The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive.

 Considered an authority on organizational change  Primarily active in the educational systems of Canada and the US  He has written more than 10 books on systemic change (including The 6 Secrets of Change, written in 2008)  A genius!

 Secret 1: Love your Employees  Secret 2: Connect Peers with Purpose  Secret 3: Capacity Building Prevails  Secret 4: Learning is the Work  Secret 5: Transparency Rules  Secret 6: Systems Learn  It’s all about communication ~ the six secrets are interrelated; actions that reflect one secret can enhance several secrets at once

 Not just caring about caring for employees  Creating the conditions for them to succeed  Helping employees find meaning, increased skill development, and personal satisfaction in making contributions that simultaneously fulfill their own goals and the goals of the organization

 Develop a common purpose  Promote collaboration; professional learning communities within schools (intra-school)  Inter-school collaboration within districts  Lateral capacity building- school districts learning from other school districts  Leaders must provide direction, create the conditions for peer interaction, and intervene along the way when things don’t proceed smoothly.

 Be nonjudgemental; capacity building trumps judgementalism. A nasty environment people focus on self-preservation  Fullan refers to Lincoln’s way with people: Lincoln said, “we can succeed only in concert. It is not can any of us imagine better, but can all of us do better.”*  When peers interact purposefully, they create subtle expectations of one another for positive goal accomplishment

 Pursue the core goals relentlessly and with consistency – Common Vision  “We see time and again that new technology is usually not the best way to spur creative breakthroughs.” (p.78) Improving performance proves more helpful.  Deep learning that is embedded in the culture of the workplace is the core of secret four.

 Use data productively, not as a weapon  Data should be precise, presented in a nonjudgemental manner, considered by peers, and used for improvement as well as for external accountability.  Transparency helps employees develop trust in the employer  Expect teachers and schools to work together and to share data and information  Build a culture where problems are tolerated and solved as they occur (punishment leads to non- reporting of problems)

 Develop many leaders, rather than relying on a few individuals  Be humble, and believe in success, that success is possible  Train leaders to think systemically at all levels of the organization  Leaders develop other leaders while being empathic about their challenges