“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the
greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group,
and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” Rensis Likert
What things can you say or do to encourage the staff you
work with to be collaborative and on the same page as you provide school
psychologist/leader work? What could
HPEC do that could encourage a common motivation of practices with our staff
and with general education staff?
Reply to at least one other person.
Reply to at least one other person.
As is noted in Spirit Movers, trust must be established for growth to occur in the facet of Motivation. Trust is earned over time. It develops when individuals in the group fulfill their roles to the best of their ability, when they are consistent in their contribution to the primary objectives of the group, and when members of the group can depend on them. Trust in leadership develops when there is a sense of safety. Trust that there is safety is founded on the experience of past interactions with team members and those in leadership.
ReplyDeleteListening-Listening is an art. When people feel listened to their concerns are not minimalized as being trivial. When they are asked their opinion, those listening and responding, not only through words, but body language as well, are seen to listen intently. When people listen, they actually listen and are not thinking of what they want to say next. I think our training to be school psychologists in the area of counseling has helped us be better listeners and to reflect on our listening skills.
Building Relationships-Most individuals will care more about your expectations if they understand that you care about them as individuals. Taking the time to build relationships will typically pay dividends. It's difficult to act like a team if members don't feel like a team.
High Expectations with Accountability-Having high expectations that are clearly defined can help build teams with shared goals. This may be where I sometimes fail because, in trying to maintain the relationship, I often cover for the person who has not contributed in a timely fashion. I send multiple reminders of what is needed to help the team complete that which is expected. In doing so, I often feel that I may be doing most of the work, but in doing so, I also may take away ownership from other team members.
Ownership-When there is a sense of shared ownership, those on teams will work harder to be successful. How do we build ownership? Ownership develops when individuals feel that they have a voice in what is being developed and when they are given responsibility in the creation of what is being built. Ownership continues when the outcome created is seen as being valuable or done well. There likely need to be periodic team celebrations of the larger picture of what has been achieved. I think we may need to work the idea of team celebrations into our dealing with others, however as the saying goes, When you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your prime objective was to drain the swamp.
Love your insight on ownership Alan & couldn't agree more! Are you draining the swamp?! I honestly laughed out loud with that saying! I think we can all relate this time of year! :)
DeleteThis is really deep Alan and so very true. Building relationships is so important for adults and especially between students and teachers.
DeleteAlan, this is a great post! I believe that one must gain trust and what you wrote about how to do that is spot on! I also like your ideas about ownership! I think when we get busy and fill like we are "up to our neck in alligators" we forget to celebrate the positive things.
DeleteLove the swamp analogy. Also like what you've said about ownership. That is why we have a multidisciplinary TEAM, to pull the best ideas from the different disciplines and share ownership of the outcomes for students.
DeleteI've never considered what the word "trust" encompasses. However, when it exists within a team, mountains can be moved! I see this within a few of the teams I work with. We've worked together long enough to know strengths and can rely faithfully on each other. We definitely have a shared vision and the drive is present. Getting to this point took time, experiences, and of course, trust!
ReplyDeleteIn working with a variety of individuals and service providers, there are so many critical components in achieving trust.
I like to think open communication, investment of time, and a personal connection all help in building a collaborative relationship.
Communicating openly and following through on what you intend to do is key in collaborative relationship, I believe. I also think this is true on the administrative side as well. I very much appreciated the openness and discussion regarding caseloads at our last meeting!
The investment of time is sometimes difficult to come by But by investing the time, the rewards and relationships will come.
I believe having a connection to those we work with is essential. Being able to know a colleagues family or interest or hobbies makes a connection with them, and in turn, makes it more than just a professional connection or relationship.
In responding to the second half of the question - what can HPEC do to encourage a common motivation of practices with our staff - I have to refer back to one of the indicators mentioned in this chapter "rewards and recognition are used to honor those who live out the values". All to often I've observed those who are efficient and good at their job to be "rewarded" with more responsibilities and greater work load. While I understand the intention and reasoning, I think there might be other ways to reward and/or recognize those who share the common motivation and practices.
Doing so with general ed staff is a bit more complicated, or maybe just larger scale since there are so many more general ed teachers. I believe starting with one teacher or one grade is a great place to start. I like the proactive approach of targeting the new teachers and staff, talking with them early and building that relationship.
I enjoyed this chapter and made lots of marks in my book!
Ouch, I hate that the shoe fits regarding your statement about responsible and efficient people being rewarded with more work load. : (
DeleteI do agree that often times people who are responsable and efficient are rewarded with more work. I also find myself helping other people do their work at times.
DeleteI agree with your statement of the power of a group that trusts each other. With a well established team, that can trust each other, the synergy takes over and so much more can be accomplished.
DeleteA few years ago each of our categorical groups developed position statements and they are posted on our website. At a recent meeting it was brought to my attention that several people had no idea they were there or that they were even created! I wonder if talk time to flesh out strong beliefs and practices is needed once again to "get on the same page". It is certainly harder with our larger groups - and heck it is hard with small groups of people with some differences of opinions! I think it might be good to find some common beliefs and goals.....
ReplyDeleteI agree Shelly I think we need some common beliefs and goals. When talking with others, it seems we all practice a little bit differently.
DeleteI agree Shelly I think we need some common beliefs and goals. When talking with others, it seems we all practice a little bit differently.
DeleteI agree ladies! We need to find some common beliefs and goals. We are all school psychologists so there has to be some commonalities among us. After reading the responses from chapter 1, we are all in this field to help others. How can we use something like that to help us find common ground?
DeleteI believe in order to have effective collaboration and to have everyone on the same page, you have to work well as a team and “trust” everyone on the team. Just like the book states, having trust in others and having others trust you in an important quality to have as a leader.
ReplyDeleteWith trust comes open and honest communication. You aren’t afraid to speak up when you disagree. With trusting relationships, others won’t judge you for your opinions. They take your opinions into consideration and you are able to work as a team to find the best solution.
With trust you are able to build relationships with your colleagues. Those relationships can be built both within work and outside of work. Some of the colleagues that I collaborate well with are those that I have gotten to know not only on a professional level but also on a personal level.
With trust also comes accountability. When you have built trust with someone, you know they will do the job to the best of their abilities. I think this is extremely important when it comes to comprehensive evaluations. With many members of the team evaluating, you have to have trust that those members are going to fully evaluate the student and do so thoroughly.
In order to motivate staff, I like how the book referenced using rewards and recognitions (page 28). For me, simple words of encouragements go a long way. Sometimes when your drowning in paperwork and evaluations, just knowing that you are appreciated boosts your moral. Just like Shelly always says, if our jobs were easy, everyone would want to do it.
Catherine, I like what you said about appreciation and encouragement. Things like appreciation for what we have accomplished, encouraging others to continue their good effort, and demonstrating respect for others as people and colleagues may take time, but they don't take money. As the saying goes, "The best things in life are free." In this time of tightening budgets, it make sense to at least appreciate and respect those with whom we work.
DeleteAlan-
DeleteI have a principal who's always reminding his staff that it doesn't cost a dime to write an article for the city paper bragging on the kids they work with, sharing what's going on in their classes, etc. I feel like he tries really hard to build school/community relationships through appreciation/encouragement, and with money being a hot topic, I think his suggestion is a good way of trying to accomplish that.
I don't know if any of you have read the "The Five Love Languages." In this book it speaks of how different people are motivated. I think you really need to understand what motivates people and then use that to move your organization forward. It again goes back to building relationships and trust among those you work with. Without trust nothing really works. Also once that trust has been broken its really hard to repair.
ReplyDeleteWhat motivates me? I believe I am more of a words of affirmation person. Recognition and a "good job" mean a lot to me. I also feel that I am motivated by doing what is right and what needs to be done. I believe in teamwork and distributive leadership. We are all in this together and together we will succeed.
By the way the five languages of love/motivation are:
Words of affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical touch
I haven't thought of love languages for quite some time. At work I like words of affirmation but at home ... I really like acts of service .... when my husband empties the dishwasher, takes out the trash - wow, now that is something! Ha!
DeleteThe above statement about without trust nothing really works and once trust is broken it really hard to repair is spot on. I currently have a team where one member has lost the trust of most of the others. Once that happens it is almost impossible to maintain the groups motivation and effectiveness.
DeleteI love the quote at the top of the page and think it is so true. To me, group loyalty involves many characteristics and relationship attributes. Many of them, such as trust, communication, accountability, and time together have been mentioned in earlier post. All of these lead to individuals feeling like they are a valued, contributing member of a group whose thoughts and ideas are important and heard. I think as psychs we all know it is essential to make our coworkers/team members feel this way, but as we get caught up in the busyness of work and our lives it's easy to forget how important relationship building is in a work environment.
ReplyDeleteApproaching a situation with a positive perspective opens more doors than a negative approach. I tend to approach all situations from a positive standpoint. I start off with what is great about the situation, and then after some discussion move to what could be changed or fixed to better the situation. I prefer to build others up instead of tear them down. This is my sole focus during IEP meetings. I communicate with the team members prior to the meeting, and remind everyone that we need to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. We need to build children up in the eyes of their parents instead of tear them down. We need parents to understand that yes this child may have some struggles pertaining to learning, but that the child also has strengths. I can remember the first time I as a parent attended my daughter’s initial IEP meeting. I requested that testing be done. I knew she was struggling in school. I knew there were issues. However, even though I knew all these things sitting in that meeting was one of the hardest things I have done in my life. I sat and listened to everything that my daughter could NOT do. Not once did someone point out something positive about her. I listened to numbers that had no meaning at all to me, but somehow those numbers meant everything to that school psychologist (this was before I even knew there was such a thing as a school psych). It was heart breaking! From that point on, I have really tried to focus on the positives. I am not going to lie, I sometimes get stuck in a negative rut, but when I catch myself there I am quick to change the focus of my thinking.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to point out when someone is doing something great. However, please be mindful of how you point this out. Be genuine. Fakeness is not needed or appreciated. If you cannot point out something great, do not say anything at all. I hate the phrase “good job.” Every time I hear it, I think to myself I wonder what that person did good at. Does the person even know? Think about how quickly we go through the motions to get a task completed. When someone says good job are they referring to something specific or just saying that to be nice. Please be specific with your comments.
I agree with the quote on page 32 that talks about trust possibly being the most powerful motivator for excellence in the workplace. Regarding the staff that I work with, or HPEC as a whole, I think that building those solid relationships with others through the TRUST acronym they gave by telling the truth, responding consistently, understanding others, seeking higher ground, and taking action are all strategies that positively contribute to facilitating a common motivation between team members.
ReplyDeleteI really like the TRUST acronym. If I am struggling with a staff member, It gives me an easy way to remember those things that will help build the trust that is so important.
DeleteI think building trust and building relationships is a good way to facilitate staff to work collaboratively and be on the same page. As Alan said in a previous post, Kansas education is somewhat in survival mode. We as school psychologists can do many things to support staff. I look at us as a resource for staff and students. By having trust, teachers can come to us for ideas with students as well as a place to vent. With frustration levels high due to finances, we can be a safe place for staff to let out some of what causes us all stress.
ReplyDeleteBy hiring a 10th psych, HPEC is valuing the role of the school psych. Lessening the work load allows us more time to be there to support staff.
True, that is encouraging.
DeleteOthers have already mentioned trust, accountability, ownership, relationships, and the value of listening to and really hearing others. I also appreciate in leaders when I can see consistent values guiding their decisions and when those values are similar to mine. I try to model that when I share leadership as well.
ReplyDelete