Moving to a mindset where urgency is the “new normal” is more demanding than simply placing new importance on a practice or program. As I stated last week urgency requires different thinking, different behavior, and different results.
In a like manner, urgency cannot be reckless, unplanned, or episodic. In fact, creating and sustaining a sense of urgency requires thoughtful, deliberate, and consistency in all manner of planning, implementation, and monitoring.
A sense of urgency also requires a comprehensive awareness, understanding, and support of the plan, strategies, and expected outcomes. Simply, urgency requires an “all in” commitment.
“All in” is just that – complete and comprehensive.
The work we are presently engaged in will not produce the results we desire and expect without an “all in” by every staff albeit teacher, administrator, support staff, student, parent, and community.
Our present work is focused on transformative change. Remaking a school system that has not to date produced consistent, constant, and comprehensive learning to high standards by each learner is daunting and challenging.
Yet, the work of district transformation with an “all in” commitment by all, for all, and of all can and will produce the desired and expected results.
An obstacle stands in the way of effective district transformation. That obstacle is that the individual, group or organization has little awareness, understanding, or appreciation for the required sacrifice or abandonment of current beliefs and behaviors.
Transformation is dynamic.
The reality that transformation is far deeper, profound, and comprehensive than originally thought present equally a challenge for many.
Transformation is more than change. Change does not begin to capture the comprehensive, complete, or consuming nature of transformation. Change is more or less superficial or outside in whereas transformation is inside out.
Transformation requires an "all in" commitment where change is perceived as optional, a choice if you will.
The landscape of educational reform is replete with examples of failed change initiatives. It will soon include the carnage of failed transformation.
Failed transformation will be more devastating, more disastrous, and more destructive.
"All in" is just that – all our mind, heart, body, and soul - our entire self. This explains, in part, the comprehensive nature of transformation and also why the failure to transform will be so destructive.
We can change a behavior without fully or completely changing our beliefs. We see this all the time. Changed behavior without changed beliefs as well as changed beliefs without changed behavior is superficial, situational and easily undone.
Transformation demands more. Transformation is an “all in” state of being. “All in” is no turning back, compete surrender and abandonment of old to new. This creates stress and conflict. We like what we know and can easily do. We don’t like the unknown or unfamiliar.
We know stress and conflict bring out the true nature of people. Stress and conflict reveal if and to what extent transformation has occurred. Again, in transformation, old behavior, old thinking, old beliefs are replaced with "new".
It is imperative therefore that every effort to create, reinforce, and sustain an environment conducive for transformation be made.
What does this look, sound, and feel like?
A transformed school system is characterized by being different.
It has different practices driven by different thinking.
It produces different relationships and uses different language.
It has different expectations that drive different performance, and different results.
It requires trust and transparency that produces hope!
To achieve transformation fear and the perceptions of fear must be removed and eliminated. Fear manifests itself in many different forms. Here are just two.
In the form of judgment, fear prevents openness to change.
In the form of failure, fear prevents risk.
We need complete, "all in" transformation. We can and we will when each of us embraces urgency and the requirement of transformation - "all in".