Full Description
LISTENING . . . THE KEY TO BECOMING A TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL LEADER
The Listening Leader is a practical guide that will inspire school, district, and teacher leaders to make substantive change and increase equitable student outcomes. Rooted in the values of equity, relationships, and listening, this luminous book helps reimagine what is possible in education today. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience in public schools, Shane Safir incorporates hands-on strategies and powerful stories to show us how to leverage one of the most vital tools of leadership: listening. As a Listening Leader you'll feel more confident in these core competencies:
Cultivating relationships with stakeholders
Addressing equity challenges in your organization
Gathering student, staff, and parent perspectives as rich data on improvement
Fostering a thriving culture of collaboration and innovation
The Listening Leader offers a much-needed leadership model to transform every facet of school life, and most importantly, to shape our schools into equitable places of learning. As Michael Fullan writes in the Foreword, "Read it, act on it, and reap the benefits for all."
"This book is a 'must have' for any leader trying to move the needle on equity. Drawing from her lived experience as a principal and leadership coach, Safir offers stories that give insight and practical strategies that get results. It's one you'll keep coming back to."
—Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
" The Listening Leader immediately changed the way I interact with students, teachers, families and community members."
—Tamara Friedman, assistant principal, Berkeley High School
"Shane Safir has written a brilliant book. As engaging as it is informative and as revelatory as it is relevant. It is a must-read for school leaders and those who aspire to lead."
—Chris Emdin, associate professor of science education, Teachers College, Columbia University; author of For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya'll too
Contents
List of Figures, Tables, and Exhibits XIII
Foreword XVII
Preface XXI
Introduction XXV
Equitable School Transformation Is Possible
Leader-ful Schools, Not Leader-thin
Primary Audiences for This Book
The Listening Leader Map
How to Read This Book
Anonymity and Pseudonyms
Chapter 1: The Transformative Power of Listening 1
Learning to Listen
What We've Inherited
A Few Core Beliefs
Key Challenge 1: The Persistence of Inequity
Key Challenge 2: Integrity in the Face of Pressure
Key Challenge 3: Dealing With Trauma
Key Challenge 4: Disconnected Data
Becoming a Listening Leader
A Word on Mindfulness
The Arts Academy Revisited
Part One: Awareness
What do I need to know and understand to become a Listening Leader?
Chapter 2: The Core Tenets of Listening Leadership 31
The Leader Who Wanted to Write People Up
Listening Is Brain-Savvy
The Neighborhoods of the Brain
Tenet 1: Our Brains Are Wired for Survival First
Tenet 2: Our Brains React to Survival Threats Through Fight, Flight, or "Tend-and-Befriend"
Tenet 3: Social Threats Signal Survival Threats to Our Brains
Tenet 4: Every Brain Grows in the Right Conditions
Tenet 5: Organizations Have Core Memories
Chapter 3: Listening for Equity 55
The Fragility of Trust Across Difference
Tuning in to Structural Racism
Tuning in to Unconscious Bias
Tuning in to Cultural Difference
Lessons Learned: Joy and Wendy
Chapter 4: Getting Ready to Listen 79
Listening Below the Green Line
No Shortcut to Trust
Bids and Betrayals
Understand Your Living System
Mindful Listening
The Problem of Rumination
A Seamless Transition
Part Two: Relational Capital
How do I build the interpersonal currency needed to support and develop adult learners?
Chapter 5: Practicing Deep Listening 105
The Fallout of Failing to Listen
Relational Capital
Two Types of Listening: Deep and Strategic
Principles of Deep Listening
Deep Listening Stance 1: Attention to Nonverbal Cues
Deep Listening Stance 2: Mature Empathy
Deep Listening Stance 3: Affirmation
Chapter 6: Practicing Strategic Listening 127
The Impact of the Right Question
Building Capacity Through Listening
Principles of Strategic Listening
Strategic Listening Stance 1: An Orientation to Vision
Strategic Listening Stance 2: Reflective Inquiry
Strategic Listening Stance 3: A Bias Toward Action
Integrating the Six Stances
Seeds of Transformation
Chapter 7: Listening to Parents 146
When Things Fall Apart
Navigating Difference With Parents
Flipping the Script Between Parents and Educators
Five Ways to Listen to Parents
Jackie's Reflections
Chapter 8: Listening to Students 166
Listening to Students Tell the Real Story—Even When It's Hard to Hear
Discarding Well-Worn Scripts
Five Ways to Listen to Students
Listening and Democracy
Part Three: Complex Change
How do I diagnose and navigate the challenges I face as a leader?
Chapter 9: Influencing Complex Change 189
The Listening Leader's Landscape
Leadership in a Living System
Diagnose Your Problems and Challenges
Six Steps to Influence Complex Change
Shaping the Path
Chapter 10: Leveraging Listening Routines 214
A Staff Meeting with 100% Engagement
Grown-Ups Need Routines Too
First, Take Your Team's Temperature
Next, Design Humanizing Routines
Revisiting the Engaged Staff Meeting
Chapter 11: Growing a Listening Culture 238
A High School Network in Transition
From Hero to Host
The Four Seasons of a Listening Culture
"Set the Table" with Annual Retreats
Listening Campaigns
Learning Leader Chats
Team One-on-Ones
Safe-to-Learn Inquiry
Transforming a Culture
Chapter 12: Listening for Liberation 259
Conversation by Conversation
Building a Movement
The Courage to Listen
Appendix A: Listening Leadership Rubric 263
Appendix B: The Six Stances of a Listening Leader 271
Appendix C: The Instructional Conversation Planning Tool 274
Appendix D: Additional Resources for Listening to Parents 275
Appendix E: Additional Resources for Listening to Students 278
Appendix F: Telling the Current-state Story Tool 282
Appendix G: Tools and Facilitation Steps for Listening Routines 283
Appendix H: Tools for Growing a Listening Culture 296
Glossary 304
Acknowledgments 312
About the Author 315
Index 317
