The Messy Middles of Change: Mired in the Familiar
By Dr. Lois Adams-Rodgers, Deputy Executive Director of Leadership Services, Council of Chief State School Officers

Education leaders at all system levels are bombarded with the latest myriad of "hot topics" - reforming high schools, adequate yearly progress, 21st century skills and schools, leading for the future, reducing the achievement gap, and many more.

The reform "elephant" has clearly entered classrooms, principals' offices, school district central offices, and the state education agency. But, where does the work begin, and how do professionals change their system to something they have never seen nor experienced before?

When it comes to sustainable change, do you have to "think it" before you "believe it" or "believe it" before you "think it?" How does one move something - anything - forward to impact these issues, and more?

A respected colleague involved in a statewide systemic reform effort often referred to the dilemma a leader has if those involved have always spoken one language and are learning another. He would say, if you have always spoken German and you are learning English, the first time the going gets tough you start speaking German again! This is very true of any change initiative. The familiar is SO comfortable that even when we know it isn't working, we still know how to do it - we are familiar with it, and we don't want to experience the discomfort that comes from not knowing how to do something else, even if it is better.

So, where to begin? Within your change initiative, are you being proactive or reactive? What problems are you trying to solve and why? What does the new future that you want to create look like? How will you know you have been successful? What data is available to measure success and what data do you need to collect in addition? Who are your stakeholders and champions?

Don't get yourself bogged down in "analysis paralysis." All too often we refuse to start a change process because we are trying to pick the exact right place to begin for the very best leverage to maximize our limited resources. While it is important to think through implications of where you begin, the important advice here is to START somewhere!

Just as bad - and the cause of many change efforts falling by the wayside in early stages - is trying to eat that elephant all at once. Not only is this impossible to do, but an ill-advised approach.

So, first things first, JUMP IN! Begin with a clear sense of mission or purpose. What are you trying to accomplish? Can you clearly articulate it and bring a team together with the right skills and energy to manage the change process and to bring the process to success?

It is also essential to recognize that change makes people uncomfortable, and they often continue or revert to those familiar ways of doing business. Resistance occurs, so be prepared to understand and work with it.

BE PATIENT! Change takes time, and it happens only through people, so training and staff development are keys, regardless of what the change is. Also, recognize that there will be an "implementation dip" when things often get worse temporarily before improvement begins to occur (Fullan, 1993).

This messy middle is most often discouraging and can cause the best of change managers to throw up their hands. Constantly taking the pulse of the organization, analyzing where you are, making necessary mid-course corrections, and refocusing on the goal require strong leadership, which will ultimately result in sustainability of the effort at any level of the system.

Dr. Lois Adams-Rodgers joins the Council of Chief State School Officers after a 32-year career as a Kentucky educator at a variety of levels. She is currently the Deputy Executive Director of Leadership Services. For more information on her work, please visit http://www.ccsso.org.