Companion Website Contents
Foreword by Debbie Silver
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
It’s All About Student Success
This Book Is About Real Work
We Use Real Educators’ Stories
Our Research and Experience Taught Us to Focus on Work
This Book Is Practical, Reflective, and Tool-Based
Take Advantage of the Benefits of the Book
The Book Comes From Our Converging Journeys From Diverse Roots to Common Paths
Section I. The Foundational Principles of Fake Work and Real Work—and Knowing the Difference
Chapter 1. Fake Work: A Road to Nowhere
Real Work and Fake Work Defined
Fake Work Negatively Influences School Boards, Administrators, Teachers, and Students
“Standing on the X”: Focusing on the Point, the Pinnacle, and the Launching Pad for Success
Fake Work Is Illusive and Easily Misdiagnosed Because It Is Work—Often Hard Work
The Nature of Work Has Changed and Educators Are Overwhelmed With the New Reality
Section II. Understanding the Causes of Fake Work: How It Damages the Work Environment
Chapter 2. Exploring the Origins of Fake Work in Education
Fake Work Is Plentiful and Complicated
The Root Causes of Fake Work
Chapter 3. The Culture of Fake Work and Four Causes That Enable Dysfunctionality
Cause 1—A Complacent Culture: Organizations Allow Old Habits to Inhibit Excellence
Culture Drives Performance and Is Threatened by an Accumulation of Flaws
Cause 2—Ineffective Teams: Teams Have Few Common Goals and Minimal Collaboration
Providing Perspective on Professional Learning Communities
Cause 3—Inadequate Communication: Poor Communication Results in Missed Opportunities, Mixed Messages, and Poor Problem-Solving
Cause 4—Unprincipled and Negative Behaviors: Cultural Values Fade When the Wrong Behaviors Are Unchecked and the Right Ones Are Unsupported
Chapter 4. Fake Work Results From Poor Strategies, Weak Priorities, and the Failure to Align
Cause 5—No Strategic Clarity: Without a Clear and Common Roadmap, Organizations Flounder
Cause 6—Unclear Work Priorities: Too Often, Critical Tasks Are Not Linked to Strategies
Cause 7—No Strategic Alignment: Without Alignment, Teams Default to Silos and Lack Collaboration and Cohesion
Chapter 5. Two Causes That Undermine Executing and Sustaining Strategic Implementation
Cause 8—Failure to Execute: Organizational Intent Falters Without Real Work Plans and Being Accountable for Them
Cause 9—Diminishing Long-Term Commitments: Individual and Team Effectiveness Dwindles When Teams Fail to Manage, Maintain, and Sustain Implementation
Summary of the Causes of Fake Work and Transitioning to Real Work
Section III. The Paths to Real Work: A Step-by-Step Process for Strategy, Alignment, and Execution
Prologue: Five Fundamentals for Doing Real Work
Build a High-Performance Culture
Vision and Mission Provide a Mythic Quality to a Very Real World
Culture Thrives in a Moral Fabric With Values Interconnected by Trust
Teams Are the Operational Reality of a Performing Culture
Prioritize Strategic Plans That Focus on Ambitious Targets
Adhere to the Process for Real Work: The Work Itself
Embrace the “Everyone a Leader” Type of Leadership
Ensure That Your Work Is Renewable and Sustainable
Path 1: Create a High-Performance Educational Culture
Step 1: Assess Your Organization to Find Out Who You Are Now
Step 2: Create an Inventory of Behaviors You Want to Cultivate
Step 3: Transform Teams Into Cooperative and Collaborative Powerhouses
Step 4: Prioritize Communication and Communication Planning
Summary and the Path to Action
Path 2: Think Strategically
Step 1: Invest in Strategic Thinking to Gaze Into the Future
Step 2: Find the Right Questions and Turn Them Into Insightful Answers
Step 3: Do a SWOT Analysis to Gauge Your Fitness and to Penetrate Factors That Affect Planning
Step 4: Conduct a Stakeholder Analysis to Plan for Partnerships and Potential Distractions
Summary and the Path to Action
Path 3: Plan Strategically
Step 1: Understand the Elements of a Strategic Plan
Step 2: Engage Strategic Leaders at Every Level
Step 3: Collect Data Strategically
Step 4: Write an Executive Summary
Step 5: Formulate a Vision and Mission That Epitomize Your Highest Aspirations for the Future
Step 6: Identify Your “Navigational Stars”—the Values Vital to Your New Culture
Step 7: Create Objectives That Focus on Your Biggest Challenges
Step 8: Create a Dashboard for Your Objectives and Watch Them Closely
Step 9: Create a Portrait of a Graduate
Step 10: Develop Strategies to Achieve the Objectives
Step 11: Partner With the Board to Work on the District’s Vision
Summary and the Path to Action
Path 4: Focus on Your Real Work Priorities
Step 1: Develop a Task List That Reflects What You Do at Work
Step 2: Consult With Your Team
Step 3: Relate Your Work to the Strategic Plan
Step 4: Prioritize Real Work Tasks
Step 5: Narrow and Refine Your Real Work Tasks
Step 6: Shift Your Work Paradigm
Summary and the Path to Action
Path 5: Align Cultures, Leaders, Teams, and Schools
Step 1: Ensure That Alignment Is a Team Process
Step 2: Establish Alignment as the Essential Connection—the Glue—Between Strategy and Execution
Step 3: Create Alignment at Every Level—Systemwide
Step 4: Build the Critical Steps to Establish Alignment
Summary and The Path to Action
Path 6: Execute the Real Work
Step 1: Develop Real Work Plans for Each Priority
Step 2: Plan for Strategic Execution of Your Real Work Plan
Step 3: Plan to Cascade Real Work Plans and Priorities Throughout the Entire Organization
Summary and the Path to Action
Path 7: Sustain the Real Work
Step 1: Cascade the Real Work Process Throughout the Organization
Step 2: Monitor Performance to Promote Accountability and Teamwork
Step 3: Perform Quarterly Reviews to Demonstrate Ongoing Commitments
Step 4: Establish Real Work Meeting Guidelines
Step 5: Celebrate Success and Stimulate Renewed Commitment
Step 6: Empower People and Build Leaders
Summary and the Path to Action
Epilogue: And Then There Was Transformation
References
Index
