Promoting change is such an interesting, dynamic thing. Tom Asaker’s “Leading Change: Establish a Sense of Urgency” made me take a second look at why facts, logic, and information do not move us; instead, it’s our desires that ignite and grow from our personal truth, our identity, that propel us into change (TEDx Talks, 2014).
When I think about leading change in my district by way of my innovation plan, I have had to consider my own experiences with change on the other end (not as the initiator). What has caused me to change or jump on board with others in the past? It has not been the facts or figures, but what I’ve believed about myself–the stories I tell myself that I believe to be true. When I agree with someone at a heart level, I’m motivated and eager to move and act. I don’t even know if change is the right word because change has such a negative connotation, doesn’t it? But that’s the beauty of it, I think. When someone is truly on board and has completely bought into your ideas, it doesn’t feel like “change’ anymore, and I think that’s where urgency shows its significance. The urgency to move and take action is natural and forms from eagerness when the urge for complacency is down (Dr. John Kotter, 2011).
Urgency, however, cannot occur without understanding the “Why.” No one is willing to jump head-first into change without understanding the reason why they are jumping in the first place. And even if you give them the facts and figures and feed them information that answers the what and how questions, you still leave them in a state of complacency. Dr. John Kotter (2011) tells us that even with the most brilliant strategies, people may not want to hear about it because they don’t understand WHY you are even worrying about the strategy in the first place. This is education in a nutshell – always promoting change without promoting the why.
I hope that as I move forward in my educational and leadership journey, I always remember to lead with my “why.” As Simon Sinek (TED, 2010) says, “The goal is not to do business with people who need what you have, the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.” I want the teachers I work with to feel empowered and to have the urgency to move and act because the stories they tell themselves, their truths, and their identities, all align with the same beliefs - the same why.
Dr. John Kotter. (2011, March 23). John Kotter - The Heart of Change [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NKti9MyAAw&t=109s
TED. (2010, September 17). How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
TEDx Talks. (2014, June 30). Why TED Talks don't change people's behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jTZ-GP0N4&t=117s
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