Overview
What does it mean for a leadership team to assume the role of “optimizer” in a school?
Finally, in their book School Leadership that Works, Marzano, Waters and McNulty point out that the responsibility of Optimizer refers to the “extent to which leaders inspire others and are the driving force when implementing a challenging innovation.” Specific behaviors and characteristics associated with this responsibility are:
- Inspiring teachers to accomplish things that might be beyond their grasp;
- Being the driving force behind major initiatives, and;
- Portraying a positive attitude about the ability of staff to accomplish substantial things.
A phenomenon, which occurs in many schools implementing an initiative or innovation, is commonly referred to as the “implementation dip.” Early on in the implementation phase, faculty and staff are fueled by the novelty of the new focus area. But over time, as the novelty wears off and the work becomes more complicated and difficult, attention to detail drops off. This is where effective leadership teams come into play as “optimizers”. They intentionally use data to illustrate progress being made toward the implementation of the innovation, and celebrate successes with the staff to support their efforts. They recognize that some individuals are stronger than others and focus upon those strengths, helping to arrange work so that strengths are matched with specific tasks. This responsibility is particularly important when impacting a 2nd order change, helping those involved to accept the innovation and internalize it into the culture of the school.
Unpacking
In Action
Activity: Either individually or with your team, reflect upon a particular initiative or innovation being addressed in your school. Using your 2nd Order Responsibility template, define what this responsibility means to you, and then identify at least one practice which you and your leadership team my choose to intentionally support the initiative work in your school.
