Let me ask you a quick question: Rate the last ten reform initiatives that your school, district and/or state embraced on a scale from “Ridiculously Simple” to “Ridiculously Complex.” Now, think about which reform initiatives made a lasting impact and which were abandoned before the end of the next school year.
Do you see any patterns?
If your school is anything like most schools that I’ve worked with in the past few years as a change expert and consultant, the plans most likely to fail are those that are overly complicated.
The truth is that change doesn’t need to be complex in order to make a difference. Simple strategies often result in the most forward momentum because they can be implemented with fidelity by all members of a faculty regardless of their level of technical skill and ability. They rest at the edges of an organization’s collective box.
What does this mean for building leaders? If you REALLY want to drive change, lose your bedazzler. The best plans don’t need thousands of cheap rhinestones to shine.
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Related Radical Reads:
Make Like an Obstetrician and Deliver
What Can Principals of PLCs Learn from Hand Washing?
Constantly Fighting the Good Idea Fairy
Original Image Credit: Rhinestones by erix!
www.flickr.com/photos/erix/15331811/sizes/l/
Licensed Creative Commons Attribution on June 1, 2013
