This document discusses leading organizations through times of change. It covers topics like adaptive leadership, shifts in work culture and transparency. The presentation includes discussions on identifying needed skills for leadership teams, applying adaptive and collaborative practices, developing a pipeline of future leaders, and fostering a culture of innovation. Transparency is highlighted as an important principle for engaging stakeholders and building trust during periods of change.

1. Changing the Tires
While Driving The Car:
Leading in Times of Change
Notes & Resources: http://po.st/njYRqq
#15NTCleadchange
Lisa Colton
Chief Learning Officer,
See3 Communications
@LisaColton
Cindy Johanson
Executive Director,
Edutopia, George Lucas
Educational Foundation
@cinjo
Gina Schmeling
Principal,
Gina Schmeling
Consulting
@nyginaschmeling

2. What kinds of change stunts are you trying to pull off?

3. The Plan
• Adaptive Leadership
• Shifts in Work & Culture: Edutopia Case Study
• Lessons in Transparency
• Take it Deeper: Small Group Discussions
• Debrief Together

4. What’s Changed?
MOBILE!

5. THIS IS AN ATTENTION ECONOMY

6. Adaptive Challenges & Leadership
6
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES ADAPTIVE CHALLENGES
• Clear cut need
• Can be fixed or addressed
• Can apply current experience
or skills (or find it)
• Developmental change for
the organization.
e.g. building a new website,
moving to a new database
• Complex issues, dilemmas
• No set procedures or
policies
• No analogous past
experience
• No expertise
• Issue is transitional or
transformational for the
organization.
e.g. move to a new revenue/
membership model,

7. People: The Who
What people, skills and talents are needed?

8. People: The WhoWhat people, skills and talents are needed?
8
Community Builder. Builds consensus
and mobilizes around common
causes.
Risk Evaluator. Objectively assesses
costs and benefits (re: financial,
human and social capital)
Connector. Influential “social node”
with relationships with various
subgroups and individuals.
Entrepreneur. Agile, startup
generator
Visionary Leader. Big picture thinker
who can envision possibilities.
Implementer. “Do-er” who can move
from concept to implementation.
Facilitator. Meeting or process facilitator.
Designs and/or leads/guides.
Communicator. Skilled at tailoring the
message and using various channels to
get it out, as well as listening inward.
Mediator. Intercessor who can bring
about consensus and/or mobilize forward
motion.
Synthesizer. Analyst who can consolidate
views (“This is what I heard and…”)

9. Process: The How
To what extent does your leadership team apply
adaptive and collaborative leadership practices
(processes and culture) in your decision making
and implementation?
What practices and cultural adjustments are
needed to help you work as an adaptive team?
9

10. Process: The How
What adaptive and collaborative leadership
practices and cultural element do you need?
10
Open. Permeable boundaries to the
leadership team.
Action Oriented. Seizing the moment;
prioritizing “doing”.
Iterative. Willing to revisit and adapt
previous decisions on the basis of data
and experience.
Agile. Being nimble in order to take
advantage of emergent opportunities.
Momentum Seeking. Not stuck in status
quo; constantly on a growth trajectory.
Transparent. Culture of sharing
information.
Positivist. Culture of abundance (rather
than scarcity); reframe challenges as
opportunities.
Trusting & Mutually Respectful. Stance of
openness and listening to the perspectives
of others.
Authentic Modeling of Relationship
Building. Know one another;
personal connections.

11. The Pipeline: Looking Forward
To what extent does your leadership team have
ways to continually identify, cultivate, on-board,
develop and nurture leaders? What does this
mean for your next nomination process?
11

12. The Pipeline: Looking Forward
How do you identify, cultivate, on-board, develop &
nurture leaders to complete the picture?
12
Leadership identification mechanism. How to identify
attributes you need, and who can bring those attributes.
Leadership cultivation practices.
Gradual integration into leadership.
Leadership on-boarding processes.
Orientation, culture setting and mentoring.
Leadership development activities.
Ongoing board development.
Leadership nurturing.
Recognition, support, reflection, celebration.

13. Adaptive
Leadership
Personality
Quiz
Link on the
collaborative
notes!
http://po.st/
njYRqq

15. Lots of people
know education should
be different, but
they don’t know in
what way.
— GEORGE LUCAS

16. Illuminating and Showcasing
What Works in K-12 Education

17. Where We’ve Been
1991 - 2005
Print, VHS
2005-2010
Magazine, Web

18. Where We Are
2010-Present
Web, Social, Mobile
We’re Confronting Major Shifts:
Programming. Platform. Devices.

19. Edutopia Reach and Impact Grows
Key Metrics:
• Over 4 years, grew Edutopia.org sessions by 472%
• In past year, grew Facebook unique impressions by more
than 400%
• Actions up by ~300% (comments, shares, downloads, etc)
• 94% of survey respondents took actions to improve K-12
education inspired by Edutopia

20. Example of Fundamental Shift
2010: 98% desktop 2014: 57% desktop
30% mobile phone
13% tablet

21. Strategy & Execution @ Edutopia
1. Strategic Plan (2-3 years)
2. Operations Plan (1 year)
3. Roadmaps with RACI (quarterly)

22. We Strive to Stay Data-Informed
about Our Audience & Trends
1. Annual Impact and Audience Survey
2. Monthly Dashboards with KPIs
3. Daily Monitoring (Quantitative and
Qualitative)
Central Question:
Are We Increasing Reach & Deepening Our Impact in New Ways?

23. Fostering a Culture of
Innovation and Optimization

24. #15NTCLeadChange
Gina Schmeling, Principal
@nyginaschmeling
ginaschmeling.com
PRACTICING TRANSPARENCY
TO BE THE CHANGE

25. What We’re Talking About
When We Talk About Transparency
IS . . .
• Open with Limits
• Accepting fear,
emotions
• Conversational
• Practice and
Aspiration
IS NOT . . .
• Nakedness
• Full Deciding
• Open Finances

26. Change is ongoing
Change is not easy
Leadership means
teamwork
Unconventional
allies are strong

27. Like authenticity, transparency is not defined by
you as leaders, but by the people you want to
trust you and your organization. How much
information do they need in order to follow you,
trust you with their money or business?
Charlene Li
Open Leadership p 193
What Your People Need

28. Nonprofits that lack
transparent behavior will
have a hard time engaging
Millennials who seek open
relationships with the
organizations they choose
to support with time and
financial resources.
Kari Dunn Saratovsky, Derrick
Feldmann,
Cause for Change, p 11
What Millennials Value

29. Key Themes from Leaders about Transparency
From interviews with the following leaders and organizations :
Reggie Shuford, ACLU PA
Rabbi Josh Feigelson, Ask Big Questions
Laura Walker, NY Public Radio
Rabbi Dan Ain, Eric Lange & Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, 92Y
Cindy Greenberg, Repair the World
(See names, Twitter handles and links in the collaborative notes: http://po.st/njYRqq)
1. Organizational Values
2. Organizational Culture
3. Action Steps

30. “Old Power works like a currency. It is held by a few. It is closed, inaccessible and leadership-driven.
New Power operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. The goal with new power is not to
hoard it but to channel it.”
Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans, Understanding “New Power” HBR December 2014

31. Strive for an Open, Authentic Stance

32. A course will avoid
chaos
Money, Share info
Timing, When and how
Power, Flow and partner
across spheres
Transparency
Has Limits

33. We too often think of capital strictly in financial terms,
but capital or “go-go juice,” is any resource that helps
move an endeavor forward. Capital can be human
connections, intelligence and expertise, resources like
equipment and furniture, and, of course, money.
Capital doesn't just fly around; it leaves good stuff
behind – trust.
-Allison Fine, Matterness, pp 135-6
Trust, Go Go Juice

34. Transparency Takeaways
• Transparency is “go-go juice” for New Power.
• A “horizontal” mindset is powerful. Takes work.
• Be aspirational and practice your openness!
• Anticipate limits. Be nimble for opportunities.
• Leaders are everywhere. Look beyond titles.
• Collaboration = accountability.
Breakout group ideas: Practical lessons, sharing your experience,
work-shopping your current time of change.

35. Deeper Dive
• Adaptive Leadership w/ Lisa
• Leading teams w/ Cindy
• Transparency w/ Gina
• Any other burning topics?

36. Session Evaluation
http://po.st/QsvyFn
(also linked in Sched)
Collaborative notes: http://po.st/njYRqq