The
mere mention of the word change can illicit an array of passionate responses
and this certainly isn’t unique to the field of education. Whether the change is related to a major
district initiative like curriculum and instruction, or something far more
mundane like the lunch line procedure, you are likely to hear many of the following
phrases uttered in hallways and teacher’s rooms.
"If
it ain't broke don't fix it."
"I'm
just going to keep doing it my way."
"This
isn't going to work."
"If
we wait long enough it will change back."
"We
used to do it that way and it didn't work."
With
all that said you may be wondering, “Who on earth would ever want to be a
change agent?” The answer to that question is actually pretty easy, a
passionate and dedicated educational leader that cares about students,
teachers, and their entire professional learning community. The
real question, and a much more difficult one is, “How can I be the change agent
that my community needs?”
1.
Intellect vs Emotion
Most
people can agree that change shouldn’t be initiated simply for the sake of
change. When policies are being developed and initiatives are being
rolled out, change agents need to stand tall and gather consensus and support
in order to put their plans into action. The question then becomes, what
is the best course of action to take in order to achieve this? When
attempting to inspire stakeholders, change agents must balance between
appealing to their intellect and appealing to their emotion. On the one
hand you have data, which doesn’t lie and helps leaders make important
decisions. On the other hand, in our field we know that numbers don’t
always tell the whole story and there is room for compassion and humanity.
2.
Hurry Up vs Take Your Time
If
you are a leader you know how important it is to adhere to deadlines and
protocols. A change agent also has to set milestones and benchmarks along
the way when implementing a plan. How do you respond when faced with time
constraints beyond your control? Maybe you need more time to collect
data. Perhaps you had to cancel a meeting or two because of weather or a
school assembly. There are many unforeseen circumstances that can delay the
implementation of any plan. A change agent must weigh all factors when
deciding to either rush a project to completion or to slow it down and take
more time.
3.
Push Back vs Let It Go
The
reality is that change can, and often times will be met with dissent.
Unfortunately, there will even be occasions when those dissenters will
attempt to disrupt or even sabotage your efforts. As a change agent you
will have a decision to make. Do you call those individuals out and
confront them, or do you simply ignore the noise and move forward? There
are many factors to be considered when deciding a course of action in this
situation. For instance, do the detractors have a history of this sort of
behavior? Are your leadership credentials being challenged? Do you
have proponents that will stand by you? What is at stake when it comes to
the change that is being proposed? This is a difficult decision to make
and can possibly result in repercussions that will be felt for a long time.
4.
Hands On vs Pass It On
If
you consider yourself an agent of change you most likely possess leadership
attributes as well. In order to be an effective leader, colleagues need
to know that you are willing to get your hands dirty. You of course want
to be an active participant in the movement, but how much involvement is too
much? The risk you take is that by being too heavy handed in your
involvement, you may alienate your colleagues and stakeholders. It is
imperative that you allow space for others to become meaningfully involved and
invested. Maintaining a balance between the two approaches is challenging to
say the least, which is why each situation must be analyzed critically to
determine where on the scale of participation you land.
5.
Reconstruction vs Redesign
Despite
all of your hard work and best intentions, there will be times when you are
faced with the harsh reality that the changes you helped to implement aren’t
yielding the results you expected. In some cases it is even possible that
your efforts have led to regression. Leaders shouldn’t walk away from
this problem, they need to decide what to do when this occurs. Some
initiatives can be so disastrous that they will call for a complete
reconstruction. In these cases any remnants of the original plan will
conjure negative feelings. However, sometimes you will be able to salvage
parts and redesign the plan maintaining its original intent. In either
case, careful consideration needs to be taken in order to build consensus with
regards to how to proceed.
It’s
been said time and time again that change is hard. I contend that being
an effective change agent is even harder, but not impossible. It takes
courage and resiliency, but it also takes a willingness to look at each case
individually before exercising your professional judgement.