Integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership

Leadership: Why the Brain Matters

• Brain – the engine

• The car is the physical body

• The mind is the driver

The Plastic Paradox

Neuroplasticity has the power to produce more flexible but also more rigid behaviours.

Norman Doidge ‘The Brain That Changes Itself’ pxvi

The way we talk, interact or do anything is mostly hardwired therefore habitual. Habits are literally unconscious to us.

The stress response

• An away state or a toward state

• Decrease threat and increase reward by enhancing…

SCARF

• Status

• Certainty

• Autonomy

• Relatedness

• Fairness

David Rock

The balcony and the dance floor

“In most people, the question ‘can I offer you some feedback’ generates the same impact as fast footsteps behind you at night.” -David Rock

Reduction in status through being left out lights up the same parts of the brain as does physical pain.

• Pay attention to incremental improvements as well as large goals

• Opportunities for people to learn and improve and pay attention to this

• Acknowledge people publically

Meetings• Allow people to give themselves

feedback on their own performance

• Provide opportunities for staff to challenge their own performance – compete with themselves

• Give regular positive feedback

Placement to frame the meeting

• Setting the scene• How long you’d like to speak for• What your goal for the conversation is• What you would like them to do in the

conversation• How you would like them to listen• What’s going to happen in the conversation• What you’re looking to achieve from the

dialogue

David Rock, Quiet Leadership, (2006:20)

Feedback• What was great about what

they did?

• What effort did they need to put in?

• What challenges did they face?

• How does it impact on them, others, the organisation?

How to encourage self-feedback

• What were six things you did really well?

• What are three things did you learn about yourself?

• What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

• What would you do differently next time?

This develops the teacher

inquiry process

Reflective Questions

• What are you currently doing?

• What connections have you made?

• What are the implications?

• How can you adapt this for your environment?

Certainty

• Clarity of expectations and security or organisational structure –

• Identify central goals –display and refer to

• Create plans, strategies with people and keep these visible

• Break down complex projects into small parts

Professional Learning

• Be explicit eg about meeting times, due dates, when more information can be provided

• Provide a clear outline of what is being learnt

• Provide examples and time to practice skills

These are important strategies when change is in the pipeline

Lotus Chart

Spider graph

Autonomy

• Develop policies and procedures that allow for creativity and autonomy to be hard-wired in the organisation

• Delegate where possible, allowing decision making to be made at the point of need

• Find ways to take actions when challenges seem insurmountable – possibilities thinking

Ownership…Increases DecreasesZONE OF INDIFFERENCE

Use of authority by the leader

Area of freedom for staff

Low involvement High involvementParticipationDecide & Announce

Gather input from individuals & decide

Gather input from team & decide

Consensus Delegate decision with criteria

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Q1 I’ll decide

…and delegation

Consider career stages (Huberman), thinking preferences(Herrmann) and the unique circumstances surrounding the individual’s needs at the time.

www.thinkbeyond.co.nz Cheryl Doig 2008

Reasons for not delegating

Why don’t we delegate?

http://poll.fm/3bzic

• “Here’s two options that might work. Which do you prefer?”

• Allow opportunities for self-directed learning and autonomy

• Provide flexibility in work arrangements where this is feasible (in the school situation student needs must come first though)

Relatedness

If you don’t receive the messenger you won’t receive the

message-Wilf Jarvis

• Provide safe connections through establishment of norms of working, ground rules

• Skills in inquiry and advocacy; facilitation and listening

• Provide buddy systems, mentoring and coaching, action learning teams

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• Provide opportunities for staff to collaborate with others, share stories, photos, social networking sites.

• Encourage sharing and social connections

Fairness

• Have clear expectations and ground rules for all – co-create these

• Facilitate feedback mechanisms – workloads, sharing of tasks, follow-up

• Walking the talk in line with the values and vision of the organisation

• Consistency in approach and treatment of people

• Provide opportunity to do volunteer work/be part of global projects – to decrease unfairness in the world

• Transparency – communicate, communicate, communicate. Involve them in processes, provide details of financial processes.

• Look at things from a variety of perspectives when planning

www.rata.org.nz

    

LOGICAL

ANALYTICAL

QUANTITATIVE

FACT BASED

A

EMOTIONAL

INTERPERSONAL

FEELING BASED

KINESTHETIC

CPLANNED

ORGANIZED

DETAILED

SEQUENTIAL

B

HOLISTIC

INTUITIVE

SYNTHESIZING

INTEGRATING

D

Herrmann’s Whole Brain Processing Model…

Facts/data

Opportunities to challenge/debate

Organise resources

Agenda/planning/timeframes

Expectations

Focus

Big picture/vision

Pace

Humour/fun

Flexibility

Opportunity to share/interaction

Respectful dialogue

You can’t change someone else

Good leaders create conditions where people move toward

rather than away from change

• Rock, D. (2008) SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. In Neuroleadership Journal Issue 1 2008. www.NeuroLeadership.com

• http://www.davidrock.net/books/index.shtml

• Doidge, N. The brain that changes itself.

c.doig@thinkbeyond.co.nz

www.thinkbeyond.co.nz

www.alpineleadership.com