White male school principal smiling with students on campus out of focus in the background.

In Praise of the Incomplete Leader Activity: Utilize Your Team Member’s Strengths & Grow Strong Leaders

Inflexion January 13, 2021

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…the sooner leaders stop trying to be all things to all people, the better off their organizations will be.

– Deborah Ancona, Thomas W. Malone, Wanda J. Orlikowski, and Peter M. Senge

INTRO

This activity is designed for your key leadership teams (administrative, instructional, equity, MTSS, etc.)

For convenience, consider doing this activity separately during regular scheduled meetings, rather than attempting to bring all leadership groups together at once.

OBJECTIVES

Focus on leadership practices that make a difference in terms of school change.

Examine your leadership team makeup, decision-making practices and protocols, as well as communication strategies.

RESOURCE LINKS

ARTICLE: In Praise of the Incomplete Leader

PDF: The 4 Capabilities Summary and Worksheet

READ the provided article. (~15 min)

REFLECT

Using the provided PDF Summary & Worksheet, have your leaders reflect and identify the top two capabilities they are strongest in out of the four:

Sensemaking
Relating
Visioning
Inventing

Discuss with your leaders about how better understanding each person’s strengths can create more distributed and inclusive leadership practices.

Identify three behaviors or habits you can do as a team to make sure you lead in ways that use everyone’s strengths and distributes leadership to every member on the team.

Categories: Inflexion Protocols, Leadership Activities

Tags: 21st Century Leadership, Effective Leadership, Inclusive Leadership, School Leaders

Build Unity Through Change: Engage Staff in Continuous Improvement Processes

Continuous improvement should be embedded in day-to-day work, in a systemized, organic way. You can think of the cyclical process as a formative assessment of the ideas being tested.

Inflexion June 7, 2023

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Case Study: Merced Union High School District

Through its work with Inflexion, MUHSD is seeing strong results in student outcomes and in closing the opportunity gap for underserved students. California School Dashboard data show College/Career Indicator scores for African American, Hispanic, English Learners, students with disabilities, students who are homeless, and students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are 16 to 29 points higher than the state average.

Inflexion June 9, 2020

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Passion. Pride. Promise. Two Leaders Help Pave the Way for Their Students & Communities

Tucked away in the hills of rural western Oregon, the Vernonia and Gaston school districts defy many of the stereotypes most of us hold when we think of rural schools. Their communities face both common and unique challenges. Vernonia Elementary Principal, Michelle Eagleson, and Gaston Superintendent, Summer Catino, share how their small schools and communities achieve greatness.

Vanessa Brazil October 25, 2022

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Snapshot of What’s Working: Multi-Tiered System of Support

Few large-scale policy initiatives speak to the potential of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) more so than the California Scale-Up Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Statewide Initiative—simply referred to as California MTSS.

Inflexion February 15, 2019

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Family And Community Engagement (FACE): How To Get Started with Community School Development

So you’re familiar with community schools. You’re interested. But getting started can feel like the hardest part. While your own school/district’s path may ultimately differ from Anaheim Union School District’s, their example can help you begin mapping out where to start.

Inflexion April 19, 2023

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Your School’s Identity is More Important Than You Think

Like it or not, the cultural identity of your school drives everything else you do. Who you truly are and what you believe about yourself at the core is defined by what you do. In an increasingly competitive climate, it’s more important than ever to clarify who you are and what you value.

Rachel Phillips March 16, 2018

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A Source of Strength and Community: How Identity Keeps Santiam Canyon United Even When Everything Else is Falling Apart

Santiam Canyon Superintendent, Todd Miller, shares how their school district’s identity and maxims are a source of community and strength, especially when faced with unimaginable disaster.

Vanessa Brazil October 4, 2022

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Personalize Your Professional Development: Leadership Scope and Sequence Planning

Portico coach, Jocelyn Bigay, uses this Leadership Scope and Sequence Planning Template within her Copilot sessions to focus goals for the year and identify short term measurable goals. It allows school leaders to think through how they can work toward their yearly goals and highlight shared vision for readiness. It also helps them to backwards plan a professional learning sequence.

Inflexion May 15, 2023

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Student Cell Phone Policy: Best Practices for Student Success

As principal of Milwaukie High School, Carmen Gelman (now Director of Professional Development, Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, COSA) worked with the school community (including students) to ensure a firm but balanced approach to student cell phone use. We share their policy and rollout materials to inspire and guide you as you consider tackling this oft contentious topic.

Inflexion May 4, 2023

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Elementary teacher and students sit in a circle smiling and laughing.

Incorporate SEL in the Classroom: Engaging Strategies for Brain Breaks and Transitions

Educators and OST providers understand and believe in the power of SEL, but often seek clarity about how to demonstrate and observe SEL in action.
The Engaging Strategies and Brain Breaks are practical ways to introduce and broaden the use of SEL practices in classrooms, schools, and even workplaces.

Inflexion March 3, 2021

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INTRO

OBJECTIVES

RESOURCE LINKS

READ the provided article. (~15 min)

REFLECT

Related Articles

Responses