Self-reflection to kick off the New Year!

@rbishop_jr tasked the two of us with creating a blog post by January 2… it’s always good to have an accountability partner who supports you as a positive force to influence professional growth.  I find that blogging helps me organize thinking, cements learning, and holds me accountable for my professional growth. My hope is to get back to consistently (once a month) blogging in 2019, and I look forward to reading @rbishop_jr post in the near future.  So here is my post: Self-reflection to kick off the new year!

The conclusion of another calendar year is always a great time to celebrate successes while reflecting on how to improve our craft as we make resolutions for 2019.  We continually reflect on the effectiveness of our school culture and climate, instructional strategies, district initiatives, school improvement plans, curriculum and assessment, etc. Our PLCs collaborate by setting and monitoring goals that supports learning.  With that said, success of a building depends greatly on self-reflection as well as collaborative goals. If one truly want to sustain professional growth, then we need to think deeper than traditional performance reflection questions, while knowing that you are the only one who can truly answer self-reflection questions.   

Self-reflection question for 2019:  What does it take to be an Influencer? 

My colleagues and I have committed to meeting once a month to discuss what it takes to be an influencer within our organization.  Building leaders need to influence sustained professional growth to lead change. We decided to use Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change by Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan and Switzler to guide our conversations.  The authors do an exceptional job identifying high-leverage behaviors that lead to profound change in an organization.  Influencer takes you on a journey of self-reflection by helping one find and clarify actionable vital behaviors to lead to positive results.  Too many of us focus on the results rather than the behaviors that lead to results. As a group we have spent time reflecting on the fact that successful influencers avoid spending time and effort on the wrong behaviors by drawing from vital behavior such as noticing the obvious, capitalizing on crucial moments, learning from positive deviants, and spotting culture busters:  

• Notice the Obvious:  Looking for behaviors that are obvious but underutilized.  How do we capitalize on these behaviors and develop them into our actions?  
• Look for Crucial Moments: Identify those times where everything is working against the results you want. Look for behaviors that can help you overcome those crucial moments. How do you prepare for potential barriers?
• Learn from Positive Deviants: Look for people that do well in a challenging situation even when you or others are having problems within the same scenario. Identify what they are doing differently that could help you or others succeed. How do we identify when we need to learn from others and their experiences?
• Spot Culture Busters:  Watch for crucial moments when shared vision and mission is necessary for success. How do we build our culture through shared leadership? Those that work against the shared vision and mission can destroy an initiative or organization.  How do we prepare for this and build capacity in others.

Understanding these four vital behaviors takes self-reflection.  Focusing on yourself and understanding the lens and behaviors you bring to the table will help in the quest to be a positive influencer.  How do you know if a behavior is vital to your influence? Like anything, if you are unsure, then track the behaviors and compare with your results.  If the behavior has a direct impact on the result then you know it is a vital behavior.

I look forward to self-reflection throughout the chapters of Influencer.  I already find myself considering the four vital behaviors, considering each when reflecting on past and future projects, curriculum reviews, and even interactions with staff and community stakeholders.  These four behaviors along with Six Sources that will be our focus within the next chapters will be my focus throughout 2019. I look forward to investigating our shared abilities while understanding motivation, defeat, and adjusting to change through the Six Sources:

• What is your personal motivation?  Are you motivated?
• How do you view your personal ability?  Are you able?
• What does your social motivation look like?  Do others pay attention to your advice?
• What is your social ability to enlist the support of others?  Can you enlist the help of others? 
• What does structural motivation look like?  Is there an incentive conflict? 
• How do you view the structural ability?  Do you have the tools to make it happen? 

These vital question, behaviors, and sources will continue to guide my focus as we maintain our commitment to leadership and balancing our influence to unlock the potential of our organization.  I will keep you posted as our reflection continues and Influencer guides our professional conversations.

As you reflect and set goals for 2019, start thinking about deeper self-reflection questions that will support your ability to Influence others.  Find balance and pick one or two vital behaviors that might resonate with you and be aware of how behaviors can change results. Continue to grow and embrace change, creating opportunities for professional growth, while enjoying the best job in the world… teaching children and growing capacity of others!