In order to lead change and be an effective instructional leader, leaders must focus on risk taking, collaboration, and ways to strengthen others (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Often these three foci are intertwined. According to Kouzes and Posner (2007), risk taking combines the ability to "generate small wins" and to "learn from experience" (p191). When leading change, educational leaders need to generate small wins in order to build trust and confidence. When leaders start with change initiatives that seem big, it is important to break the larger whole into smaller, more manageable pieces. Starting small deters feelings of becoming overwhelmed and feeling stressed out. In addition, Kouzes and Posner (2007) maintain starting small often takes the fear out of change. In addition to breaking large tasks into manageable small tasks where successes can be built up to create momentum, educational leaders and change agents must "learn from experience" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p199).
Kouzes & Posner (2007) maintain there is "a lot of trial and error involved in testing new concepts, new methods, and new practices (p199). It is important to recognize new initiatives and recognize that trekking over new environments often involves errors and getting lost. However, more importantly, leaders must learn from these mistakes and have conversations about "what we can and cannot do" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p199). "Learning happens when people feel comfortable in talking about both success and failures" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p200). This learning opportunity occurs through conversation regarding what went right and what went wrong. Creating time for conversations within the workday builds a climate which values learning.
Kouzes and Posner (2007) focus on two types of dialogue necessary when taking risks and meeting challenges. Dialogue is active reflection. These reflections must focus on the strengths of the process and outcomes, what was learned from the process, what mistakes were made, and what changes need to be made in order to be more successful in the future (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p213). In addition, dialogue should occur prior to change in order to anticipate problems and be proactive, rather than reactive (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p213). An important piece to anticipating problems is to identify who or what creates resilience. In doing so, one can learn from the past in order to form a more educated perspective on the change initiative, to prepare more effectively, and to invite support from others (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p215). Generating big wins requires leaders to start small and to build collaborative work environments.
Douglas Reeves (2009) refers to "generating small wins" as "getting short-term wins to sustain long-term change" (p94). Reeves (2009) refers to risk taking as the ability to "emphasize effectiveness, not popularity" (p92) when looking at change initiatives. In essence, Reeves explains risk taking involves answering the questions "How do we make perfect decisions" or "How do we choose the wiser mistake to make" (2009, p146). It is important to "enact change that is not perfectively effective" (Reeves, 2009, p147) in order to learn from mistakes. Reeves identifies the mistakes to be learned from as "action or inaction, evidence or speculation, criticism from cynics or criticism from a future generation" (2009, p146). Most importantly, risk taking must include collaboration and communication in order build a team who is willing to take small steps toward large change.
"Effective leaders allocate faculty time to collaboration" (Reeves, 2009, p64). Reeves (2009) defines collaboration as incorporating both congeniality and collegiality in order to examine student needs (p64). Kouzes and Posner (2007) describe a collaborative environment as one where the employees are given the tools to be successful, the trust to complete work, and the confidence to ask questions (p222). In essence, collaborative work time opens up the channels to discuss risk taking and work together to do so. Collaborative work environments recognize the strengths of individuals and emphasize those strengths to share with others. In addition, collaborative work environments set goals, define needs, and build teams "around common purpose and mutual respect" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p223). Investing in an environment which values shared decision making, dialogue, and shared leadership reaps relationship building based on trust. "Where there is growing trust, the quality of discourse increases, again helping stimulate greater engagement and real collaboration" (Wagner, Kegan, Lahey, Lemons, Garnier, Helsing, Howell, Rasmussen, 2006, p150).
There are advantages to building a climate of trust when undergoing change. One of the advantages is "people who are trusting are more likely to be happy and psychologically adjusted than those who view the world with suspicion and disrespect" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p225 quoting Posner & Harder). In addition, when trust is present, goals are clearer and the team tends to investigate more alternatives or action plans to engage in. However, in order "to be effective, professional collaboration requires time, practice, and accountability" (Reeves, 2009, p46). According to Fullan and Hargreaves (1996), "As teachers face up to rising and widening expectations in their work and to the increasing overload of innovations and reforms, it is important that they work and plan more with their colleagues, sharing and developing their expertise together, instead of trying to cope with the demands alone" (p4-5). Often, change brings about new initiatives where teachers feel overwhelmed. However, involving teachers in the change process as well as creating time for collaboration will help to deal with the changes. In addition, Fullan and Hargreaves (1996) suggest "it is important to utilize our existing expertise and learn from each other more effectively;" (p11) therefore, "to fight for access to each other's ideas" (p11).
Kouzes and Posner (2007) refer to the same idea of learning from each other when they describe strengthening others. During times of change, strengthening others includes sharing information and resources, asking questions, listening, and interacting with one another (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). In addition, strengthening others includes educating one another, as everyone has different strengths to bring to education. Effective leaders are able to strengthen others, take risks, and collaborate in order to make necessary changes in education. Often times, these three things work simultaneously.
References
Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2007). The Leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey
Bass.
Fullan, M. & Hargreave, A. (1996). What's worth fighting for in your school. New York, NY:
Teachers College.
Reeves, D. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment,
and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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