Time for Change: Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders (Educational Leadership Development for Change Management)

by Anthony Muhammad, Luis F. Cruz

Overview

Transformational leaders have four distinctive skills: strong communication, the ability to build trust, the ability to increase the skills of those they lead, and a results orientation. Time for Change offers powerful guidance for those seeking to develop and strengthen the educational leadership skills needed for change management and overcoming resistance to change. Throughout this authoritative guide, Anthony Muhammad and Luis F. Cruz share concrete tools and strategies that will prepare you to lead your school toward lasting, meaningful, and strategic change.

Use this educational leadership book to inspire a shared vision and help in overcoming resistance to change:

• Develop an understanding of educational leadership and change management as skills that can be practiced and improved.
• Consider three questions of transformational leadership (Why? Who? How?) and then Do!
• Learn about the technical and cultural dimensions of change and the ways in which both must be addressed.
• Understand the reasons behind resistance to change and how to manage it through effective leadership.
• Synthesize your skills as a school leader and utilize them to effect strategic change.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Finding Balance for Systems Change
Chapter 2: Communicating the Rationale — Building Cognitive Investment
Chapter 3: Establishing Trust — Making an Emotional Investment
Chapter 4: Building Capacity — Making a Functional Investment
Chapter 5: Getting Results — Collecting the Return on Investment
Chapter 6: Tying It All Together
Afterword: Final Thoughts
References and Resources

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942496151
Publisher:	Solution Tree Press
Publication date:	03/29/2019
Series:	Solutions
Pages:	152
Sales rank:	102,207
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

About the Authors ix

Introduction 1

Leadership as a Skill 2

Transformational Leadership 4

Chapter Overviews 6

Conclusion 8

Chapter 1 Finding Balance for Systems Change 11

Change in Education 12

Change in School Culture 14

Balanced Leadership 15

Task and Relationship Balance 16

Support and Accountability Balance 18

Motivation and Resistance to Change 19

Cognitive Investment 19

Emotional Investment 19

Functional Investment 20

Return on Investment 20

Conclusion 21

Chapter 2 Communicating the Rationale: Building Cognitive Investment 23

Communicating the Rationale as a Leadership Skill 24

Understanding and Confronting Relevant Data 26

Scenario 1 Dealing With a Pessimistic View of Data 28

Scenario 2 Improving On What Is Already Considered Great 29

Scenario 3 Facing Conflict, Lack of Direction, and Power Struggles 31

Using Persuasion 33

Scenario 1 Seeing the Errors in Current Practice 36

Scenario 2 Selling an Initiative to Content Stakeholders 37

Scenario 3 Convincing a Large Group of Teachers 39

Conclusion 41

Chapter 3 Establishing Trust: Making an Emotional Investment 43

Establishing Trust as a Leadership Skill 44

Character: Developing Empathy 46

Scenario 1 Understanding the Challenges of Change 48

Scenario 2 Justifying a High-Budget Program 50

Scenario 3 Calming Fears 52

Competence: Establishing Credibility 54

Scenario 1 Transforming a Rebellious Staff 55

Scenario 2 Dealing With Distrust and Pessimism 57

Scenario 3 Fulfilling Promises 59

Conclusion 60

Chapter 4 Building Capacity: Making a Functional Investment 63

Building Capacity as a Leadership Skill 64

Generating the Collective Ability to Problem Solve 67

Scenario 1 Promoting Collective Problem Solving 69

Scenario 2 Sharing Instructional Techniques 70

Scenario 3 Instituting a Support System 72

Creating a Social Context for Learning 74

Scenario 1 Designing Meeting Time 76

Scenario 2 Impacting Long-Held Practices 78

Scenario 3 Engaging Parents 80

Conclusion 82

Chapter 5 Getting Results: Collecting the Return on Investment 83

Getting Results as a Leadership Skill 84

Using Tactful Confrontation 86

Scenario 1 Addressing a Negative Team Attitude 91

Scenario 2 Confronting a Veteran Educator 94

Scenario 3 Responding to Lack of Compliance 96

Using Professional Monitoring 98

Scenario 1 Addressing Refusal to Use Best Practice 101

Scenario 2 Checking Progress on Agreed-On Processes 103

Scenario 3 Dealing With a Lack of Investment 105

Conclusion 107

Chapter 6 Tying It All Together 109

Understand the Essence of Leadership 110

Follow Support With Accountability 111

The Why Skill Sets: Data and Persuasion 112

The Who Skill Sets: Empathy and Credibility 116

The How Skill Sets: Collective Problem Solving and Social Context for Learning 120

The Do Skill Sets: Tactful Confrontation and Professional Monitoring 123

Conclusion 125

Afterword: Final Thoughts 127

References and Resources 129

Index 135

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Occasionally, a book comes along that merges both theory and practice. Anthony Muhammad and Luis Cruz's Time for Change: Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders is such a book. Muhammad and Cruz combine decades of leadership and change theory with the practical experience that comes from their own highly successful track records in leading both structural and cultural change. This highly practical and readable research-based guide should be in every leader's toolbox."

—Robert Eaker, educational consultant and author

"A seminal book that not only inspires leaders to take action but also advances the strategies and approaches necessary to achieve transformational outcomes. A must-read book for any current or aspiring educational leader."

—Wade Smith, superintendent, Walla Walla Public Schools, Washington

"Too many leaders have substituted planning and processes for results, leaving their teams exhausted and cynical. Muhammad and Cruz provide a constructive alternative with their four-component model of systemic change. Leaders at every level will benefit from the insights and practical ideas in these pages."

—Douglas Reeves, educational consultant and author; founder, Creative Leadership Solutions

"Time for Change provides insightful and compelling practices that support the complexities of system and organizational change as well as transformational leadership. Muhammad and Cruz present a model for understanding and applying these concepts in meaningful and practical ways."

—Carla Lobos, executive director of curriculum and instruction, Pasco School District, Washington