communication

The Telephone Game – When Good Ideas Go Sideways

/ Dave Eberwein / 4 Comments

I love that education is constantly searching for better. There is no ‘finish line’ or box-to-check to say that “We’ve made it.” It’s really the thing that makes K-12 education so exciting and motivating — we can always get better:

  • Better ways to engage students.
  • Better ways to support learning.
  • Better ways to prepare young people for a future that seems to evolve more quickly every year.

In that pursuit, we often turn to research. We read books, attend conferences, listen to podcasts, and look for evidence that can help inform our next steps. That’s a good thing.

Implementing a Plan takes more than Having a Positive Disposition

But, it’s also a concern.

Sometimes the challenge isn’t finding good ideas — sometimes the challenge is what happens after we find them.

Some intriguing research appears. Educators become excited. Professional learning sessions are developed. Schools begin implementing new approaches.

But, sometimes — somewhere along the way — the idea becomes simplified. The complexity fades. The critical nuance of why something works disappears.

Before long, what remains is often a version of the original idea that is far removed from what researchers, educators, or even the earliest adopters intended.

The Telephone Game: An activity where players pass a whispered message around a circle of people, usually resulting in a very different message at the end of the line.

Nobody sets out to create this outcome. In fact, it often happens because people care deeply about improvement. We want to help students — to get better. We want to act.

Yet meaningful change requires more than action. It requires understanding.

I’ve come to believe that one of the most important questions educational leaders can ask is not “What should we do?“, but instead ask questions such as:

  • “Why does this work?”
  • “How do I adapt the research to fit my circumstances?”
  • “What do I need to understand before determining next steps?”

When we understand the WHY behind an initiative, we’re less likely to become attached to a particular strategy and more likely to remain focused on the outcome it was designed to achieve.

The best schools I’ve encountered aren’t the ones chasing every new idea. They’re the ones that remain curious, asking the thoughtful questions — the ones digging a little deeper to better understand something before leaping to implementation.

Perhaps that’s the lesson for all of us:

  • Innovation matters
  • Research matters
  • But, understanding matters most.

Because when we lose sight of the WHY, even good ideas can end up as another initiative that goes sideways — just like a story in the Telephone Game.

The Invisible Work of Education

/ Dave Eberwein / 1 Comment

As educators, we often find ourselves talking about the visible things:

  • Programs
  • Resources
  • Technology
  • Learning spaces

These are the aspects of schooling that people notice first. They are tangible. Easy to discuss. Easy to photograph. Easy to quantify.

Yet, the most important aspects of education are often invisible:

  • Trust
  • Belonging
  • Purpose
  • Hope

You will not find many of these things neatly organized in a budget document. They do not fit comfortably into spreadsheets, dashboards, purchase orders, or annual reports.

Belonging is at the Core of What We Do in Education

And yet they shape everything.

When I think about the three school districts I have been fortunate to be a part of over my career, the schools that stand out as leaders are never defined by their architecture, the technology and resources they adopted, or the initiatives they launched.

They are defined by how they made people feel. They are the places where students felt seen. Where staff felt valued. Where families felt welcomed. Where people knew they belonged.

In a recent blog post, I reflected on how public education has evolved over the past forty years. I wrote that education has moved beyond simply delivering content toward “a broader and more human-centered vision” that recognizes learning as deeply connected to identity, well-being, and belonging. That idea continues to resonate with me because it speaks to a fundamental truth — learning is a human endeavour before it is an academic one.

Consider any learning environment where students are thriving. What do you notice?

  • You may see engaging instruction.
  • You may observe innovative learning spaces.
  • You may notice purposeful use of technology.

But if you look a little deeper, you will often discover something even more significant.

You will find students who feel known, adults who care, and relationships that are regularly and consistently reinforced which builds trust and respect. You will find a culture where people feel safe enough to take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, and grow. People flourish when they feel connected and safe.

Everything else is secondary.

This is one of the reasons that meaningful educational change can be so challenging.

  • It is relatively easy to purchase resources. It is much harder to build a positive culture.
  • It is relatively easy to launch an initiative. It is much harder to sustain a shared sense of purpose and belonging.

And yet those deeper elements are where the real work lives.

As I reflected in my year-end blog this past June, one of the strongest themes emerging across our district was student belonging. Not because it was a stand-alone initiative, but because we increasingly understand that belonging is foundational to everything else we hope to achieve. Academic growth matters. Literacy matters. Numeracy matters. Career readiness matters. But all of these outcomes become more attainable when students feel connected, supported, and challenged.

Purpose and belonging are not nice additions to learning. They are the foundations for learning.

Throughout this blog, I often return to the idea of “why.” The reason is simple. When we become disconnected from our purpose, it becomes easy to focus exclusively on the mechanics of education rather than its deeper mission.

The question is never simply, “What are we doing?” The more important question is, “Why are we doing it?” The answer to that question shapes every decision that follows.

It influences how we design schools — how we allocate resources — how we support students — how we work together.

It influences whether our efforts become transformational or merely transactional.

When I wrote recently about Truth and Reconciliation, I reflected on the unique role that schools play in bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Schools remain one of the few places in our society where an entire generation learns alongside one another. That reality is powerful. It reminds us that education is not simply about preparing students for employment. It is about preparing them to participate meaningfully in communities and contribute to a better future for all of us.

In other words, it is about helping young people find both belonging and purpose.

As I look back on the many innovations that have moved through education over the years, I continue to arrive at the same conclusion. Most successful initiatives are not successful because of what they introduce. They are successful because of what they reinforce – connection, agency, curiosity and human potential.

Because in the end, the most important work in education has never been the visible work. It is the invisible work of helping people feel that they belong, that they matter, and that their lives have purpose.

And that work changes everything.

Transformational Leadership: The Secret Sauce

/ Dave Eberwein / 4 Comments

In my previous post on Emotional Intelligence (EI) I discussed how critical it is for school and district leaders ‘to recognize, understand and manage their own emotions as well as the emotions of others.’ EI is a core requirement to being able to positively impact the collective performance of a school district. If leaders are attuned to themselves and others, their organization will run more smoothly and effectively, as well as be better positioned to have sustainable improvement.

Today I am exploring Transformational Leadership — something that builds on the concept of EI and which I also believe needs to frame a leader’s approach.

Transformational Leadership: A style of leadership that focuses on inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their full potential and beyond. Think of it as the leadership equivalent of a motivational pep talk, but with a lot more substance. It’s about creating a shared vision that enables buy-in.

What makes a leader truly transformational?

It’s not just about having a big title or a corner office. Transformational leadership is the secret sauce that turns a good team into a great one. It’s about inspiring and motivating one’s team to reach new heights. It is an absolute ‘must have’ if you’re wanting to make significant institutional changes. Change is never-ending, and if you want that change to lead to be better results, having your team motivated, engaged and on-board with the collective vision is a critical first step.

The Vision Thing

At its most fundamental understanding, a transformational leader has a clear vision for where they want to go. They see the big picture and know how to communicate it in a way that gets everyone excited. They do this by focusing on their team and how they contribute to the organization’s success. A transformational leader does not need to be centre-stage, but they do need to be conducting the orchestra from somewhere on stage, ensuring that every performer has relevance and can be heard. This means being inclusive, collaborative and most critically being emotionally intelligent. It also means knowing when to be out front, and when to be leading from the side or from the back.

Transformational Leaders know when they need to be Conducting the Orchestra

Inspiring the Team

Transformational leaders are engaging and inspiring. They know how to get people excited about their work and keep them motivated. Celebrating people’s mistakes as much as their successes ensures that people feel safe taking professional risks to try something new — where the spirit of trying something that could be a significant change agent is encouraged — and where laughter and joy permeate the workspace.

The leader isn’t necessarily the loudest one in the room — they don’t need to be front-and-centre to make a difference. Think of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Malala Yousafzai — three remarkable people who inspired the world with their vision and inclusivity of others, yet often letting their actions speak more loudly than their words. They didn’t need to grab a microphone, but when they did, people paid attention and came together with their message.

Where to Start

If you are leading a group of 5, 500 or 5000 people the same principles of being transformational apply. Start by developing a clear vision of where you want to go and use a variety of means to effectively communicate it. Involve others in the corporate storytelling by building a strong, collaborative team who believes in same vision — one where your team is enthusiastic about wanting to talk about its relevance — one that they’re proud to say belongs to them as much as it does the organization.

Transformational leadership is more than just a buzzword; it’s a powerful approach to leading and inspiring your team. By focusing on vision, team collaboration, and positive work culture, a leader can transform their organization and achieve great things.

Change Keeps Happening

We never really reach the finish line in public education. New context emerges and we adjust — we’re always tinkering with our structures, processes and approaches — always looking for that little advance that makes us better tomorrow. It’s what I love about our work.

When we can do this work with others on an enthusiastic team all pulling in the same direction, there truly is no better feeling. We’re in this together! This is where the Transformational Leader needs to live — in a space of some discomfort where we may not exactly know what lies ahead, but we eagerly await the next day knowing that we have an engaged and focused team willing to be in the challenge together.