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Bring Out the BEST in Your
Staff
March 3, 2017
Palliser District Teachers’ Convention
Chris Wejr www.chriswejr.com
@chriswejr
Where I come from
"I come to you humbly not to tell you what
to do on your journey but to share with
you what I have learned on mine”
Wab Kinew
cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by Thompson Rivers University:
http://flickr.com/photos/thompsonrivers/8518479289/
What is
organizational culture?
CCimagefromwilgengebroedhttps://flic.kr/p/AUV2k5
A Positive Organizational Culture
Strengths-
based
Collaborative
Innovative
Focused
Trust ~ Happiness ~ Curiosity ~ Care
Kent Elementary
A strengths-based, collaborative,
innovative, and focused culture.
Moving to a
new school with
a new culture
By changing behaviours…
we can change culture
1. The topics will be relevant to what we do (and what we want to do) at James Hill.
2. We will be flexible and willing to try new things and ideas.
3. We will share the successes happening at our school.
4. We will create strategies to provide equitable opportunities for each of us to share
our voice (and not be dominated by a few).
5. We acknowledge that a sense of humour is important and will embrace
opportunities for light-hearted dialogue.
6. We will stay on topic and stick to the agenda.
7. We will have a clear timeline for implementation of ideas.
8. There will be a clear purpose to the discussion and agenda items.
9. We will encourage others for their ideas and ask others for clarification, comments,
ideas, and suggestions.
10. We will provide time for grade level collaboration.
11. We will always make time for getting together and having small group discussions.
12. We will respect that some may prefer to listen and reflect.
Our Commitments
James Hill Elementary School - Staff Meetings
A light-hearted culture…
with an intense purpose.
Suzanne Hoffman, former Superintendent
Discuss:
What is the culture YOU want in
your school?
Strengths-Based Culture
STRENGT
H S
d e f i c i t s
What we see…
Depends on what we look
CCImagebyRyanHaddadhttps://flic.kr/p/inZ5S
“But the other side is unbaked.
The side of strengths, the
side of what we are good at,
the side…of what makes life
worth living.”
Dr. Martin Seligman
“Psychology is half-baked, literally half-baked. We
have baked the part about mental illness. We have
baked the part about repair and damage…”
Image from Pixgood
Positive
Psychology
We should be building on the best things in life
AND repairing the worst…
Dr. Martin Seligman
CCImagefromCamdiluvhttps://flic.kr/p/7Ls5GD
“When an organization’s leadership fails to focus on
individuals’ strengths, the odds of an employee being
engaged are a dismal 1 in 11 (9%)…
When an organization’s leadership focuses on the
strengths of its employees, the odds soar to
almost 3 in 4 (73%)”
-- Tom Rath
CC Image from Midiman https://flic.kr/p/aXqQS
Gallup - StrengthsFinder
From Dallas Marks http://www.dallasmarks.org/
By focusing on weaknesses, we create competence.
By focusing on strengths, we create EXCELLENCE.
Emma Seppala
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
.
Research from the Corporate Leadership Council, 2002
Strengths
+36.4%
Weakness
es
-26.8%
Are We Asking the
Right Questions?
CC Image from Raymond Bryson https://flic.kr/p/fGyo6Q
What’s broken?
How do we fix it?
What’s working?
How can we do MORE of it?
Chip and Dan Heath
Focus
on the
BRIGHT Spots
CC Image by C. Singleton https://flic.kr/p/b1fj48
WWW
Capture and Share the Positives
Turning it Around
The Story of Kari
CC Image from Prime Education: https://flic.kr/p/c43rny
Recognition and
Acknowledgement
By celebrating
what’s right . . .
we find the energy to
fix what’s wrong.
Dewitt Jones
Discuss:
How do you/will you bring out the
strengths in a staff member(s)?
Collaborative Culture
Not everyone likes to collaborate…
Building Trust
CC Image from T. Vogel https://flic.kr/p/i67wYD
Always be there…
Follow through…
Do what you say
you are going to do.
The motive that inspires the greatest
trust is genuine caring.
Stephen M.R. Covey
Communication and
Transparency
Be Vulnerable
Image: http://flic.kr/p/6swh9K
Being rather than knowing
requires showing up and
letting ourselves be seen.
It requires us to dare
greatly, to be vulnerable.
Brene Brown
Image: http://flic.kr/p/691uEj
Just Listen
Focus more on
being
INTERESTED and
less on being
interesting.
CC image from M. Kuram https://flic.kr/p/a5Lczv
It’s not always about solving problems…
Building Trust Through a Meet ‘n Greet
Create a safe enough
environment that the
parking lot conversations
start to happen in
staff meetings.
Make time for
what matters
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Xava du:
http://flickr.com/photos/7933170@N03/652332630/
Living Systems
Learning Communities
The Start of a Collaborative Journey
The Importance of Happiness and
Joy
Discuss:
How do you/will you build a more
collaborative culture in your school?
Innovative Culture
Moving from “Can we…?”
…to “HOW can we…?”
Give good teachers the tools to
become great teachers.
Chris Kennedy
“We cannot motivate others…
we can only work to
create the conditions for people
to motivate themselves.”
-- Edward Deci and Richard RyanImage: http://flic.kr/p/8zWLAj
Supportive Autonomy
Time for… Strengths
Curiosity
Innovation
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Toni Verdú Carbó:
http://flickr.com/photos/tonivc/2283676770/
Leader-Leader Culture
Shifting Mindset Through
The Strength of an Education Assistant
Expand and Connect the Pockets
cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by Esther Simpson: http://flickr.com/photos/estherase/227972493/
Be a Connector.
Image: http://flic.kr/p/gHVux
The importance of rest
Discuss:
How do you/will you build a more
innovative culture in your
school?
Focused Culture
What are your priorities as a school?
Mission,
Vision,
Values
Co-Create
Be a filter for staff. Focus on priorities.
Discuss:
How do you/will you create a more
focused culture in your school?
How are we modeling this?
Shifting the Culture By
Sharing The Positives
Open the Doors
Share the Stories
Shift the Culture
We need to make the positive so
LOUD that the negative becomes
almost impossible to hear.
George
Couros
Sharing:
From me
to us
What is ordinary to you…
Might be extraordinary
to someone else
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by akshay moon: http://flickr.com/photos/akshaymoon/4732030995/
How will you being here today change
what you do next week?
What will you DO to bring out the
BEST in your staff?
Take a risk. Try something new.
http://youtu.be/iMzgl0nFj3s
Connect With Me
www.chriswejr.com
About.me/ChrisWejr
@chriswejr
chriswejr@gmail.com

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Bring Out the BEST in Your Staff

Hinweis der Redaktion

  1. Father, teacher, principal
  2. Share about me
  3. How we do things Assumptions, values, beliefs that influence behaviours vibe, the feeling Accepted behaviours
  4. Bringing out the best all comes down to CULTURE.
  5. Values weaved through – trust, happiness, courage
  6. I was lucky - Already had a collaborative, innovative, focused and strengths-based culture Staff meetings, risk takings, leadership within
  7. In 2014 I moved to a new school in a new district with different strengths From the outside looking in, it was hard for me to see what those strengths were. First staff meeting – made it collaborative… “we don’t know how to do this”. A culture that did not seem collaborative, innovative, strengths-based – but was focused.
  8. We started with our behaviours.
  9. Then we asked ourselves… what is the culture we want
  10. This about culture… about engagement… and about strengths.
  11. Story of Jean We focus too much on our deficits and not enough on our strengths.
  12. What we focus on gets larger – what are we looking for? Challenge to see strengths in stressful situations – large classes, large needs, large curric, little support. It is also difficult and stressful for us to see through the deficit lens. Step back… seek out the positives in our schools. When we look at our challenging students, what do we see? Where is the bar?
  13. Positive Psychology Research  did an activity in which people with depression determined their 3 top character strengths and then had to spend time doing NEW things with these strengths for one week. 6 months later… still feeling significantly better. They did the same thing in a few schools… and achieved positive results in learning, cooperation and social skills. The best part about this was not only did people feel better… but they stuck with the activities for the next 6 months without being asked. By focusing on strengths, we not only bring up the deficits but we also create the conditions for people to truly flourish… to take those strengths and create more passion, more purpose, and more pride.
  14. Seligman and others researched and came up with 24 character strengths that crossed cultures, societies, religions, etc. There are questionnaires and surveys to help you as well as students from age 10 decide what their top strengths are. Doesn’t mean we don’t have the others but there are some in which we have more of. When people get to spend time using these strengths, happiness increases. Mental health increases. Engagement in school increases. It will be interesting to see where this goes in schools.
  15. we should be just as concerned as strengths as weaknesses we should be as concerned about making the lives of normal people more fulfilling as we are with healing pathology Helping those that struggle. Helping those good staff members flourish and become truly great. Not about ignoring deficits…. But focusing more on strengths. “Can I give you some feedback?”…
  16. Gallup research on Strength-based leadership
  17. A strengths-based culture energizes the people within it focusing on weaknesses leads to less energy, low levels of motivation, poorer performance and, eventually, burn-out. - are the weaknesses relevant or irrelevant? If relevant, develop them through strengths. Celebrating strengths and what is working gives people the energy to address their weaknesses and what is working less well or not working at all. Mike Roarty
  18. If we focus on strengths during feedback, we get an increase in over 36% and if we focus on weaknesses we get a DECREASE in almost 27% in performance. This is a swing of 63% in performance. Still fluffy? What if I told you that this research did not come from elementary classrooms… this research came from the Corporate Leadership Council that surveyed over 19,000 employees in 27 countries in the world to determine how companies can best lead their businesses and employees. This research came from companies such as Canon, Caterpillar, Lego, H&R Block, and Lowe’s Hardware. These are companies in the “big bad world” The Gallup organization has also shared research on the significant impact of employee engagement when we use a strengths-based focus Not so fluffy. This research points to a simple message: When we change the lens to a strengths-based focus, we bring out the best in people. Period. This works for students, for children, for employees… for people. One of our main jobs as parents, educators, and leaders is to bring out the best…
  19. Are our questions moving people? We have low literacy rates – how can we improve? We are doing well in numeracy – why? What can we learn from this? Move from what can fix to what can we build upon?
  20. "You are simply asking yourself, “What’s working and how can we do more of it?” That’s the bright-spot philosophy in a single question.” Chip and Dan Heath
  21. Shifting the culture through sharing
  22. Very difficult to develop struggling teachers through our weaknesses. Tap into positive psychology. Do something in areas of strength. D.I.T. Huge struggles at former school. Needed new start, new space, much support. Strength of resiliency… as well as in the arts.
  23. Positive, Private, personalized, meaningful feedback to individuals Public appreciation to staff or groups – at staff meetings, Monday news, newsletters, PA Teaching is hard work – teachers need to know that principals appreciate this. Share the stories.
  24. ripples of positivity - shawn achor
  25. This about culture… about engagement… and about strengths.
  26. Not about team building activities About building REAL trust through the work we do.
  27. It all starts with trust Trust starts with you… if staff can trust you and you can trust them… you can change behaviours I met with every staff member one on one for 30 mins to learn more about them I spent a ton of time in classrooms getting a feel for who we are at James Hill Building trust is so important… but we don’t want to blow it….
  28. So follow through is important
  29. Management People are watching
  30. caring—caring about people, caring about purposes, caring about the quality of what you do, caring about society as a whole. When people know you care, you get way more trust, flexibility and support.
  31. Share the WHY of decisions Communicate regularly and clearly Not so much about what is said but what is HEARD
  32. Take risks, be visible, tell your story, let people in, model transparency. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. – Brene Brown
  33. Active listener – “listen with your eyes” Don’t listen to say what is next
  34. Nobody signing up – then one by one What makes your heart sing? What are you curious about? How can I best support you?
  35. What do we want to see in our schols? Growth? Innovation? Collaboration? Make time! Staff meetings, Pro-D Shifting priorities in our current day
  36. What are we curious about? “seed time” to those that use it well Inquiry - driven
  37. Shifting the culture – strengths-based has led people to be more confident and collaborative in staff meetings willing to share their ideas and thoughts on education at our school. We have a long journey ahead of us… but we are building trust and confidence and letting people in.
  38. Humour, joy Successful people are not always happy… happy people are always successful. Happiness fuels success, not the other way around Shawn Achor What are we doing to create more opportunities for JOY and HAPPINESS in our school cultures? Stop taking ourselves so serious. Let it go… laugh a little.
  39. This about culture… about engagement… and about strengths.
  40. What are the conditions that are needed to engage our staff? Autonomy (professional) – Mastery – Purpose (WHY)
  41. Choice within our focus… choice that falls within what we believe are expected behaviours. autonomy is not "do whatever you want" Autonomy to vs autonomy from Deci - "autonomy supportive managers had workers who were more trusting of the corp, had less concern about pay and benefits, and displayed a higher level of satisfaction and morale"
  42. Google 20% Time, FedEx Days – Dan Pink’s Drive FedEx Prep Teacher Innovation Day Staff unconference (edcamp style) – strength from within
  43. Most people I have worked with WANT to lead. Embrace this, tap into this, create the conditions for this to happen. Treat people well. Encourage others to lead PD both in/out of school/district Teacher-librarian Kinderchat Daily 5 Love of Books- reading team Tech
  44. an important task is to take the pockets of innovation and effective practice and help create the conditions for these pockets to spread. We have silos in education through classrooms, subjects and other structures. Through technology, we can seek out and share great things so it becomes less of a pocket and more of the norm.
  45. Model sharing of ideas. Create intellectual collisions. Be the messenger of what is happening in one class to the other – and to families (verbally, social media) WINDOWS Offer time to observe One of the best things that I have done is spent time in classrooms learning from great teachers and trying to share those stories to other classrooms. Provide time for teachers to share their strength (ex. Woelders)
  46. Rest leads to more creativity and higher performance Powering down.Exercise. Leisure. No emails on weekends. Model this. Busy should not be a badge of honour. Prevent burnout. Plan staff meetings carefully.
  47. This about culture… about engagement… and about strengths.
  48. Too many areas of focus cause burnout and affects culture. 
  49. Mission - why are we here, what do we do Vision – dream – where are we going Values – how do we behave and what do we believe Must be co-created… what qualities and attributes do we want our grade 5s to have when they leave this school?
  50. Staff meetings, conversations, pro-d
  51. This about culture… about engagement… and about strengths.
  52. Our stories shape who we are. When we Start with strengths… and share these strengths… we create a window in and we change the story. When we Change the story… we change the identity…. And Change the culture in our schools. Thank you.
  53. Healthy communities are positive communities. Where people are aware of the strengths and assets within the community. Social media to build a positive school culture. Share the amazing strengths found within every single school. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Blog 10 Good Things to Talk About Sedin Story Social media to build a community. Aldergrove. WWW What are you sharing? Is this building community?
  54. Again.. Staff started to build confidence. Instead of me going searching for things to share, I would get invited in.. Or sent photos of the wonderful learning moments in the school. We shared online, we shared in staff meetings… and in the copy room.
  55. What is ordinary to you… Often hear – what am I going to share that is worth sharing? Why don’t you find out? Moving schools has shown me that there are things that just happen at my former school and current school… and we think they happen everywhere. We often spend far too much time wondering if something is worthy of sharing… than time spent actually sharing.
  56. Discuss
  57. Create space, take a risk. As you likely have heard, students like Dom and Amy have had a huge impact on me as an educator. Amy’s advice to slow down, be interested, be interesting, and more random has stuck with me for 2 years now. Amy is still in school with similar struggles… but something changed a few months ago.
  58. Slides will be up on my website.