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Leading Every Day
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Leading Every Day
Actions for Effective Leadership

Third Edition
Edited by:


October 2013 | 288 pages | Corwin

Your shortcut to success for inspired school leadership!

Tap your greatest leadership potential and quickly get on track to meeting today’s complicated challenges with this follow up to the best-selling Learning Forward Book of the Year. Revised and updated stories, references, and quotes complement a completely new section focused on achieving results.

Effective leadership exists in us all. These short, inspiration-infused nuggets of actionable advice provide a path to get you there. New features include:

  • A newly added Book 5 for help creating solid data systems and achievable results
  • Over 150 convenient, closely integrated daily contemplations to carry anywhere 
  • Succinct, first-hand insights to proven leadership best practices that inspire, challenge, and instruct
  • Up-to-date research on creative solutions to leadership challenges, change, and professional development

Build trust, spark innovation, and learn what it really takes to support a community of learners and leaders with this classic leadership resource!

“This book continues to resonate, encourage, and motivate action. It's a powerful combination of inspirational, critical, and practical guidance delivered in daily doses.”
—Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director
Learning Forward

“Every leader needs inspiration and sage advice. Leading Every Day is an almanac of practical information for leaders committed to raising the bar for themselves, their colleagues, and their shared success.”
—Karen Kearney, Leadership Initiatives
WestEd

 
Introduction
 
Book One: Leadership Every Day
Day 1: We Are All Leaders

 
Day 2: Effective Leadership Practices

 
Day 3: Making Conscious Choices

 
Day 4: Committing to a Moral Imperative

 
Day 5: Using Power Appropriately

 
Day 6: Building Shared Vision

 
Day 7: Promoting Diversity

 
Day 8: Leading For Results

 
Day 9: Using Habits to Our Advantage

 
Day 10: Generating and Sharing Knowledge

 
Day 11: Keeping a Client-Centered Focus

 
Day 12: Recognizing and Celebrating Success

 
Day 13: Networking

 
Day 14: Embracing Innovative Thinking

 
Day 15: Aligning Actions and Beliefs

 
Day 16: Examining Your Culture

 
Day 17: Building a Trusting Climate

 
Day 18: Collaborative Leadership

 
Day 19: Building Relationships

 
Day 20: Trying Something New

 
Day 21: Coping with Ambiguity, Change, and Confusion

 
Day 22: Leading Through Crisis

 
Day 23: Balancing Leadership and Management

 
Day 24: Living with Paradox

 
Day 25: Paying Attention to Leadership Actions and Traits

 
Day 26: Getting Support

 
Day 27: Asking Good Questions

 
Day 28: Finding Win/Win Solutions

 
Day 29: Modeling Leadership

 
Day 30: Ethical Leadership

 
Day 31: Doing the Right Thing

 
References

 
 
Book Two: Leading Change
Day 1: Change as a Process

 
Day 2: Change Happens in People First

 
Day 3: The Impact of Change

 
Day 4: Moving through the Stages of Change-Concerns

 
Day 5: Moving through the Stages of Change-Behavior

 
Day 6: Change as Continuous Improvement

 
Day 7: Speed of Change

 
Day 8: The Missing Piece in Change

 
Day 9: Balancing Constants and Change

 
Day 10: Recognizing Assumptions

 
Day 11: Crafting a Shared Vision

 
Day 12: Mission and Goals

 
Day 13: Motivating Others

 
Day 14: Planning for Change

 
Day 15: Origins of Change

 
Day 16: Accepting Loss

 
Day 17: Dealing with Disappointment

 
Day 18: Change and Resilience

 
Day 19: Facing Problems

 
Day 20: Neutralizing Resistance

 
Day 21: Capitalizing on Resistance

 
Day 22: Knowing Your Constituents

 
Day 23: Managing Multiple Change Efforts

 
Day 24: Systems Thinking

 
Day 25: Examining Change History

 
Day 26: The Downside of Change

 
Day 27: Building Ownership for Change

 
Day 28: Individuals as Agents of Change

 
Day 29: Self-Assessment as a Change Leader

 
Day 30: Sustaining Individual Leadership

 
Day 31: Initiating, Implementing, and Institutionalizing Change

 
References

 
 
Book Three: Leading Learning Communities
Day 1: Leading Communities of Learning

 
Day 2: Leading Learning in Organizations

 
Day 3: Building Cultural Proficiency

 
Day 4: Powerful Learning Experiences

 
Day 5: How People Learn

 
Day 6: Transformative Learning

 
Day 7: Transforming Situational Learning

 
Day 8: Defining Expertise

 
Day 9: Characteristics of Effective Professional Learning

 
Day 10: Aligning Beliefs and Behaviors

 
Day 11: Designing Professional Development

 
Day 12: Committing to Vision and Standards

 
Day 13: Using Data to Guide Professional Development Designs

 
Day 14: Inputs into Professional Development Design

 
Day 15: Knowledge and Beliefs in Science and Mathematics

 
Day 16: Professional Development in Context

 
Day 17: Critical Issues to Consider

 
Day 18: Ensuring Equity

 
Day 19: Strategies for Professional Learning

 
Day 20: Selecting and Combining Strategies

 
Day 21: Professional Development for Student Impact

 
Day 22: Balancing Philosophy and Pragmatism

 
Day 23: Incorporating Reflexive Practice

 
Day 24: Reaching Everyone or Scaling Up

 
Day 25: Team Learning

 
Day 26: Sharing Knowledge and Capturing Lessons Learned

 
Day 27: Using Program Logic Models

 
Day 28: Achieving Realistic Outcomes

 
Day 29: Gathering Evaluation Data

 
Day 30: Leading Learning by Example

 
Day 31: Taking Responsibility for Learning

 
References

 
 
Book Four: Leading Effective Groups
Day 1: Leading Groups

 
Day 2: Four Roles of Group Leaders

 
Day 3: Group Norms of Collaboration

 
Day 4: Group Norm #1—Pausing

 
Day 5: Group Norm #2—Paraphrasing

 
Day 6: Group Norm #3—Posing Questions

 
Day 7: Group Norm #4—Putting Ideas on the Table

 
Day 8: Group Norm #5—Providing Data

 
Day 9: Group Norm #6—Paying Attention to Self and Others, Verbal Communication

 
Day 10: Group Norm #6—Paying Attention to Self and Others, Nonverbal Communication

 
Day 11: Group Norm #7—Presuming Positive Intentions

 
Day 12: Dialogue Versus Discussion

 
Day 13: Dialogue as Reflective Learning Process

 
Day 14: Eliciting Participation From Everyone

 
Day 15: Cultural Proficiency

 
Day 16: Establishing Clear Roles and Functions

 
Day 17: Structuring an Effective Meeting

 
Day 18: Providing Logistical Supports

 
Day 19: Setting Up the Meeting Room

 
Day 20: Group Decision Making

 
Day 21: Reaching Consensus

 
Day 22: Giving Feedback

 
Day 23: Receiving Feedback

 
Day 24: Handling Problems

 
Day 25: Options for Resolving Conflict

 
Day 26: Conflict as Opportunity

 
Day 27: Facilitating Conflict

 
Day 28: Resolving Value Conflicts

 
Day 29: Dealing with Disruptive People

 
Day 30: Beginnings and Endings

 
Day 31: Six Domains of Group Development

 
References

 
 
Book Five: Leadership for Results
Day 1: Results-Based Leadership

 
Day 2: Role of Leader to Achieve Results

 
Day 3: Using Rigorous Evidence

 
Day 4: Being an Accountable Leader

 
Day 5: Role of Policy in Achieving Results

 
Day 6: Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

 
Day 7: Equitable Access to Data

 
Day 8: Purposeful Use of Data

 
Day 9: The Power of Data

 
Day 10: Collaborative Inquiry

 
Day 11: Engaging Everyone with Data

 
Day 12: Data-Driven Dialogue

 
Day 13: Root Cause Analysis

 
Day 14: Cause and Effect

 
Day 15: Cause and Effect Analysis: The Fishbone

 
Day 16: Identifying Problems

 
Day 17: Communicating about Problems

 
Day 18: Criteria for Selecting Outcomes

 
Day 19: Selecting the Right Intervention

 
Day 20: Rapid Prototyping

 
Day 21: Assessing Evaluation

 
Day 22: Reflecting on Results

 
Day 23: Planning for Success

 
Day 24: Components of Trust

 
Day 25: Keeping the Trust

 
Day 26: Time Required for Results

 
Day 27: Getting Better Results

 
Day 28: Seeking Collective Impact

 
Day 29: Sustaining a Focus on Continuous Improvement

 
Day 30: Results Over Time

 
Day 31: Continuing to Learn

 
References

 
 
Index

"This book continues to resonate, encourage, and motivate action. It's a powerful combination of inspirational, critical, and practical guidance delivered in daily doses."

Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director
Learning Forward

"Skillful leadership requires pattern recognition and answering the question: Is this pattern productive for our group, organization or project?  If not, how do I most effectively break that pattern and help those involved develop new and more productive ways of interacting?  This practical and engaging book offers practical tools for leaders who want to be better creators of patterns that take hold and become the new habits in powerful groups."

Bruce Wellman
MiraVia, LLC

"Leading schools and districts today has never been more challenging. The courageous people who choose this work need thoughtful, practical strategies that are easily accessible to reflect upon and refer to throughout the year. Leading Every Day: Actions for Effective Leadership, Third Edition delivers this resource. The new addition to the book on Leadership for Results is timely and addresses an actual leadership need apparent across the country. This book is a must-have for all education leaders, both new and experienced."

Linda M. Paul, Ed.D.
New Mexico School Leadership Institute

"Leading Every Day challenges all of us who work in education to be effective leaders. This book puts the power to improve leadership skills in the hands of every working educator who wants the best for his/her students, teachers, schools, and communities. The book’s organization around change, learning communities, effective groups and results is at the same time practical and stimulating. This is a book to keep on your desk for easy reference and to share with colleagues and friends."

Patricia S. Bourexis, President
The Study Group Inc.

"Leading Every Day is a staple of our principal leadership program. Each chapter elevates our students’ thinking about what it takes to become a leader in order to transform themselves and others toward a common outcome."

Dr. John W. Somers, Professor of Teacher Education
University of Indianapolis

Leading Every Day is an excellent resource for aspiring, new and seasoned STEM leaders. This book includes a wealth of information that is organized to provide leaders the flexibility to reflect on small nuggets of knowledge and the application of that information to his/her specific work on a day-to-day basis. As such, it effectively promotes a culture of continuous and improved learning in the school community.  This book is unique in considering every leader's demanding schedules and acknowledging the many challenges, they face. The daily quotes provide inspiring messages and motivation, coupled with a related discussion topic that helps lesders increase their effectiveness from day to day."

Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director
Professional Programs and Conferences National Science Teachers Association

 "In my career, I have worked with a few actual leaders in education and many aspiring leaders. This book affirms the characteristics of educational leaders and provides a roadmap·for those aspiring to effective educational leadership. The third edition of Leading Every Day is required reading for educators."

Rodger W. Bybee, Retired Executive Director
Biological Sciences Curriculum Study

"Every leader needs inspiration and sage advice. Leading Every Day is an almanac of practical information for leaders committed to raising the bar for themselves, their colleagues, and their shared success."

Karen Kearney, Leadership Initiatives
WestEd

"An excellent resource for developing your own leadership action plan."

Cynthia Willingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham

"This book joins the ranks of Covey and Carnegie in helping readers to enhance and improve their leadership skills.  Leading Every Day falls right in line with our school’s implementation of PLC’s and RTI.  It gives me knowledge to be an effective change agent in my school."

Paul Hurt, Assistant Principal
Snow Canyon High School
Key features

Over 150 contemplations divided into the 5 key leadership areas offer readers succinct looks at proven leadership practices.

Inspiring quotes, reflections and scenarios are used to illustrate the contemplations.

 

There is more discussion in this edition about instructional leadership, collaborative leadership, and what it takes to support a community of learners and leaders. There’s greater emphasis on building trusting climates, innovative thinking, and new forms of networking, as well as the use of data for decision making, leading change, and designing adult learning experiences based on student needs. The importance of reflecting on and monitoring progress toward achievement of goals is a theme included throughout each of the five books. In response to readers’ requests, we have included more scenarios to guide the readers’ engagement with topics. The five books are more closely integrated, with several themes interwoven throughout the entire volume. The references and examples have been updated in each book.

The major change that we suggest for Leading Every Day is adding a fifth book on achieving results. We believe that with the growing emphasis on accountability, this book should add more about how leaders create a culture of success and commitment to results. We realize, however, that adding a fifth book creates a problem with length. To accommodate that, we propose dropping the notes section and running straight text. In the introduction we will suggest that readers keep a journal to accompany their use of the book. The theme of Book Five will focus on the use of the logic model approach to achieving results whereby leaders will help others establish a common understanding of the goals and outcomes and the inputs and strategies for achieving them. Topics for the contemplations may include the following:

· Role of leader in achieving results, including ethical leadership

· Using data effectively

· Problem resolution (Distinguishing between actual problems and symptoms of problems; problem triage; linking cause and effect: an inexact science; and the changing context: how solving one problem often creates a new one)

· Determining outcomes

· Benchmarking as well as sustainability and rapid prototyping

· Evaluating progress and achievement of outcomes

In writing Book 5, we will pull out related contemplations from the other four books (e.g., Book 1, Days 8 & 9) and move them to Book 5.

Here are some of the changes we propose to the other four books:

Book One: We want to incorporate the latest research on effective leadership practices (e.g., http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effective-principal-leadership/Pages/The-School-Principal-as-Leader-Guiding-Schools-to-Better-Teaching-and-Learning.aspx). The article identifies the following key leadership practices: shaping a vision of academic success for all students; creating a climate hospitable to education; cultivating leadership in others; improving instruction; and managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement. We address vision quite well in the book, but not as much the other four. We'll add contemplations on climate and especially on building a trusting climate (see Bryk/Schneider et al., 2004) as distrust overpowers attempts at reform. We'll also add ones on innovative thinking, new forms of partnerships (e.g., collective impact), and summaries of the new elements in principal evaluation systems.

Book Two: An addition to Book 2 will be contemplations on what we've learned about the speed of change, that it does not necessary take years to implement a change. We'll also discuss the value of "quick wins." Reports coming from the School Improvement Grants (SIG) across the country will be helpful.

Book Three: Learning communities were just getting a good start when the 2nd edition of Leading Every Day came out, and much has happened in the intervening years. We'll incorporate the most current information on Learning Communities (Fulton, 2011), including best practices. We'll also draw from Learning Forward's new standards for professional development and from the Chung Wei et al. (2009) study on the relationship between teacher professional development and student achievement.

Additionally, since the publication of the second edition of Leading Every Day, we completed the third edition of Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics (2010). We will revise and update all of the contemplations that reference the third edition of the Designing PD book.

Book Four: Although we do not have a revision "theme" for Book Four, we have discussed, for example, eliminating Day 19 on setting up the room. We need a more upbeat ending than Day 31 provides. We also plan to include contemplations focused on "non-verbal" facilitation and the essential abilities of effective presenters (Zoller & Landry, 2010) as well as update the contemplations focused on the norms of collaboration based on Garmston and Wellman's book, which they have updated (2009). Perhaps other "themes" will emerge as we review the feedback and get into the writing.

In all of the books we will search for better quotes, edit remaining contemplations for clarity, and update those that are no longer current. As previously, there will be some hard choices on what goes and what stays. We hope feedback from the reviewers gives us guidance.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Kaser Front Matter

Book One


For instructors

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