On Timing and Communication

One of the most valuable leadership stones I have received came from a direct supervisor. We were in the middle of a difficult transition in which a beloved leader who reported to me had moved on. There was much turmoil within the program he had left, and I was diligently working to connect with his colleagues in order to move forward collaboratively. I tried many forms of communication, including an open call-in time for anyone who wanted to share a perspective or complaint. I gathered a great deal of information from the group, formed an interview team, and wrote a job description. Once the position was posted, I waited.

 At this point, my supervisor shared his concern that I was not actively communicating with the department. That’s weird, I thought—I had been working busily behind the scenes to listen, communicate, form and execute a plan. Now that we were in a lull, advertising the position and waiting for candidates, I didn’t see much point in communicating. Nothing was happening, right? What would I say?

“Whenever there is a void in communication,” he stated, “people fill that void with their own impressions and thoughts, accurate or not.” Communicate something, he said, so that the group would understand that I was paying attention. Communicate something, even if I was communicating that we were in a holding pattern.

This conversation left a huge impression on me. One thing I had already learned: no matter how hard you try to communicate well, you will not get it right with every person. I had tried hard to be inclusive, to listen, to address issues and create a process that was exemplary. But I had failed to understand that communication is continuous-the stream must be steady, accurate, and relevant. It must be real, and it must be reassuring without being patronizing. Even when you’ve checked all these boxes, you must continue to communicate, again and again and again.

The ongoing nature of your communication as a leader is critical. One communication mantra that makes sense to me is this: Communicate seven times, in seven ways. And that means that communication needs to be on a leader’s to-do list, every day.

Seeking the Mixed Bag

The neighborhood where I live is called Armory Park, based on its history as a military site back in the 1800s. It is referred to by some as a “mixed bag.” It contains pristine well-kept homes, those that are in transition (either improving or declining), and those that would be serious contenders for an episode of “Hoarders.” There is solid representation from the homeless community here and there. Within walking distance are downtown restaurants and venues, university student apartments, an industrial park, and an extensive arts community. I love the variety. 

Previously, I lived in a typical suburban neighborhood that was anonymous and uniform. We had the big house with a pool, and when we returned home from work, we used an automatic garage door opener to drive into our garage, close the door behind us, and walk into our perfect home. When the house needed to be repainted, our homeowner’s association offered a choice of colors: brown, light brown, and a slightly darker brown. Even the rock in our yards was the same.

Within our current little urban neighborhood of 100 homes, the HOA has one color rule: no two homes can be painted the same. As a result, we have purple, orange, yellow, blue, tan, white, and green houses. I’ve seen color combinations that make me cringe and others that make me smile. It’s all about individual expression here, and I love it.

Armory Park is the perfect community for me, because it affords me the opportunity to experience and learn from variety. And its lessons apply to leaders of all sorts of organizations.

As I somewhat obliviously climbed the leadership ladder, one very important thing was apparent to me: the higher I climbed, the more alone I was. The more power I had, the less access I had to real information about what was going on around me. I needed to find a work community that was a mixed bag, like Armory Park.

When I was at Perkins, I received my first 360 review. 360 feedback is a process through which feedback is gathered from an individual’s subordinates, colleagues, and supervisor, “360 degrees” around the subject. Self-evaluation is part of the process, and stakeholders outside of the organization can also be called on to provide feedback.  

The not-quite-360 review I participated in consisted primarily of feedback from the leadership team. While I was thankful for the positive comments and information I gained from the process, I didn’t learn much. These folks saw me in a singular light and had limited information about what I was doing, how my work affected others, and what I might be doing differently. They weren’t a mixed bag.

Growing as a leader means learning from a variety of people, situations, and perspective. Surrounding yourself with those who are like-minded is comfortable, for sure. But it will not make you a better leader. When I initiated 360 feedback for those who reported to me, I asked them to choose respondents from different aspects of their jobs, and to make sure there were some who might not especially like their work. Gaining information only from those you are most comfortable with will only provide more of the same. Seek out discomfort: you will learn from it. 

Be sure to spend time with those who think differently than you, or those who do work different from yours. I was fortunate to be able to interact with representatives in several different departments in each of the leadership positions I held, including transportation providers, manufacturers, librarians, and those representing completely different programs. Fitting pieces together within your organization helps you to make better decisions. It also brings much-needed variety into your work life and allows you to gain perspective.

Now when I see a pile of metal beams or a labyrinth of found objects forming a chicken coop in Armory Park, I pause to consider its merit. Leadership stones can be found in the strangest places.

What's all the hype about collaborative leadership? Read on.

“The basket that has two handles should be carried by two people.” –Egyptian proverb

I heard this quote at a conference I recently attended. It reminded me of my strong belief in collaborative leadership and its importance as a leadership stone. In truth, I have left many situations--organizations, committees, clubs, friendships—because they violated my overwhelming belief in collaboration.

Let’s take a look at our track record in advancing causes and cultivating constructive change in the very small field of visual impairment, blindness, and deafblindness. It is through the collaborative efforts of those willing to focus on a strong mission and purpose that positive change has occurred. Putting aside personal agendas and focusing on what we have in common has enabled us to agree on a common braille code, for example, and to ensure that those with unique needs receive the services they need. 

This leadership stone is one of the most difficult to achieve. I remember a situation when I was principal of a school for the blind. My office was next door to that of the school for the deaf principal, and we got along well. During my time in that position, we were able to greatly improve compliance in state-mandated processes, using a cross-departmental training approach that improved standards in all programs. For example. our counselors worked collaboratively to devise a suicide risk policy that kept our students safe. They also began working school-wide on student events to promote kindness and keep student harassment at bay, connecting students who were deaf and those who were blind in meaningful ways.

That principal left her position to return to the classroom, and the new principal began her tenure by creating and implementing goals and committees for the school for the deaf only. My attempts to approach her about continuing the initiatives that were in place were met with a sound “I don’t think we need those anymore.” I made several more attempts to find common ground and was unable to make any progress. The excitement and energy created through collaboration dwindled.

Did it make a substantial negative difference in our mission to do things separately? I think so. What I found was that energy shifted. Initiatives continued, but the speed at which things were accomplished slowed, and general morale among those who were used to working collaboratively decreased. Eventually, initiatives that were dependent on working together ended completely.

Two substantial benefits to collaboration, then, include making change happen at a respectable rate and improving employee engagement and morale. So why is collaboration so hard to achieve, and how do we go about convincing our colleagues that it is a critical part of a healthy organization?

My hunch about why the collaborative model is so often rejected is that people focus on its perceived negatives. I call these the myths of collaboration. They include:

·      It takes too long.

·      We’ll get too many ideas if we include others.

·      We don’t have enough in common to collaborate.

·      I lose my power if I “give in” to collaboration.

·      Hierarchical decision making is better because those at the top have the big picture.

Why do I call these myths? They are stories, not truths. They do not take into account the roots of the word collaboration: com- teamed up with laborare to form the Latin word collaborare, or “to labor together.” Laboring together toward a common goal encourages participants to consider other viewpoints and tap into additional knowledge resources. A well-run collaborative project creates energy and a sense of buy-in from the start, since it is inclusive.

A successful leader needs to be an example of collaboration in her day-to-day work. One fruitful example of this is using the technique of round robin when “camps” form around a particular decision or direction. The meeting’s facilitator simply asks each participant to state his or her position about a topic with a short explanation. Everyone speaks, and no one responds to the speaker. It is about listening. I have seen this technique help build compromise without sacrificing principles. Working together toward a decision ensures that you take many points of view into consideration.

Not everything should be accomplished collaboratively, of course. Sometimes a decision must be made on the spot, and sometimes one leader is best equipped to independently make certain decisions. Even in those cases, however, the collaborative leader has been actively learning from her peers so that the information she applies to her decision is based on collective knowledge.

On Culture, old and new

Three times in my professional career I have entered established organizations that had long and rich histories. Three times I have been stymied by the way people, especially those new to the organization, viewed and managed that past.

We tend to enter organizations assuming that there is a point in time when things should change—when things should move in a different direction. What we often fail to realize is that organizations are always changing—adjusting to new circumstances and improving processes and circumstances. We forget that the past was once new, and that lessons were learned as the organization evolved.

I had spent five years as the leader in a school that had a remarkable past. The lore I heard from long-time employees was fascinating, ranging from ghost stories to student successes. While I enjoyed learning about the past of that organization, I didn’t think to do anything with that information. People seemed to enjoy sharing stories, but it wasn’t until I began working at another established school that I began to think about the usefulness of this information.

When I set out to learn the lore in my new position at a school in the northeast, staff were happy to oblige. At this school, there was tremendous focus on what used to be, and I began to think about how we might bring some of those traditions back.

One story I heard frequently was that staff and students had once enjoyed winter evenings spent in cottage living rooms, the smell of decorated pine trees and a fire crackling in the fireplaces providing the perfect background to guitar-strumming and sing-alongs. These events seemed like the perfect multi-sensory experience for all. I began inquiring about what had brought an end to these traditions: fire code and insurance policies. Wishing to limit its liability, the school had boarded up the fireplaces, and real holiday trees were replaced with artificial ones.

I presented the loss to the school’s president and suggested that we choose one cottage to recreate the winter scene. A brainstorming session followed-what was it that we wanted to evoke, and how could we do so without bending the rules? An outdoor firepit seemed too cold for northeast winters, and of course artificial scents and textures were, well, fake. We settled on purchasing and decorating a real tree outdoors. Maintenance staff built a suitable outdoor stand and created access to electricity for lights. It was beautiful, but not visually apparent to people who were blind or visually impaired—and the string of lights did not stand up to the tough New England winter.   

After the first year, the person responsible for the 40-acre campus designated a living tree for our use, and a nuvo-tradition took root. I purchased a sound box to connect a more robust string of lights to. Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday tunes blasted from the tree, making the lights flash in time to the music. Students made outdoor decorations to hang on the tree as part of their free-time activities.

The tree became a wayfinding device for students traveling between buildings, and in time, it felt like it had always been there. I doubt folks knew that my husband and I strung the lights each year late in the evening or on a weekend, so that their appearance would be a surprise for staff and students. I felt a bit like Santa himself, recreating the tradition each year.

What’s the leadership stone here? Do not look upon the past as a relic to be ignored. Listen to lore, and try to glean its purpose. Not all traditions deserve to be continued, but neither should they all be ignored. Connecting the past to a meaningful present pays respect to the knowledge and experience of those who have come before you. And you might have a little fun with it, too.

People don't change. People can change. part 2

As I set out to form my thoughts around the concept that people don’t change (Part 1 of this pair of blogs), my brain was bombarded with memories where I had witnessed significant change in others. Thus, this Part 2: People can change.

When I was a young TVI, I had a boss who had great potential as a new special education director. He did some goofy things: took the cane I was holding and pretended to be blind as he negotiated the hallway of our offices. “’Give me your tired, give me your poor.’ That’s your attitude about any and every child you meet,” he said, mocking me for overcommitting. But he accepted me— not as a 20-something who didn’t have a clue but as someone who could be molded through his insights. And in turn, he listened to my thoughts and perspectives, and sometimes changed his behavior as a result.

There was one incident in particular that stands out: I was going on and on to him about a challenging situation in one of my schools. I honestly can’t remember what it was about, but I know I was asking—no, whining—for his help. “What do you expect me to do?” he finally asked, exasperated. “I expect you to act like the leader you are and manage the situation,” I said, unflinching. My words were blunt, perhaps a bit insubordinate. Instead of putting me in my place, he looked at me hard and said, “Okay. I’ll take a look at it.” And he did. It was my first experience in a job where a supervisor openly considered my call for change—and then changed. In fact, after that encounter, this leader periodically used me as a sounding board for next steps in challenging situations. And in his willingness to change, he gave me an important leadership stone: no matter who you are or where you are in your leadership journey, listening to each other, considering a different approach, and changing accordingly, is invaluable.

Let’s look at the bigger picture. For people to really change, it has to be sustainable and supported throughout the organization. Here’s an example. When I was a new interim principal at a school for the blind, I was taken back by the pervasive negativity of the staff. It was so bad, in fact, that the evening after my first faculty meeting, I cried. Not just a little tearing up—full on sobs. What had I done, leaving a job I’d enjoyed and taking on a challenge for which I was ill prepared? My careful agenda, designed to engage and inspire, had quickly gone down the tubes as teachers interrupted, talked among themselves, and refused to participate in the group activities I had planned.

Over time, however, the staff began to trust me and participated in meetings in a meaningful way. We even had some fun, and I knew I had met with some success when they started playing practical jokes on me. (That’s a leadership stone, by the way. When your staff trusts you enough to play a joke on you and you all laugh about it and no one is offended, it means you’ve built a culture of trust.) If someone made a negative comment, I was able to say, “Hey, you’re not the underdog anymore. Let’s keep it positive,” and things would turn around. The tone of our meetings and the school’s culture transformed.

After nearly five years in that position, an opportunity came up that I could not refuse. It was a dream job really, leading the country’s oldest school for the blind. I left my principal position six weeks after my interview. I thought I had positioned the school in a way where the positivity and camaraderie were sustainable. We had put so many positive things in place, we had climbed out of an IEP nightmare, and our enrollment was great.

After I had been gone for a while and revisited with colleagues, I learned that things had turned negative again. My leadership stone here: change is slow and laborious. But in order for it to “take,” it has to be nurtured every step of the way and on into the future. Nothing about leadership is “one and done.” For people to change in a meaningful way, they must understand the need to change, focus on the key item(s) that need to change, and find support from leaders and colleagues in sustaining that change.