If we had a special thermometer equipped to measure the level of the culture at your school, your district, or the place where you work, how high would the mercury rise? At its highest level of measurement, we would see and hear staff members working and talking together based on clearly defined beliefs, values and assumptions. We would see every team member committed to ongoing growth and development, realizing and respecting that people are at different places in their personal development journey. We would see and hear teams celebrating results for everyone connected to the organization and we would see and hear people excited and grateful to be working in such a highly dynamic environment. We would see the mercury rising for the good of their organization and the bigger game of positively impacting the lives of those we teach and lead.

There is not a leader alive that does not understand the importance of getting results. Results are the name of the game. So how does getting results best happen? We believe it happens when leaders lead rather than control or attempt to manage people. We believe it happens when the entire school team is clear on their purpose and direction of the work. We believe it happens when conversations abound, focused on supporting one another in a continuous growth mindset. It happens as team members engage in conversations that challenge people to think, reflect, analyze and plan for new actions. We believe it happens when the culture of the school focuses on ongoing growth, where people trust each other, care about each other and value coach-like conversations.

Some interesting new thoughts are surfacing in the business world on a growth mindset over a heavy focus on performing. Having a growth mindset for a school or any business is important to reaching the desired results. In a recent article by Tony Schwartz, President and CEO of the Energy Project, he says, “…building a culture focused on performance may not be the best, healthiest, or most sustainable way to fuel results. Instead, it may be more effective to focus on creating a culture of growth.” Creating a culture of growth? Now, that sounds like a place where it would be fun and energizing to work.

When you think about a growth culture, what comes to mind for you? In the simplest terms, a culture is a shared system of beliefs in which people live and work. As people go about their work, they are modeling the culture of the organization.

Schwartz goes on to say, “A true growth culture also focuses on deeper issues connected to how people feel, and how they behave as a result. In a growth culture, people build their capacity to see through blind spots; acknowledge insecurities and shortcomings rather than unconsciously acting them out; and they spend less energy defending their personal value so they have more energy available to create external value. How people feel — and make other people feel — becomes as important as how much they know.”

Mary Slaughter, in a recent article on culture and leadership says, “Culture is shared everyday habits.” So, the habits an organization creates and shares on a daily basis equates to their culture. That’s interesting.

Here we are at the beginning of a new school year. Since we are all about focusing on the growth of our students as we head toward the results we desire, what possibilities are calling for you and your team to reassess the culture of your school by identifying the most important habits that everyone on the team agrees are important to take place on a daily basis? In other words, how do you, as a team, hold conversations where people are free to speak their minds about the current status of the work as together the team also identifies best approaches for moving forward toward ongoing growth? That seems like a habit worthy of development.

References:

• Create a Growth Culture, Not a Performance-Obsessed One by Tony Schwartz; MARCH 07, 2018 HBR.com
• Why NeuroLeadership Is Moving from ‘Leadership and Change’ to ‘Culture and Leadership’ by Mary Slaughter, Executive VP Global Practices and Consulting