Coaching the Whole Educator

#26: Breaking Through Resistance Series - Part 1

• Season 1 • Episode 26

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Mia Pumo and Becca kick off a 4 part series on how to address resistance utilizing a 4 part framework. In this episode, they dive into the first level of resistance: when educators resist because they don't understand why the change is happening.  Often, leaders are connected to why change is happening and it is assumed that teachers are connected to that why as well. Becca and Mia share concrete action steps to take that will empower you to address educators that are resisting change because they do not understand why this change is happening.

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Unknown:

Hello coaches

Becca Silver:

and leaders, I am so excited to have a series of conversations with the amazing meetup humo. To discuss resistance to change, we are going to be having a four part resistance series. I'm so excited. So before we jump in to the material, and teaching you how we deal with resistance and what it could look like, and why it happens, first, I want me to introduce herself and tell you what she is doing in education today. Hi, Becca,

Unknown:

I am currently working with a direction and I'm a program manager, which means I get to oversee amazing projects with educators where we coach school leaders, we train instructional coaches. And let me tell you, resistance is a number one topic that we deal with in our work. So this is going to be spot on and directly related to what I'm doing. And I know what you're doing as well.

Becca Silver:

Yes, this is one of the main things that we address when we are coaching from the top down. Right. And you and I were talking about this, you know, and it could have been one episode. But we wanted to make it four episodes, because it's such a big topic. And it's wildly misunderstood,

Unknown:

right? Yes. Like, there's so many ways to deal with it. And you can go so deep and understanding where the resistance comes from, and then how to address that. So I agree. I'm glad were spreading this out over more than one episode.

Becca Silver:

Yeah. And you know, one of the things I really appreciate about you is not only are you heavily embedded in working with school leaders and coaches, is that you also have a life coaching background like me. And so we really are experienced in working with people's mindsets and motivations. And resistance to change is not about who people are. It really is about motivation. Right?

Unknown:

Right. And it's about getting out of your comfort zone. It's about feeling out of balance. Because we get so comfortable, we get used to our systems and structures that we create for our life.

Becca Silver:

The thing about change, Peter block says this, he says when change happens, expect or resistance, and I'm gonna say that again, when change happens, expect resistance. And that's been one of the mottos and the flags I've been flying lately about resistance, we tend to demonize it like it's bad, that folks are resisting the change. And it's like, actually, we've hired critical thinkers, and it's fine. So we are going to be framing our four episodes on Anthony Muhammad's levels of resistance. He speaks about them in transforming school cultures, and one of his earlier books, and then he also really expands on them in his later book time for change. And so I actually want to read to you about the first level of resistance. This is where leaders must effectively communicate the rationale, the why of the work, people tend to resist change to practice and lack motivation to improve when leaders have not skillfully communicated the rationale or case for improvement. To embrace a vision, people have to clearly understand the vision and feel personally compelled to contribute to

Unknown:

the vision that is so true, because facilitating change is a skill. And it's a skill that a lot of leaders do not have access to for some reason. It's not included in our leadership training and our at least not in our initial leadership training. But there are ways to facilitate change that really helped people go through the steps and go through the processes where they go from resistance to acceptance, and even support and buy in. But there are phases along the way and understanding those phases, but also understanding how to help other people manage those phases, is what we're talking about here. And you make a great point that teachers are critical thinkers, we want critical thinkers on our staff, right. So we don't want everybody just to accept everything at face value, and to just be compliant for compliance sake. We want to have those deep conversations we want the buy in we want to be working toward the same vision and the same goals with enthusiasm with passion and understanding the why is the first step to that.

Becca Silver:

Yes. And you know, one of the things that I experienced is when whoever, whatever top leader whether it's a district leader or a school leader, or someone you know in between between those leaders, whoever decides to make the change is connected to their why. And there tends to be a gap between that person who has purchased the change many times, let's be honest, many times there's a purchase involved, right? We bought a new curriculum, we bought a new philosophy, right? We need to implement something, right? Whoever made that decision to change is naturally bought in, they live the why. And then there's a gap between them, and the people under them. They forget that the people under them are not necessarily bought into the why, why this is happening, or understand why the change is happening, right. And so today, I am in a district, and the district head that's in charge of the initiative, I'm helping to roll out called me and she said, Becca, I'm meeting with my principals on Friday. And there is hesitation to you know, bring forth this initiative. And she said, you know, and I said, Look, you need to start with the why, why this is happening? She said, I already said the why. And I said, you need to say it again. And she said, Why don't you know what, why do I keep having to say it over and over again. And I said you are connected to the why they are not. And people need to hear it many, many times, sometimes too many, to be bought in and sent in different ways, right? We are asking people who have their own set of beliefs and motivations and mindsets to buy into something that us the changemakers are already bought into. And it takes something because everyone thinks differently.

Unknown:

Yes. And sometimes there's more than one gap between the person who decides to make the change and as bought in to the people who actually have to implement the change. So the person you're talking to, may have to help facilitate the buy in and the change and the resistance of the principles who then after go and facilitate that change for the teachers and their staff members and the coaches that work for them. So there could be so many levels of people that really need to understand why the change is happening. And like you said, they have to make that personal connection to what part they play in the successful implementation of the change. Otherwise, it won't have the same meaning for them. And they certainly won't have the dedication that the the original change maker wants.

Becca Silver:

Yes. You know, and when I look at this specific district, there is a wide range of buy in from the teachers. And it's not surprising, right? Because there's a wide range of buying buying from the principals. What's really cool is here, we're experiencing principals saying, explain to us why right? They're pulling it from the district say please like we we want to understand why this is happening. Right. And in some districts that happens and some it doesn't, right, some you get just resistance or refusal to do it. Some you get compliance. And I've seen this in schools, that there's a school leader that's just compliantly following directions from the district because you know, they want to keep their job or be in good favor, right? And then there is no other way to be from the teachers below besides compliance. Right? The first step that we want to cover is we not only want to go over what the change is, and teach the skills of the new change, or in the elements of the new change. We want to talk about why it's happening, and we want to do it often. Every time there's a PD on what to do there has got we've got to start with why we do it

Unknown:

right. And we have to not only talk about it often, but allow people time to process and make the connections to how is it affecting me? How is this change affecting what I do every day? How can I make this meaningful for myself, and my purpose and my job, especially those of us that work directly with students, we have to make that personal connection in order to implement the change with any kind of fidelity.

Becca Silver:

Yes, and what that takes is reflection for people to make their own meaning of what is happening. They have got to have time to reflect not being told in an email to reflect when in a staff meeting in a place that everyone is sitting together for them to have carved out time to reflect on the change that is happening. And that delineates engagement from compliance.

Unknown:

Absolutely. And also to reflect in different ways and to understand that people are going to take down For it amounts of time to get to the place where they understand the change, and they make that personal connection. So some people need to take time. You know, it may be days, it may be weeks where they just need to process that internally. So one

Becca Silver:

of the things Anthony Muhammad talks about is the importance for us to recognize that human beings are complex, right? And I want to read to you something he says, Because Okay, he says, leaders also appeal to people's innate drive to understand the world, to make sense of it, to gain control over their lives and become increasingly self directed. Right. And that's what we're asking leaders and coaches to do. Treat human beings as the complex beings that we are, right? We're not little Lemmings, just waiting for the next direction. And you know, don't make your teachers wrong, when they don't immediately want to follow your directions. Start with Why Simon Sinek start asking yourself, why they might be resisting the change. And start with explaining why the change is happening.

Unknown:

I think that's so powerful, the fact that humans are complex. And to help humans understand the complexity of what they're dealing with internally, they might not even realize what's happening. Maybe even before we start talking about the why, and the change, that's going to happen, we lay the groundwork and prepare people by really admitting and bringing to the surface, the fact that change is difficult for most of us, and letting people reflect on changes that they've been through in the past, and how they dealt with it, how it made them feel, we've all been through change that we resisted, that was uncomfortable. And a lot of times when you get to the other side of it, you can look back, and you learn from those experiences, and you realize where your resistance was coming from? And then how moving through that. And asking questions, and building your own understanding gets you to the other side. So I think, allow that a great first step, in my opinion, is bringing that to the surface, letting people think about write about and talk about changes, they've been through the different phases that the change took them through, and then introduce the next change and say, All right, remember those things that you've been through in the past, that's going to help us get through this next change that we're all getting ready to go through and you don't have to do it alone. We're doing it together. So let's address it. Let's support each other. And then let's talk about why we're doing it and make those personal connections.

Becca Silver:

So leaders, we're going to leave you with this, use your powerful, beautiful voices, and communicate why the change is happening, communicate to your staff, communicate to everyone involved and impacted in this change, communicate, communicate, communicate. And on that note, I want to thank MIA for joining us for part one of our series. And those of you listening, please stay tuned for part two next week. All right. And if you're interested in learning more about the resistance work that the whole educator does. There are links in the show notes that bring you to our foundations course as well as our whole educator Academy which is a power blow that helps train you and effectively addressing resistance across your school and district. And until next time and just remember, don't treat people the way you want to be treated. Treat them how they want to be treated. Take care