The Five Disciplines of PLC Leaders

by Kanold, Timothy D.; Dufour, Richard

• ISBN13: 9781935543428
• ISBN10: 1935543423
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-30
• Publisher: Solution Tree

Summary

Just as it takes discipline to successfully run a marathon or to master a musical instrument, effective leadership in a professional learning community (PLC) requires practice, patience, and skill. PLC leaders at all levels face multiple paradoxes: they must lead by serving, engage stakeholders through strategic disengagement, allow autonomy within defined boundaries, and inspire others through their own humility. In The Five Disciplines of PLC Leaders, Timothy D. Kanold offers a focused framework that will help educators maintain balance and consistent vision as they strengthen the paradoxical skills of PLC leadership. This framework provides the following five key practices, or disciplines: 1. The discipline of vision and values strengthens understanding of personal vision and the ability to forge a coherent, compelling vision with other stakeholders. It ensures that a PLC¿s mission, vision, values, and goals are in alignment. 2. The discipline of accountability and celebration forms the bridge between the development of a vision and the implementation of a plan. Through practice in this discipline, a PLC leader is able to stay focused on goals and accountability while acknowledging and celebrating achievements along the way. 3. The discipline of service and sharing addresses one of the core components of an effective PLC: leadership requires personal accountability to the shared vision and the integrity of other community members. This discipline strengthens communication, social connections, and relationships between all stakeholders. 4. The discipline of reflection and balance helps a PLC leader manage time and energy. It develops a leader¿s ability to discern when to take charge in high-energy activities and when to withdraw, fostering engagement and ownership in others. 5. The discipline of inspiration and influence builds a deep awareness of the future impact of today¿s actions. This discipline is a vital part of the process of turning a group into a team that has a lasting influence on a PLC and its students.

Table of Contents

About The Author	p. xi
Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction: Professional Learning Community Leadership: Disciplined Leaders Required	p. 1
The Paradoxes of Leadership	p. 2
Training to Run the PLC Race	p. 3
The Disciplined PLC Leader	p. 5
The Five Disciplines of School Leadership	p. 5
The Benefits of Leadership Discipline Training	p. 8
The Discipline of Vision and Values	p. 11
Connecting Your Personal Vision and Values to Daily Decision Making	p. 13
Refining Your Personal Vision	p. 15
Connecting Your Personal Passion to the Vision of Professional Learning Communities	p. 17
Creating Vision Ownership for Sustainability	p. 19
Teaching the Vision	p. 21
Creating Vision Clarity	p. 22
Creating Vision Alignment and Focus	p. 24
Improving Vision Through Double-Loop Learning	p. 28
Study Guide	p. 32
The Discipline of Accountability and Celebration	p. 35
The Courage to Do More Than Monitor	p. 39
Monitoring the ôRight Thingsö	p. 40
Getting to ôLoose-Tightö Leadership	p. 41
Rejecting the Laissez-Faire Stance	p. 43
Knowing What Is and Is Not a ôChoiceö	p. 44
Defining Autonomy and Defending Boundaries	p. 46
Turning Vision Into Action	p. 50
Rejecting Victim Speak	p. 53
Understanding Tiers of Accountability	p. 55
Leading a Well-Designed System for Monitoring Continuous Improvement	p. 59
Implementing the Continuous Improvement Model	p. 62
Spending the Human Capital of Encouragement	p. 71
The Tall Poppy Syndrome	p. 73
Study Guide	p. 76
The Discipline of Service and Sharing	p. 79
Growing Emotional intelligence	p. 82
Cultivating an N-S-E-W Sphere of Influence	p. 85
Pursuing Level 5 Leadership	p. 88
Showing Humility	p. 90
Building an Expanded Leadership Base	p. 91
Creating a Relational Culture	p. 94
Study Guide	p. 117
The Discipline of Reflection and Balance	p. 119
Refusing to Multitask	p. 121
Using Technology Strategically	p. 124
Avoiding Excuses	p. 127
Paying Attention to Students and Adults	p. 130
Providing Motivation 3.0	p. 134
Pursuing Optimal Learning Experiences	p. 137
Becoming Engaged and Reflective	p. 142
Creating Balance	p. 147
Pursuing Internal Balance	p. 150
Study Guide	p. 154
The Discipline of Inspiration and Influence	p. 157
The PLC Leader's Legacy	p. 159
Responding to Failure	p. 163
Preventing Deep Regret	p. 168
Choosing the Path of Enduring Inspiration	p. 173
PLC Leadership Inspiration Matters	p. 179
PLC Leaders Are Remembered for What They Do for Others	p. 180
Study Guide	p. 182
Epilogue: The Professional Learning Community as a School Movement	p. 185
References And Resources	p. 189
Index	p. 195
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