Name: _______________________________________

Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:

·
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.

·
Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

Part One – Reframing (20 points)

Warning: This activity is ambiguous and some of us may find difficult. That is ok. This is a GROWTH exercise and there is no right/wrong way to do it.

To prepare for this assignment, watch the 2 posted videos:

(a)
Overview of Practice 2 – Inspire a Shared Vision

(b)
A TedTalk by DeWitt Jones about the power of framing, creating a vision, and communicating that vision.

Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:

·
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.

·
Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

Part One of the Growth Assignment focuses on the first commitment and will borrow from Mr. Jones’ message of reframing. Lately, it seems, it is hard to see the good in the world. Whether it is the state of our country, the current war, devastation causes by weather, violence, etc. I want you to take something that often gets you down – something that you think about more often than the other many things.

A. Describe that “thing” here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.

B. What emotions or negative feelings does that “thing” bring to mind. Jot some of those things here.

C. Reframing.

Next, practice reframing this “thing” to find genuine positives. Search within this issue/event/situation, to find real positives. These are positives that are deeper understandings or lessons or evidence of humanity or growth. You want to reframe the “thing” in a way you see the beauty within it.
I keep stressing on finding the genuine and real positives. I know we all know of people that are positive no matter what happens in life. Sometimes they seem phoney or unrealistic.

Describe the “reframed” thing here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.

D. Finally, share that “reframed” issue in a way that it becomes a VISION for you and perhaps others. How you know see that issue/situation/event in a different way that it sparks a positive response in you rather than the previous negative feelings/response. You can draw a picture of the

TOOLS FOR BUILDING ; COMMUNICATING VISION

Setting the Stage:

You are the principal for an elementary school in a county in Tennessee where the COVID cases are rising but not as fast as some metro counties, unemployment for some of your students’ families is high because a local company has been hard hit by COVID, and many of your teachers are over the age of 50. The County Board of Education has recently decided that all schools will open. Given the limited internet access, an online option is less viable in your school district.

Based on the calls you have received (and you have taken notes), 50% of the parents/teachers want classes to resume as normal pre-March. That means all activities take place, there is no mask use, and no social distancing. The other 50% want school to be delayed until the rise in cases subsides. They also want masks to be mandated and social distancing to be enforced.

No matter where you go, people seem to be divided. You recently completed an awesome leadership course at MTSU based on the 5 Practices of Highly Effective Leaders. You’ve decided to use some of the techniques the professors shared with you. You know that the school year will not be effective if you cannot find the common ground between what appears to be a divided school family (teachers, parents, kids, staff, etc.).

Technique: Post-It Notes Exercise to Find Common Ground

· This technique uses a “focus-on-the-future” approach to help people who are divided to find common ground when they focus on the future they want to see.
· This technique also uses post-it notes to capture EVERYONE’s views without judgment. It is essential that every idea shared is read out loud with no judgment, same matter of fact done of voice, treating every comment/idea in the same way.
· The exercise should be facilitated by someone the group trusts or at least does not lack trust in. You may want to bring in an outside facilitator that has little knowledge or “dog in the fight” to lead the exercise. There cannot be an hidden agenda to the process or it will not work.

How It Works

Leader or Facilitator Poses 3-5 questions to the Group.

·
Have the group focus on a question about the future. For example, the principal could ask:

What do we want the last day of school to look like for our school in May?

If we could read the minds of our students on the last day in May, what would make us most proud to learn?

Ten years from now, when we are at the high school graduation for these students in our classes today, what do we want them to remember about this year?

·
Also, ask a few questions that allow people to get their

INSPIRE A SHARED VISION

The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2010 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.
All rights reserved. Discover more at www.leadershipchallenge.com.

Inspire a Shared Vision
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.
Enlist others in a common vision
by appealing to shared aspirations.

The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2010 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.
All rights reserved. Discover more at www.leadershipchallenge.com.

A Vision Is An ideal and unique image of the future for the common good.

The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2010 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.
All rights reserved. Discover more at www.leadershipchallenge.com.

The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2010 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.
All rights reserved. Discover more at www.leadershipchallenge.com.

Shared Vision

Ideal

Unique

Image

Future-oriented

Common good

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT
FINDING COMMON GROUND

Vision (values, goal, plan) has power if shared
More likely to be shared if it comes from many rather than a few
Has more power if COMES FROM rather than GIVEN TO

WHY?

How often have you heard lately …

https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/america…more…/fbfebee6-49d8-11e6-90a8-fb84…
Jul 16, 2016 –

https://www.salon.com/…/america-may-be-more-divided-now-than-at-any-time-since-…
Oct 14, 2017

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/11/making-up-is…/501146/

www.cnn.com/20