Change Agent

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
— General Eric Shinseki, retired Chief of Staff, U. S. Army

In a few days I will begin my new role as a Strategic Design Assessment Coach.  What exactly this entails remains to be seen.  I am excited about this new journey and the possibilities and challenges it will bring.  As I looked at my new job description, one term stood out to me--change agent.  Specifically, it lists a major responsibility:  


"Acts as a change agent committed to making engagement central for everyone."
I am also curious about the term engagement in this statement, but I will leave that for another post.  I have been reflecting on what traits an individual who has been identified as a change agent would have.   Below are my thoughts. 

A change agent would...


...build relationships around trust.  The single most important thing that must occur in my new position is to build trusting relationships.  A wise former principal once told me, "Before they care what you know they need to know you care."  For so many years, teaching has been an isolated endeavor.  We go into our classrooms and shut the door.  Other than our yearly observation by our principal, many of us are not used to having adults in our classrooms.  I am moving from serving two schools to serving thirteen schools.  I need to spend time getting to know the teachers and earning their trust.  Teachers need to see that I am not there to critique them nor am I there to report what is happening int their classrooms to administration.  



...have a clear understanding of the purpose for the change and clear vision of what the end result of the change will be.  Having attended the first Strategic Design town hall meeting and served on the Organizational change focus committee, I believe I have an emerging idea of the purpose behind the change.  When I look at our district's vision, mission, and goals, I have glimpses of what I perceive are the community's vision for our future.  As a change agent, I will need to be focused on the future--not the past.  This will be an area of growth for me. 


...not only talks the talk but walks the walk.  The teachers I collaborate with will expect me to be knowledgeable but also to "practice what I preach."  In my past position, I was often called upon to do model lessons and to co-teach. Doing so was truly a highlight of my day.  It challenged me to stay current with my pedagogical practices, but also reminded me of the joy of working with students.  While I am not sure if this will be a part of this position, I need to be stay current with my practices. 


...collaborate with others and understand that there are multiple ways to achieve a goal.  It would be easy to walk in to a classroom and to tell people what to do.  At times that is exactly what people want you to do.  Instead a change agent serves as a thinking partner, listening and asking reflective questions.  One phrase I had to learn to take out of my dialogue when I became a coach was "when I was in the classroom."  Truthfully, no one really cares what I did in my classroom.  I am there to collaborate with them to think through what they want to do in in their classroom.  



...be persistant yet patient. This is another area I will need to focus on.  After having served as an instructional coach for my district for the past two years, I understand that one does not need to be in a position of authority to bring about meaningful change.  In fact, it often helps if you are not in a position of authority.  With that being said, you have to be patient.  Most often change happens one conversation at a time.  Focusing efforts on developing a few leaders who can then serve as multipliers can have a greater impact than working with many teachers.  I am quite sure that we will be met with resistance and skepticism by some (okay, many).  One of my favorite sayings is "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant" ~Robert Louis Stevenson.  This is not always easy to do. I will need to revisit this quote often this year.  



I am looking forward to learning alongside my colleagues this year and to become a change agent.  It will be interesting to reread this post at the end of the school year to see if I am even in the ballpark when it comes to defining what a change agent is.