My goal is to use many strategies to move my innovation plan forward by leading a group well and having crucial conversations with stakeholders who can help with the process. In order to lead a group, I will have to keep my emotions in check, especially during crucial conversations.

 

As Dr. Jonathan Camp said when discussing the book A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman, being a differentiated leader is an emotional process of regulating ones own anxiety (Camp, 2010). Differentiated leaders need to tolerate others discomfort which diffuses anxiety and forces others to take responsibility. Remaining neutral while leading a group keeps a leader connected without losing their identity by taking on the emotional anxiety of the group. This emotional regulation is often more important than skills or traits. In addition to becoming a self differentiated leader, I will need to meet with school leadership. During the crucial conversation, where stakes are high because I want them to be excited about the innovation plan, I will use the 7 crucial conversation principles.

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    Source  https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-crucial-conversations/

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Below are the 7 principles from Crucial Conversations that I plan to utilize when meeting school leaders  to promote the implementation of my innovation plan. 

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• Getting unstuck

  • Set up a crucial conversation with school leaders to discuss the implementation of the innovation plan. Setting up the crucial conversation will allow for information, ideas, beliefs, and goals between the school leaders and the teachers who will pilot the blended learning implementation.

• Start with the heart

  • Before meeting, I will reevaluate my WHY.  This will assist me in staying true to the goals of the  innovation plan. My goal is for my passion to shine through.

• Learn to look

  • When meeting with school leaders to discuss the innovation plan, I will focus on how leadership is  reacting to the conversation. The reactions of leadership can either positively or negatively impact the implementation of the innovation plan. Instead of focusing on my words, I will focus on their faces.

• Make it safe

  • We will be ready for resistance and we will treat leaderships motives and beliefs to oppose the innovation plan with respect. Creating a mutual purpose of student ownership and benefit will help make it safer.

• Master my story

  • We will start with facts and look for evidence to support our story. We will remain stoic, because that is what a differentiated leader would do. We will keep our emotions in check.

  • State my path

  • During the conversation, I will share the facts that support why we must implement the innovation plan. 

• Explore other paths

  • School leaderships' input and thoughts on the innovation plan will be important. Asking for input will demonstrate that I consider and respect their views.

  • I will start with a patient attitude of curiosity to help others feel safe. Then I will use these 4 power listening skills to help make it safe for other people to speak frankly (AMPP):

  • Ask - to get things rolling and show interest in their views

  • Mirror - to confirm the emotions appear to be feeling

  • Paraphrase - to acknowledge the story, which shows you understand

  • Prime - when you’re getting nowhere by taking your best guess at what they might be thinking or feeling to get the dialogue moving

• Move to action

  • The end of the conversation will be the catalyst for school leaders to make a decision to move forward with the innovation plan. The next step will be to start the execution process using the 4DX model.

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References

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Camp, J. (2010, November 10). Friedman's Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple. YouTube.             Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgdcljNV-Ew

 

Patterson, K., McMillan, R., Grenny, J., Switzler, A., & Gregory, E. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for             talking when stakes are high, 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill Education.

 

Vital Smarts. (2012, February 10). Crucial conversations explained in 2 minutes. YouTube. Retrieved

      March1,  2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixEI4_2Xivw

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