Drew Dudley (TED-Ed, 2013) knows how to work a crowd and spread a great message! He got me thinking about lollipop moments that others have given me, and how I can tie my own into my Innovation Plan. It also reminded me of the theory of the butterfly effect (Dizikes, 2020), in which MIT meteorology professor, Edward Lorenz, suggested that the flap of a butterfly wing in one location could set off waves that could cause a major reaction elsewhere in the world.
I have had lollipop moments and butterfly effects throughout my life and career. Two especially come to mind. First, when I was in 8th grade, my hometown Methodist church gained a new preacher. She was the first female preacher at our church, which made a huge impression on me. Rev. Terry Moore revived our youth group and ensured several of us attended summer church camp. There I made wonderful friends and learned many would attend McMurry University. I became pen pals with some of the older girls just as they ventured off into college life.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying high school days. I had my best basketball game against a very strong rival my senior year. Their coach happened to have attended McMurry and was good friends with the new head coach. I received a recruiting call the next day and after a campus tour, was 1000% committed to going there. I pledged a social club that many of my church camp friends were part of and graduated with my undergrad in 1999. I had the absolute best college experience. In 2020, I was asked to join the Alumni Association Board of Directions and was recently named President-Elect of the organization. Rev. Terry's invitation (persistence) to church camp set off a chain reaction of events that still impact my world and worldview today.
Second, fourteen years ago, May 2010, I got a phone call while working in my classroom. My high school track coach was calling with an intriguing opportunity. Coach was now working for Pearson Digital Learning and they were looking for a software trainer to serve schools in Central Texas. After a few more phone calls and a lengthy interview process, I made the leap and haven't looked back, except to remember how hard the first year or two were. Lots of things had to align for this to work including his belief in my skills, and his ongoing support and mentorship, and maybe me being a bit coachable and approachable as a teenager .
Which now brings me to my innovation project. I had a goal to improve the classrooms we support at Waterford. I was looking at this through a lens of a consultant with over 24 years of classroom and consultant experience. Once I got placed in more of a leadership role, I realized the knowledge gaps started within my team. Some of our newer colleagues were doing the best they knew how, but hadn't been given the tools to excel or feel confident expanding their skillset. Some didn't realize they were lacking skills and didn't have the growth mindset needed to improve.
Through trial and error, my innovation project is well underway. I'm working to build individual capacity in my colleagues and myself. Last fiscal year, our Sr. VP shared that the team that spent the least on professional development was the Professional Learning team. We actually spent $0 of our PD budget! With his support, and that of our Vice-President, I researched what was needed and how my teammates wanted to learn. Most wanted to shadow our Sr. Consultants and they were happy to oblige. Informally, the actions we've set in motion are being received well and with each weekly team meeting, I hear more confidence from my colleagues. External partners have greatly appreciated our team approach and many renewing partners have asked for the same consultant or team of specialists to ontinue to support their Waterford implementations. Keeping with the COVA model, this is the first summer where consultants are being given the choice to continue with current partners. In the past, districts were assigned and that was that. This was hard on working parents and on our travel budgets and schedules. While most have opted to continue the consistency of support, nearly all have mentioned how much they appreciate having the option this year. I'm looking forward to our NPS scores (customer experience & and satisfaction) which should be made available in the next few weeks. Additionally, our internal satisfaction surveys will be released in early September.
Much of what I've leaned on thus far are organizational skills and psychological ones. Not everyone has the mindset to be independent in their learning and advocating for themselves. Some will take advantage of all opportunities out of obligation. Most will have to be pushed out of their comfort zones to fully embrace this approach of admitting where they can improve and allowing themselves to shine and help others. Our course on being an influencer has made a huge difference for me and Crucial Conversations (Grenny et al., 2021) became a fast favorite and a book I refer to often. This comes full circle with Drew Dudley's take on how our actions, or lack thereof, can cause a ripple effect on our teams, or even just for one person. I will strive to recognize and acknowledge these lollipop moments, while working to create them for my colleagues.
References:
Dizikes, P. (2020, February 11). When the butterfly effect took flight. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2011/02/22/196987/when-the-butterfly-effect-took-flight/
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., McMillan, R., Switzler, A., & Gregory, E. (2021). Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Third Edition. McGraw Hill Professional.
TED-Ed. (2013, August 15). Everyday leadership - Drew Dudley [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAy6EawKKME
Commentaires