T
he EdVantage symbol above represents our Strategic Plan, the goals we have set for ourselves and for our students. The attached flyer outlines our plan -our Mission, our Core Values, and the Strategic Objectives we expect our students to accomplish.
The Story of the Red Triangle
As we in the School District began our journey to develop and implement a Strategic Plan, we considered where we were and where we wanted to go. Our first hesitant steps began with training for all administrators, supervisors and managers to prepare us for the daunting tasks ahead. That training included a discussion about the role of trust in making and managing the multitude of promises necessary to accomplish our goals. Later, as we considered symbols for our plan, we wanted to select a design that would remind all of us that we wanted to go in the same direction. We remembered a drawing presented in the initial training. It showed a blue box and a red triangle. The blue box represented where we were then. It was perfect for creating everything we were producing at that time - our graduation rate, our test scores, our interaction with the community and the culture in which we lived. In order to obtain different results, we found we had to change our culture. We had to change our expectations and our methods of interaction. We had to change our assumptions about our organization and our roles in it. We had to move into a different environment...the environment of the red triangle. As we thought more about the triangle as a symbol of where we wanted to be, we realized that the triangle is also a delta, the symbol for change, and that red signifies the passion with which we would have to pursue our goals.
Today, you see the red triangle in offices, on name badges, on letterheads, and anywhere we want to convey our passionate desire to provide the best education and the best working environment we can provide.
The Language of Trust
Our training in building trust focused on making and managing our promises. It is only through keeping thousands of promises that we will accomplish our objectives. The training included words that are familiar to all of us, but we are learning to use them in different ways. Each employee is expected to participate in workshops designed to describe the important distinctions of these words. The following will provide a brief description until that training takes place. Trust = We define trust as an Assessment of Risk. Without trust, people in our organization hesitate to coordinate action with each other. Their possibilities are limited and results suffer. Trust is based upon Sincerity (whether the person means what they say,) Competency (whether the person has the ability to keep the promise,) and Reliability (whether the person has kept promises in the past.) Promise = Requests or Offers + Acceptance. In our school district, we define a promise as any statement in which we agree to future action. We want to remember to make only rigorous promises. We also want to remember that there is an enormous difference between a promise and an expectation. Rigorous Promise = Speaker+ Listener + Action + Timeframe + Conditions of Satisfaction. A rigorous promise is one that includes a complete understanding and agreement of what is to be done, when it is to be done, and exactly how it is to be done. Misunderstanding and mistrust arise when promises are not made and kept with rigor. Declining – When we make a request or offer, we must allow for the possibility that someone may have other priorities. Without this understanding, even in employer/ employee relationships, requests become demands and dignity suffers. When declining, it is important to make our unwillingness clear while attempting to maintain relationships. We can decline and also keep our relationships when we make counteroffers and/or explain our priorities.
Keep, Revise or Revoke Promises- There are four ways a promisor manages his or her promises. The most desirable outcome is that the promise is kept. However, in order to maintain trust, we must make provisions for circumstances, which can prevent someone from keeping a promise. Individuals must sometimes revise or revoke promises as the need arises. The fourth way to manage a promise is to break it. We try to avoid that outcome. However, it happens. If we break a promise or someone breaks a promise to us, it is imperative that we act to repair the relationship so that further action and further association can occur. Apologize or Complain = If we broke a promise, we must apologize immediately. If someone breaks a promise to us, it is just as important that we complain to the individual who broke the promise. For both an apology and a complaint, we use the following formula: • Restate the promise, • State that the promise was broken, • Describe the consequences (in the case of a complaint), or request to know the consequences (in the case of an apology), and • Offer to redress or make up for the consequences suffered (in the case of an apology), or request how you can make up (in the case of an apology.)