Changing the Tires While Driving The Car:

Leading in Times of Change

Notes & Resources: http://po.st/njYRqq#15NTCleadchange

Lisa Colton

Chief Learning Officer, See3 Communications

@LisaColton

Cindy Johanson

Executive Director, Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation

@cinjo

Gina Schmeling

Principal,

Gina SchmelingConsulting

@nyginaschmeling

What kinds of change stunts are you trying to pull off?

The Plan

• Adaptive Leadership

• Shifts in Work & Culture: Edutopia Case Study

• Lessons in Transparency

• Take it Deeper: Small Group Discussions

• Debrief Together

What’s Changed?

MOBILE!

THIS IS AN ATTENTION ECONOMY

Adaptive Challenges & Leadership

6

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES ADAPTIVE CHALLENGES

• Clear cut need• Can be fixed or addressed• Can apply current experience

or skills (or find it)• Developmental change for

the organization.

e.g. building a new website, moving to a new database

• Complex issues, dilemmas• No set procedures or

policies• No analogous past

experience• No expertise• Issue is transitional or

transformational for the organization.

e.g. move to a new revenue/ membership model,

People: The Who

What people, skills and talents are needed?

People: The WhoWhat people, skills and talents are needed?

8

Community Builder. Builds consensus and mobilizes around common causes.

Risk Evaluator. Objectively assesses costs and benefits (re: financial, human and social capital)

Connector. Influential “social node” with relationships with various subgroups and individuals.

Entrepreneur. Agile, startup generator

Visionary Leader. Big picture thinker who can envision possibilities.

Implementer. “Do-er” who can move from concept to implementation.

Facilitator. Meeting or process facilitator. Designs and/or leads/guides.

Communicator. Skilled at tailoring the message and using various channels to get it out, as well as listening inward.

Mediator. Intercessor who can bring about consensus and/or mobilize forward motion.

Synthesizer. Analyst who can consolidate views (“This is what I heard and…”)

Process: The How

To what extent does your leadership team apply adaptive and collaborative leadership practices (processes and culture) in your decision making and implementation?

What practices and cultural adjustments are needed to help you work as an adaptive team?

9

Process: The HowWhat adaptive and collaborative leadership practices and cultural element do you need?

10

Open. Permeable boundaries to the leadership team.

Action Oriented. Seizing the moment; prioritizing “doing”.

Iterative. Willing to revisit and adapt previous decisions on the basis of data and experience.

Agile. Being nimble in order to take advantage of emergent opportunities.

Momentum Seeking. Not stuck in status quo; constantly on a growth trajectory.

Transparent. Culture of sharing information.

Positivist. Culture of abundance (rather than scarcity); reframe challenges as opportunities.

Trusting & Mutually Respectful. Stance of openness and listening to the perspectives of others.

Authentic Modeling of Relationship Building. Know one another; personal connections.

The Pipeline: Looking Forward

To what extent does your leadership team have ways to continually identify, cultivate, on-board,

develop and nurture leaders? What does this mean for your next nomination process?

11

The Pipeline: Looking ForwardHow do you identify, cultivate, on-board, develop &

nurture leaders to complete the picture?

12

Leadership identification mechanism. How to identify attributes you need, and who can bring those attributes.

Leadership cultivation practices. Gradual integration into leadership.

Leadership on-boarding processes. Orientation, culture setting and mentoring.

Leadership development activities. Ongoing board development.

Leadership nurturing. Recognition, support, reflection, celebration.

Adaptive LeadershipPersonality

Quiz

Link on the collaborative

notes!http://po.st/

njYRqq

Lots of people

know education should

be different, but

they don’t know in

what way.

— GEORGE LUCAS

Illuminating and Showcasing What Works in K-12 Education

Where We’ve Been

1991 - 2005

Pr int , VHS

2005-2010

Magazine, Web

Where We Are2010-Present

Web, Soc ia l , Mob i le

We’re Confront ing Major Shif ts:

Programming. Plat form. Devices.

Edutopia Reach and Impact Grows

Key Metrics:• Over 4 years, grew Edutopia.org sessions by 472% • In past year, grew Facebook unique impressions by more

than 400%• Actions up by ~300% (comments, shares, downloads, etc)• 94% of survey respondents took actions to improve K-12

education inspired by Edutopia

Example of Fundamental Shift

2010: 98% desktop 2014: 57% desktop30% mobile phone13% tablet

Strategy & Execution @ Edutopia

1. Strategic Plan (2-3 years)

2. Operations Plan (1 year)

3. Roadmaps with RACI (quarterly)

We Strive to Stay Data-Informed

about Our Audience & Trends

1. Annual Impact and Audience Survey

2. Monthly Dashboards with KPIs

3. Daily Monitoring (Quantitative and Qualitative)

Central Question: Are We Increasing Reach & Deepening Our Impact in New Ways?

Fostering a Culture of Innovation and Optimization

#15NTCLeadChange

Gina Schmeling, Principal

@nyginaschmelingginaschmeling.com

PRACTICING TRANSPARENCY TO BE THE CHANGE

What We’re Talking About When We Talk About Transparency

IS . . .

• Open with Limits

• Accepting fear, emotions

• Conversational

• Practice and Aspiration

IS NOT . . .

• Nakedness

• Full Deciding

• Open Finances

Change is ongoing

Change is not easy

Leadership means teamwork

Unconventional allies are strong

Like authenticity, transparency is not defined by you as leaders, but by the people you want to trust you and your organization. How much information do they need in order to follow you, trust you with their money or business?

Charlene Li

Open Leadership p 193

What Your People Need

Nonprofits that lack transparent behavior will have a hard time engaging Millennials who seek open relationships with the organizations they choose to support with time and financial resources.

Kari Dunn Saratovsky, Derrick Feldmann,

Cause for Change, p 11

What Millennials Value

Key Themes from Leaders about Transparency

From interviews with the following leaders and organizations :

Reggie Shuford, ACLU PARabbi Josh Feigelson, Ask Big QuestionsLaura Walker, NY Public RadioRabbi Dan Ain, Eric Lange & Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, 92YCindy Greenberg, Repair the World

(See names, Twitter handles and links in the collaborative notes: http://po.st/njYRqq)

1. Organizational Values2. Organizational Culture3. Action Steps

“Old Power works like a currency. It is held by a few. It is closed, inaccessible and leadership-driven.New Power operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. The goal with new power is not to hoard it but to channel it.”

Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans, Understanding “New Power” HBR December 2014

Strive for an Open, Authentic Stance

A course will avoid chaos

Money, Share info

Timing, When and how

Power, Flow and partner across spheres

Transparency Has Limits

We too often think of capital strictly in financial terms, but capital or “go-go juice,” is any resource that helps move an endeavor forward. Capital can be human connections, intelligence and expertise, resources like equipment and furniture, and, of course, money. Capital doesn't just fly around; it leaves good stuff behind – trust.

-Allison Fine, Matterness, pp 135-6

Trust, Go Go Juice

Transparency Takeaways

• Transparency is “go-go juice” for New Power.

• A “horizontal” mindset is powerful. Takes work.

• Be aspirational and practice your openness!

• Anticipate limits. Be nimble for opportunities.

• Leaders are everywhere. Look beyond titles.

• Collaboration = accountability.

Breakout group ideas: Practical lessons, sharing your experience, work-shopping your current time of change.

Deeper Dive

• Adaptive Leadership w/ Lisa

• Leading teams w/ Cindy

• Transparency w/ Gina

• Any other burning topics?

Session Evaluationhttp://po.st/QsvyFn

(also linked in Sched)

Collaborative notes: http://po.st/njYRqq