Messaging Matters. William D. Parker
rotation while orbiting, we never see the other side of the moon. Just like we only see one side of the moon, all of us operate in contexts that no one else is able to see. This is especially true of leaders.
So, as leaders, how do we communicate as effectively and thoroughly as we can while accepting that sometimes misunderstandings still exist? How do we set a foundation for effective communication in our schools?
Cultivate the Characteristics of Great Leaders
In the classic business bestseller Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t, Jim Collins (2001) examines the highest-performing companies at the turn of the 20th century to see what traits they have in common. You might be thinking, “Schools are not businesses”; however, educators can learn a lot from Collins’s findings. As you focus on being the chief messenger in your school or district, consider the following lessons from Collins (2001).
Understand Your Passion and Mission, Which Drives Your Service Goals
According to Collins’s (2001) research on the top companies in America, when an organization narrows its focus to one or two main areas, performance inevitably increases. Schools and companies have similar challenges. School leaders have a lot to accomplish, and in the mix of opportunities, leaders can sometimes lose focus on the main reason the school exists. This is why successful companies have leaders whose passion and mission are intertwined. When you focus your energy, talents, and creativity toward the most important outcomes in your school (student learning, for instance), then you have a mission that keeps you focused on what needs to be consistently communicated to others about your school. Your passion must be connected to your mission, or you are simply managing, not leading. Think about the main mission of your school. How do you keep the mission in focus in every decision and action you make for your school community? Do you express your mission in every communication you send to your staff, students, and community? If leaders can keep the main thing the main thing within their schools, then everyone has a better chance of reaching desired outcomes. One way I have included mission in my messaging with parents is with a section in my newsletter called Learning & Growing that features photos and updates on lessons teachers and students are completing throughout the school. Because student learning is the main thing, what you are passionate about communicating must include moments of such learning.
Focus on Results Rather Than Obsessing About Personal Image
Leaders often make the mistake of choosing image over substance. In his research, Collins (2001) discovered that the most effective leaders are humble, teachable, and tenaciously focused on fulfilling the main purpose of their organization’s existence. He points out the fallacy of believing that dazzling celebrity-like leaders produce lasting change. The opposite is actually true. As he puts it, the most effective leaders are “plow horses, not show horses” (Collins, 2001, p. 20). Collins (2001) describes the most effective leaders as level 5 leaders: people who are quietly and consistently committed to making the right choices again and again over a long period of time. It is important to keep this distinction of results versus charisma in mind for school leaders and messaging. The goal of messaging is not to portray an unrealistic perception of what is happening with students or teachers. The mission of your school must be based on results for students—the essential learning, growing, and developing happening in their minds and lives. Your messaging reinforces these outcomes by helping others see what is not always visible to those inside or outside of your school building.
Build Long-Term Momentum With Consistent Growth and Progress
Momentum is a powerful force, and when organizations consistently push toward common results, they begin to see their strengths grow exponentially. In other words, once long-term, consistent growth begins, it is hard to stop or slow it down. On the other hand, Collins (2001) warns against the doom loop—a pattern of constantly introducing new, radical changes that actually stall productivity and halt momentum. School leaders need to create an environment of consistent expectations, and these expectations need to be the focus of what you are communicating with others about your school. For instance, if the bulk of your email or face-to-face interaction is about announcements, calendar changes, or meeting times, then you are missing out on other ways to communicate about the long-term goals and progress of student learning in your school. But if the focus of your communication promotes the long-term objectives you share with teachers and students, then it is hard to stop those messages once the momentum begins.
Strong leaders understand their purpose, do the hard work, lead selflessly, and build momentum through consistency. If you’re like me, that seems like a tall order. But be encouraged; no one leads perfectly. Studying good models, however, can help us avoid many of the pitfalls of distraction, self-promotion, and unnecessary changes. As you build a system of strong messaging for your school, you must keep in mind the essential elements that move organizations (including schools) from good ones to great ones.
Another characteristic of effective leaders is the ability to positively engage members of the community or organization, and messaging plays a strong role in your ability to engage others.
Show Leadership and Positive Engagement
Gallup’s (2013) State of the American Workplace report analyzes one hundred million American workers and what makes them effective or ineffective in their work. The report shows how engagement practices play a significant role in job performance (Gallup, 2013). The following sections explore findings from Gallup’s report that also apply to leaders of school communities.
Win Hearts and Minds
Gallup (2013) finds that to win customers—and a bigger share of the marketplace—companies must first win the hearts and minds of their employees. For education leaders, this means students, teachers, parents, and the community. This can only happen through engaging in relationships. No amount of communication will be effective unless leaders first understand their audience. Only when we are truly connected to the ideas, activities, and lives of our students, teachers, and families will they respect and be receptive to the messages we send on behalf of the school.
Use Management to Reduce Deficiencies
The Gallup (2013) report notes that the best-managed workplaces have nearly 50 percent fewer accidents and 41 percent fewer quality defects. You might ask how this statistic relates to education. It shows that deficiencies reflect directly on management; it is not a reach to think that schools would have a similar correlation. Consider how your school management directly affects the message you send about your school.
■ Is your messaging positive and focused on the mission? Does it reflect the school culture you seek to build?
■ Are you explaining (in writing, spoken words, gestures, and deeds) what you expect of students, teachers, and parents?
■ Do you follow up regularly with reminders of goals, strategies, and outcomes?
■ Do you reinforce in word and deed the values you want others to repeat?
■ Do you hold accountable those who violate the shared mission and values of your school?
An experienced superintendent once told me that leading a school or a district is like managing a classroom (M. Bias, personal communication, June 15, 2004). When you approach it with the same preparation, planning, monitoring, and attention that a strong teacher shows, you will see good results. That commonsense advice goes a long way in any setting.
Accelerate Engagement
Gallup’s (2013) study finds that organizations see improved results when they enact certain practices to accelerate engagement, such as selecting the right people for the team, developing employees’ strengths, enhancing employees’ well-being, and avoiding using only feel-good incentives.
Select the Right Team Members
The most important way we communicate to our students, staff, and parents the priorities we have for student learning is with the people we choose—teachers and other staff members—to lead and teach. Often when I interview a prospective teacher or staff member, I ask myself the question, “Is this someone I would