact and sensitivity when needed. Good job! But on the serious side these skills are a must for a school leaders if they want to build positive relationships with others.

3. Is it sometimes better and more humane to tell a half – truth to protect faculty interests and school building leadership as well as the school organization one represents?

What a dilemma! I always believe it is better to tell the truth rather than get caught up in a lie. As a leader you need to have integrity and a sense of fairness. However, I think there are times when we need to protect the integrity of others or organizations, I’m not suggesting that you down right lie, but being vague or simply not offering information to protect another persons ego can be beneficial. You need to use tact and diplomacy in blurting out hurtful information. Again, a dilemma. I don’t have a cut and dry answer for this one. Every situation will call for different measures.

This is a hard question to answer because in real life extremes at each end of the spectrum, centralization versus decentralization don’t work. It is not whether we use either one but how we blend them together. Due to power being consolidated at the top of the organization, risk is great if the top of the organization becomes incapable of leading the organization (death, illness, or poor leadership skills). Employees also will feel less motivated to perform for the organization as they will not have an avenue for sharing their ideas on how to improve the organization.

On the other hand decentralization allows organizations to take advantage of division of labor by sharing decision-making across the organization. It also empowers employees and allows them to improve their performance by being able to act to improve areas immediately without approval from the top of the organization. This approach sets standards for valuing the first hand knowledge and experience of others. However, too much decentralization can lead to chaos, eventually there is no structure or boundaries to work in …. Everyone is doing their own thing.

In order for an organization to flourish there must be a clear vision, top down (centralization) with parameters for the organization. Within these parameters we need decentralization – individuals work better when they feel appreciated, have choices, are valued for their efforts, experience and loyalty. As the saying goes when we give power away we gain power.

This is the first year that I have completed a University course on line. I must say I have really enjoyed this type of learning. My previous thoughts on distanced education were that the courses would be more difficult than face-to-face, simply because you need to do the bulk of the work yourself …. You do not have a live instructor giving lectures, passing out handouts, etc. However, I have enjoyed the freedom of the flexibility to balance work, family and a social life. I’m a night owl by nature, so having the freedom to work late into the morning hours really worked for me. Also having all the assignments laid out ahead was also very helpful for time management. Lastly, I found that this time of learning required me to be more disciplined because I was responsible for more of the learning that took place.

Life is about balance and it is important to keep personal and professional separate. Everyone needs personal space and I agree with Father Steve it is up to us as individuals to set limits. Life is previous and each day is a gift, therefore I live each day to the fullest and give 110%. However, I know when to pull back and rejuvenate myself. This makes me a happy camper. Regards Denise

Great books, Frank. I will add them to my must have Christmas list.

Regards Denise

Great books, Frank. I will add them to my must have Christmas list.

Regards Denise