Leadership That Questions

I'm pretty sure no one likes to be told what to do...all the time. On the flip side we want a clear vision, consistently communicated goals, and defined expectations. Clear vision, goals, and expectations provide the structures for creative work to flourish. But how do effective leaders communicate vision, goals, and expectations on a school campus? The answer is questions.

Ken Robinson is quoted, "The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas. It's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they're valued." This concept has merit, particularly in a school culture. 

We know culture is the key to lasting success in any organization, especially a school. It is the people within the school culture that determine long-term campus success.  

Also, we know involvement creates lasting commitment to improvement efforts. Without involvement, there is not commitment. Here are 5 ways commitment improves schools.

Here are three questioning strategies that principals and educational leaders can use to create a culture where professional learning and student growth are easily accessible.

Question the Status Quo

Yes, this is the most challenging strategy because it takes finesse and patience. Too much, too fast, and you will be dismissed as overly aggressive, uncaring, and controlling. A few carefully crafted questions can help in team meetings, faculty meetings, and monthly goal meetings (PLCs). 

The key here is listening. Push the status quo with questions, but respond with careful listening. You will find treasures in the ideas and answer your team have.

When the leader or principal brings questions, it allows the teachers (i.e. classroom experts and practitioners) to come up with the answers. More importantly, careful questions can allow teachers to voice solutions to pressing challenges and problems. More than just "getting out of their way", questions can get the problems out of the way.

• For support: What resources do we need to make better improvements this month? (think technology, instructional materials, coaching/how-to support, etc.)
• For goal focus: What data do we have from the last 3-4 weeks that show we are improving? What data is stagnant? Why?
• For campus student climate: Here is our recent behavior data on campus. What are two ways we can help these students to minimize disruptions and productively stay in class?
• For staff morale: This month we have these challenges. What is one way we can celebrate outstanding performance? What are two ways we can show appreciation for all staff?

Question the Staff

Learning is all around us. It can happen daily...with the right questions. In addition to casual small talk, questions can give principals and campus leaders critical insight into the campus.

Every job has satisfiers and dissatisfiers. These are the things that make staff want to or not want to show up each day. They aren't the topics usually discussed with supervisors...they are usually discussed about supervisors.

The best way to break the barrier between "us and them" is to ask about the satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Weaving these questions into small talk in the hallways and on duty is a tremendous strategy for principals and leaders. Again carefully crafted questions are key:

• For weekly reflection: What was the most enjoyable part of your week?
• For support: How can I or my leadership team have helped you perform better this grading period?
• For criticism: What is one thing that you feel gets in your way at work?
• For campus improvement: What is one area that we could improve in our campus that would things run smoother?

Often staff will respond with a generic, "pretty good," or "not much". This is not because they don't have any feedback - they have lots of it! It's because they aren't certain which feedback you will be most receptive to. They may be uncertain of how honest to be. That's fine. Transparency improves over time.

Always give staff members the chance to think about it. Respond with something such as, "I know you have a lot on your mind. But when you get a chance to think about it, come by my office and chat. Or just email me. I'd really appreciate hearing your ideas."

Question the Leadership

Leadership teams and leadership meetings should never, I repeat, NEVER become simply information dissemination. They should have at their core an intense mission to find creative solutions to campus improvement. As a part of this mission, they should learn together. The principal or team leader can guide this learning by facilitating shared reflection.

Leadership teams can use questions to reflect together. This increases transparency among the leadership. It helps them shared their goals, their visions, and learn from each other's efforts at work. Here are some ideas for questions that can be used for the campus leadership:

• Who did you help and support this week, so they could perform better?
• What conversations did you have that help us better understand the campus climate and culture?
• Who's input did you get this week for improvement ideas?
• What aspect of your job are wanting to make improvements in?
• What aspect of your job have your currently feeling strong in?

You can see these questions hold immense information for the principal. Not only do the leaders learn from each other, but the principal can learn valuable information from all of the leaders' efforts throughout the week or month. 

Also, the questions communicate to the leadership team how important it is for them to consistently engage in questioning with the campus staff. In this way, the leaders is not 'preaching' expectations to her team. Instead, the team is hearing expectations in the form of questions. Questions they are expected to find answers to. Answers = solutions and creativity.

Read here to find how how questions can improve critical thinking in schools.

Also, questions are a surefire way to increase commitment to school improvement. Questions communicate the importance of growth.

Learn more how to get rid of perfection and replace it with growth!