Leadership for Systems Thinking: Cyclical Energizing

(7) Cyclical Energizing

Fullan's Eight Elements For System Thinking In Action For Sustainability

Loehr and Schwartz believe that "energy, not time" is fundamental to high performing individuals, basing their work on these four principles:

Full engagement requires four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual (p. 9).
Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal (p. 11)
To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do (p. 13).
Highly specific routines for managing energy are key to full engagement and sustained high performance (The Power of Full Engagement, p. 14).

		Summer Data Collection Sheet

		Summer Data Collection Sheet

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Michael Fullan believes that "to take us to higher levels...we would expect the best learning organizations to investigate, learn, experiment, and develop better solutions. This takes time...with the right kind of intelligent accountability, we would know whether organizations were engaged in quality problem-solving processes even if their short-term outcomes where not showing increases" (Leadership and Sustainability, p. 27).

If you have noticed the irony that this concept raises in relationship to the adequate yearly progress required by the federal government, you are certainly on the road to systems thinking. School systems are on the right track if they manage energy rather than time. For example, instead of providing the current "flavor of the week" at inservices, systems thinkers use input from the leadership team and each individual to collectively plan the year's staff development. They require teachers to implement the strategy in their classrooms, to share results with colleagues, and to archive findings in their system staff development notebook. They also require educators to link their professional growth plans to district and building level initiatives, which are in turn determined by student achievement data. To the left is an example of an end-of-the-year data collection sheet that asks each individual for input on the system's staff development for the following year.

ASCD's Educational Leadership

Systems thinkers know that summer is a good time for "cyclical energizing." Summer Leadership Institutes with provocative speakers are a great way to get your K-12 leadership team thinking. If your region does not offer area-wide retreats, then you may want to plan your own school system retreat. If funds don't allow for bringing in speakers, use articles from ASCD's Educational Leadership magazine to jigsaw and process in relation to the goals of your own system.

Sample Staff Meeting Plans and Action Plans

Schedule of Staff Meetings

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The summer retreat is also a great time to write action plans for the district as well as each building level. It is also a great time to plan staff meetings on topics identified by the groups as pertinent to school improvement efforts. Click here to view staff meeting plans and sample action plans for your use in planning for "cyclical energizing."

The implementation of action plan goals is best facilitated by weekly meetings of building level leadership teams. A good strategy is to send two representatives from the BLT's to the bi-weekly K-12 district-wide team meetings which is chaired by a member of the administrative team. It is also helpful to plan the K-12 staff meetings for the year at the summer leadership retreat.

You will note that both the action plans and the staff meeting plan reflect the need for individual training, building level training, and district level training. As Bena Kallick notes, to maintain energy, each educator can only work on three initiatives—one individual, one building level, and one district level. This is why it is important for leaders to keep the system connected so that all three initiatives link for maximum return of effort and energy expended as demonstrated through improved student achievement.

Leadership for Systems Thinking