Posted: March 12th, 2023

leadership

TOOLS FOR BUILDING & COMMUNICATING VISION

Setting the Stage:

You are the principal for an elementary school in a county in Tennessee where the COVID cases are rising but not as fast as some metro counties, unemployment for some of your students’ families is high because a local company has been hard hit by COVID, and many of your teachers are over the age of 50. The County Board of Education has recently decided that all schools will open. Given the limited internet access, an online option is less viable in your school district.

Based on the calls you have received (and you have taken notes), 50% of the parents/teachers want classes to resume as normal pre-March. That means all activities take place, there is no mask use, and no social distancing. The other 50% want school to be delayed until the rise in cases subsides. They also want masks to be mandated and social distancing to be enforced.

No matter where you go, people seem to be divided. You recently completed an awesome leadership course at MTSU based on the 5 Practices of Highly Effective Leaders. You’ve decided to use some of the techniques the professors shared with you. You know that the school year will not be effective if you cannot find the common ground between what appears to be a divided school family (teachers, parents, kids, staff, etc.).

Technique: Post-It Notes Exercise to Find Common Ground

· This technique uses a “focus-on-the-future” approach to help people who are divided to find common ground when they focus on the future they want to see.

· This technique also uses post-it notes to capture EVERYONE’s views without judgment. It is essential that every idea shared is read out loud with no judgment, same matter of fact done of voice, treating every comment/idea in the same way.

· The exercise should be facilitated by someone the group trusts or at least does not lack trust in. You may want to bring in an outside facilitator that has little knowledge or “dog in the fight” to lead the exercise. There cannot be an hidden agenda to the process or it will not work.

How It Works

Leader or Facilitator Poses 3-5 questions to the Group.

·
Have the group focus on a question about the future. For example, the principal could ask:

What do we want the last day of school to look like for our school in May?

If we could read the minds of our students on the last day in May, what would make us most proud to learn?

Ten years from now, when we are at the high school graduation for these students in our classes today, what do we want them to remember about this year?

·
Also, ask a few questions that allow people to get their points of view considered in the collective whole. Again, no judgment. Sometimes it is powerful to acknowledge fears, worries, unspoken thoughts, etc.

What do you fear about the future for our school family?

What is special about our school?

If we are not able to teach face-to-face, what concerns you most in terms of your students?

Members of the Group Answer the Questions Individually

·
People record their answers on post-it notes and then walk their answers to the board or flip charts to post their notes.

Providing the same color post-its and same color pens helps keep the comments/answers anonymous.

Sometimes it works best not to limit the number of different post-it’s a person writes for a question. You could also say, write three fears or at least two ideas.

You may have them only answer one question at a time or do them all at the same time. Letting them work at their own pace within a given time frame may allow for those to spend more time one question than another. It may make the process seem less controlled which could be good.

Reporting the Answers/Input and Sorting into Common Themes

·
After all the post-it notes are posted, then have a volunteer read all the answers under the question. They should not ask follow-up questions or pass judgment.

·
The common ground part comes in grouping the answers into themes. You can have a facilitator do so or ask for volunteers from the group to do so. It is important to not over collapse. You can ask the group for guidance or approval for the themes.

Did I represent what was suggested by grouping those ideas together?

Does the group see these things as being similar?

Helping the Group See the Common Ground that has Been Identified

·
Once the input has been grouped, the Facilitator reads each posed question and the theme areas. Hopefully, the group will have identified some common themes that can lead to moving forward.

·
If the group seems to be in a less divided state, ask for observations or take aways. This may be where the leader steps back into the process if a facilitator was used.

Do you feel like your input is still represented in the theme areas?

Do you believe this process has captured where we collectively want our future to be?

Getting from where we are to where we want to go is the hard part. But can we know see where we want to get together and can focus on how to get there?

·
Take a picture of ALL the post-it notes under their categories to record the session/input. People want to know that their input was given equal weight with other input. People want to feel like the process was fair, authentic, and not manipulated to generate a particular result.

Technique: Toss Away Negative Thoughts in Trash Can

When trying to get a group to have ownership for the fears/needs/weaknesses of the entire team, try this technique.

Using the same color/size of paper and same type of pen, have each team member answer a question, wad up the paper into a ball, and toss it into a CLEAN and EMPTY garbage can. The trash can should be placed in the middle of the team or in front of the team. Possible questions are:

What is it that I dislike about this company?

When do I feel the least productive or valued at this company?

What do I fear about the future?

What do the leaders of this company not understand that is getting in the way of us being a better company?

Reporting Out and Collectively Owning the Input

After all the input has been deposited into the trash can, have each person take a crumbled piece of paper from the clean trash can. Taking turns, each team member opens the paper and reads out loud to the group what is written on it. Again, with no judgement.

The facilitator may want to repeat the question every 2-3 answers to give the question more emphasis and context for the input.

The purpose of the exercise is for the team to have team ownership of these more negative ideas/beliefs/feelings. It is also possible that others may also be feeling these same things but are afraid to say so.

INSPIRE A SHARED VISION

Inspire a

Shared Vision

Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.

Enlist others in a common vision
by appealing to shared aspirations.

A Vision Is An ideal and unique image of the future for the common good.

Shared Vision

Ideal

Unique

Image

Future-oriented

Common good

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
FINDING COMMON GROUND

Vision (values, goal, plan) has power if shared
More likely to be shared if it comes from many rather than a few
Has more power if COMES FROM rather than GIVEN TO

WHY?

How often have you heard lately …

America really is more divided than ever – The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/america…more…/fbfebee6-49d8-11e6-90a8-fb84…
Jul 16, 2016 –

America may be more divided now than at any time since the Civil War …

https://www.salon.com/…/america-may-be-more-divided-now-than-at-any-time-since-…
Oct 14, 2017

Why Is America So Divided? – The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/11/making-up-is…/501146/

Of course, a divided America can’t agree on the definition of patriotism …

www.cnn.com/2017/09/30/us/what-defines-patriotism-trnd/index.htm
2016
2022

1. What do you want the future of these children to be?

2. Thinking of your childhood, what do you hope these children will experience, feel or have?

3. What stands in the way of these children having that future?

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
FINDING COMMON GROUND

Keys to Finding Common Ground
Listen – really listen (emotion & content)
No judgment – capture
Use Questions
Need Trust (you or the process)
No Hidden Agenda/Pre-determined outcome
Inclusive – way for everyone to be heard
Diverse – don’t fear disagreement/seek critics

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
Post-It Technique
Shared Reading

Jot down your ideas on POST-IT notes to the questions 1 & 2 posed. Do not give your name.
Post your notes on the whiteboard
Write your answers to question 3 on the paper provided. Crumble the paper, and toss it towards the box.

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
Post-It Technique
Shared Reading

Post-It Exercise
Everyone’s viewpoint is heard
Given equal weight
No judgment
Can regroup points/comments into “themes” & “themes” are the common ground or lead to the common ground

Crumbled Paper Exercise
Throwing fears or negative thoughts away
Allowing group to own them by sharing in the reading of them – belong to the group

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
FINDING COMMON GROUND

Tools to Help Find Common Ground
Future Search Conference

https://www.futuresearch.net/method/whatis/index.cfm

Facilitator and Facilitation Guides
Example: Seeds for Change Facilitation Guide

http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/tools

Technology for Decision Making/Input
Example: Group Decision Support System

http://www.useoftechnology.com/role-technology-decision-making/

Tools for Sharing the Vision

Storytelling

Images

Metaphors

Tools for Sharing the Vision
Metaphors

Images

Give meaning in terms of something else.
Examples:
Tim is Money. Careers = ladders
Business is war. Process is a Journey.
Pictures engage us.
Brain can process pictures faster than words.
Pictures are universal.
Impact differently than words.

Arkbound is a Bristol publisher that has social enterprise at its heart. The promotion of community development, social inclusion, sustainability and artistic talent forms an important part of our work. …Arkbound bridges the gap between contemporary and ‘vanity’ publishers by offering fully sponsored publication to disadvantaged authors, or alternatively a range of services and discounted packages to those who can afford to self-publish.

Each was told that their proposals had to incorporate 12 different attributes – from reflecting local culture to being universally understood. It had to be as effective “printed on a billboard in Fifth Avenue and at the same time on a newspaper read in a small village in the Himalayas,” said Gelli.
“Our target was really the entire world,” he added.

Assignments

Leadership Growth – Reflection on SLPI & Create Your Leadership Philosophy.
Leadership in Action – Pick one of 5 options. Do and write up.

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LEADERSHIP IN ACTION: PRACTICE 2 (INSPIRE A SHARED VISION) (40 points)

Name: _______________________________________

Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:

·
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.

·
Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

Part One – Reframing (20 points)

Warning: This activity is ambiguous and some of us may find difficult. That is ok. This is a GROWTH exercise and there is no right/wrong way to do it.

To prepare for this assignment, watch the 2 posted videos:

(a)
Overview of Practice 2 – Inspire a Shared Vision

(b)
A TedTalk by DeWitt Jones about the power of framing, creating a vision, and communicating that vision.

Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:

·
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.

·
Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

Part One of the Growth Assignment focuses on the first commitment and will borrow from Mr. Jones’ message of reframing. Lately, it seems, it is hard to see the good in the world. Whether it is the state of our country, the current war, devastation causes by weather, violence, etc. I want you to take something that often gets you down – something that you think about more often than the other many things.

A. Describe that “thing” here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.

B. What emotions or negative feelings does that “thing” bring to mind. Jot some of those things here.

C. Reframing.

Next, practice reframing this “thing” to find genuine positives. Search within this issue/event/situation, to find real positives. These are positives that are deeper understandings or lessons or evidence of humanity or growth. You want to reframe the “thing” in a way you see the beauty within it.

I keep stressing on finding the genuine and real positives. I know we all know of people that are positive no matter what happens in life. Sometimes they seem phoney or unrealistic.

Describe the “reframed” thing here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.

D. Finally, share that “reframed” issue in a way that it becomes a VISION for you and perhaps others. How you know see that issue/situation/event in a different way that it sparks a positive response in you rather than the previous negative feelings/response. You can draw a picture of the new vision if you prefer.

E. Reflection. How did this activity impact you? I would expect it was difficult for most of us. That is ok. This is a GROWTH exercise. I’m also open to suggestions that you may share with me here.

Part Two – Pick one of the Following (20 points). Repeat, you only have to do one of the following.

For this Leadership in Action, we will focus on “enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.”

For this Leadership in Action assignment, choose 1 of the following options:

· Think about an organization or group that you are a member of that is struggling right now to see any positives in the future. Covid and the changes it has caused has really challenged organizations and individuals and it is hard to find or see the future. That is why organizations/individuals need a vision to guide us through difficult times or from being indifferent to focus on the future or how we fit into that future.

Think about what that vision should be for the short term (now – 1 or 2 years forward). Create that vision using powerful, impactful words, images, etc. to convey that vision to others.

Then share that vision with others either in person or share on a forum to get a reaction/dialogue.

Explain the process you used, your vision, how you shared it, impact to it, and what happened next.

· Perhaps you are part of a group/team/organization and you believe that the group of you developing a shared vision would have some positive impact on the organization. Facilitate the group/team/organization coming together to develop a shared vision. What tools will you use to facilitate discussion and the coming together? Explain your planning, what happened when you came together, outcome of the coming together, and what happened next? What worked and what would you do differently next time?

· Perhaps you are part of an organization or group that has a strong vision that on paper seems to be appropriate and great for the times. The challenge is that most do not know about it or are using it to guide them forward. Your focus will be on using the tools we discussed to better communicate/share the vision with others with the goal of getting people to integrate this vision into their own. What is your plan for getting others to “share” this vision – to really own it as their own? What do you do? What was the impact of your actions? What did you learn from trying to get others to buy into the vision?

· Your Personal Leadership Philosophy is a vision for how you want to lead. Think about how you will share that vision with others and get them to embrace it. Use your LinkedIn page as a platform for communicating the vision to others. Of course, you can say “here is my leadership philosophy” but what else can you do? In your bio, do you tell a story that relates to your leadership vision? Do you link to articles or outside sources that represent this vision? Look at your word choice in your bio and resume. Do the words you choose reflect this vision? Do pictures on your site also relate to this vision? Show me a before and after Linked In page. Highlight what you changed and why you did so to communicate your leadership vision with others.

· Design your own activity that is similar to the above. The outcomes of the activity are to practice SHARING a vision AND/OR working with others to create a SHARED vision.

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