Five things about leading in large organizations I can’t stop thinking about after talking with Kunjan Narechania
It was so great to catch up with Kunjan Narechania last week, total badass of the education world who makes leading a large organization (nonprofit, State Education Agency or Local Education Agency) look easy peasy. You can catch the replay here or on my LinkedIn page—or embedded below or as an audio version on my podcast! Like all great conversations, this one has stuck with me over the last few days, and I wanted to share a few things I’ve been thinking about since we spoke.
The complexity of teaching is infinite. When Kunjan said this, it really struck me: it’s so true. Thinking about all the variables: the students, the teacher, the paraprofessionals, the staff members, the leadership, the parents… and all of those people’s lived experiences, all coming to bear in one classroom, in one place, at one moment in time, and trying to master content that some kids learned long ago and others are tremendously challenged by… that’s a lot. As a leader of large systems, cutting through the noise and all the complexity is important to start to move the needle on what matters—like kids writing, reading and doing math fluently, feeling safe and supported, excited and encouraged.
We didn’t even get to this on the Live, but Kunjan gave me these beautiful succulents as a way to help me see I could in fact be a Plant Mom. It was just the right plant for me, and now they are flourishing! I even transplanted them in cute pots! Thanks for helping me believe in my plant abilities, even when I didn’t believe in my own!
Illuminate the problem. When talking about how to build coalitions and willingness to get work done, Kunjan spoke about illuminating the problem: getting a diverse group of stakeholders to understand what the problem is, which then creates buy-in to solving it. It made me think about how often as leaders we can rush to solutions and trying to get buy-in on the solution. Really, if you have buy in on the problem, the buy-in on the solution follows naturally. Genius.
Work with the people you have. Look, as leaders we’ve all been guilty of daydreaming about that elusive hire out there who would magically come in and solve all the challenges we face. I have a whole diatribe on hiring that I will spare you for now, but the headline: hiring the right people is important. That being said, when you hire the right people, you need to work with them to get them where you need them to go. Grow them, develop them, invest in their growth. If you don’t have the time, hire someone to do it. You need to work with the people you have though. Especially in large systems, there is no button you can push to magically replace your workforce with the brilliant people who will get it all done. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you—as the leader—need to work with what you have. (If you find yourself saying. “But Beth, did I actually hire the right people?”, it will radically reframe your thinking if you ask yourself “What have I done lately to help my people become the right people and flourish in their roles?”)
Be clear on what your look-fors are. I’ve been kind of low-key obsessed lately with the idea of “look for’s”—exactly what they sound like! Your “look-fors” answer the question “What will you look for as evidence of change?”, Kunjan cited a look-for they had at the Louisiana Department of Education, where they wanted to see students grapple with high quality texts. Depending on what your focus is, a look-for could be “teachers and students sharing a personal moment of connection” or “students solving complex math problems in multiple ways”. When you know your look-for, it’s your north star, and you can be obsessed with if you see it or not. It’s also a way to make sure the change you are looking for is happening. It is somehow so easy in this world for people to have VERY different definitions of what success looks like, and look-for’s eliminate ambiguity. There is a 100% chance that without a look-for, one district leader might have said “We implemented the literacy work” because they ordered the curricula, which may very well actually mean the curricula got to the school in boxes, where they sat and gathered dust. When you have a look for, that helps make it clear that you want to see kids grappling with high quality texts in classroom, which is what actually matters. Ordering the curricula is a step, people, but you aren’t there yet!
Build momentum. Leaders of large systems know that you can’t convince everyone to change at the same time. If you try to do that, it ensures you will stay at status quo. Kunjan talked a lot about using the momentum you can get from early adopters to see success, shout it from the rooftops, and get other people interested, partly because they see the success of the early adopters and it is possible.
It was a truly delightful conversation, and there’s much more to think about—watch the replay if you want to hear Kunjan’s leadership recommendations for books to read, leaders she admires from near and far and what is going on with our around-the-world trip we had planned. If you find yourself thinking “I really need help leading in my large organization so I can get some of my goals accomplished”, schedule a complementary call with me here to see if partnering together might be a mutually good fit. I’m excited to help more leaders have wins in leading large organizations, using the lessons from Kunjan and my own experience to help the world become a more just place more quickly.
What did you take away from my conversation with Kunjan? Leave a comment below!
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