INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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ALEXA POSNYASSISTANT SECRETARY

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION ANDREHABILITATIVE SERVICES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OCTOBER 19, 2010

YOU ARE WHAT YOU MUNCH

Potato Chips

Tortilla Chips

Pretzels

Cheese Curls

You’re ambitious and competitive; only the best is good enough for you

You’re a perfectionist and you plan ahead; you take charge and micromanage every project

You’re the happenin’ person; lively, upbeat and interested in all the latest things

You’re highly principled, trustworthy and conscientious, and spirituality plays a big role in your life

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What are the top three qualities that you value in a leader?

LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

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INSPIRATION

Survey after survey confirms that the single most important

factor people want to see in their leaders is inspiration.

—Robin Fielder

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Breathe life, confidence and “can-do” into an organization

Unlock 30% more discretionary effort

Move us

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS…5

People work for a manager; they do their best for a leader.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS…7

Acknowledge that “often, the greatest challenge facing an organization is

recognizing and acting on opportunity rather than solving a problem.”

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS…8

Every student is a special challenge

Principal’s listStudents

Special needs

Guardian angels

Attention deficit concerns

Academic needs

Learning modalities

Family circumstances

KRISTIE WOLFERMAN

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Forget about that ‘special needs’ list…I have just been reminded that all of our

students have special needs.

PRINCIPAL

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WHAT WE KNOW

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Students in poverty:Score lower on assessmentsAre less likely to graduate from high schoolEnter the school door lacking literacy skills and languageThe gap between students in poverty and more advantaged students is difficult to close.Neither poverty and ability are excuses

• Put student learning at the center

• Model continuous improvement

• Operationalize the intent of the regulations

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR LEADERS

Thomas J. Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

“I think there is a world

market for about five

computers.”

“There is no reason for any

individual to have a

computer in their home.”

Ken Olsen, President of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where

they have not been.

—Henry Kissinger

LEADER’S TASK

How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?Open the refrigeratorPut in the giraffeClose the door

(This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.)

QUIZ FOR CHANGE AGENTS

How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?Did you say “Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant…? Wrong.Open the refrigerator Take out the giraffePut in the elephantClose the door

(This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.)

QUIZ FOR CHANGE AGENTS

The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All animals except one attend. Which animal does not attend?

The elephant…who is in the refrigerator.

(This tests your memory.)

QUIZ FOR CHANGE AGENTS

There is a river you must cross but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage?

You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the animal meeting.

(This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.)

QUIZ FOR CHANGE AGENTS

According to Anderson Worldwide, 90% of adults tested answered all questions incorrectly.

Many preschoolers were correct.

Does this prove that 4-year-olds are more adaptable than adults?

QUIZ FOR CHANGE AGENTS

To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse.

To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better.

To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.

—King Whitney Jr.

THE IMPACT OF CHANGE

Purpose

Challenge

Camaraderie

Responsibility

Growth

WHAT’S NEEDED TO INSPIRE OTHERS?23

Purpose: Clear focus or mission

Aligned to personal wants and needs

Revisited periodically

WHAT’S NEEDED?25

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” —Peter F. Drucker

“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled.” — President Barack Obama

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” — Robert Byrne

PURPOSE

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Challenge: Moves us to action

The challenge itself is the motivator

Provided more and stimulating challenges

Provided worthy challenges

WHAT’S NEEDED?28

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” — General George Patton

“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.” —Mark Twain

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” — Bernice Johnson

CHALLENGE

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Camaraderie: Fellowship, loyalty

Open and direct communication

Frequent praising of contributions

Mutual support

WHAT’S NEEDED?31

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“If one studies highly effective teams, one finds that the most successful groups over the long haul tend to address both the technical needs and human needs.” — Peter Grazier

“"I think that there's great camaraderie on our team. I think our team has good respect for each other, as individuals and as teammates, and they get along well. They work hard, they try to support each other.“— Bill Belichick

CAMARADERIE

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Responsibility: Ownership of the work

Must be coupled with authority to make changes

Reward accomplishment; don’t punish mistakes

WHAT’S NEEDED?34

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” —Johann von Goethe

“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” — Mother Teresa

“Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.” — Broderick Crawford

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden

RESPONSIBILITY

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Growth: Moving forward

Learning new concepts

Adding to their skill base

Stretching their minds

WHAT’S NEEDED?37

“He who moves not forward, goes backward.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.” — Benjamin Franklin

“You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. “— Irish Sayings

GROWTH

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YOU

WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED?40

THANK YOU