In this Gallup keynote address presented by Brandon Busteed, learn how students chase academic success, a good job, and a great life by doing what they do best and by being hopeful throughout the process.
2. NAVIANCE SUMMER INSTITUTE 2014 | PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
THE WHY OF STRENGTHS
AND THE HOW OF HOPE
Brandon Busteed
Executive Director
Gallup Education
@brandonbusteed
Gallup research: Representative sample of Americans every night for past 50+ years; 98% of world’s population annually; 25 million workplace engagement surveys; largest worldwide study of leaders and managers; largest poll of US students
Focus on behavioral economics – and strengths/positive psychology - has led to breakthroughs proving that “soft” measures may be more powerful than the “hard” measures we have tracked traditionally; this came onto the world scene around the time of ‘Arab Spring’ when Gallup’s measures of wellbeing were much stronger predictors of unrest in countries such as Tunesia and Egypt than classic measures such as GDP; and it’s becoming real to companies who have shown our measures of employee and customer engagement drive revenue growth and stock performance.
Standardized testing has gotten out of control; not as strong a predictor as something like “hope”
Rampant grade inflation while significantly fewer hours spent studying
Negative correlation between standardized test scores and entrepreneurship
Gainful employment counts as success the law school grad getting a job as a barista at Starbucks
Trying to hit all these targets through deficit-based model of trying to fix weaknesses; this just doesn’t work
This cliff continues into the workplace where only 29% of US works are engaged
If we were doing this right, this line would be going in the absolute opposite direction
It’s no surprise, then, that Americans have been losing their confidence in our education system
Beyond asking the right questions, the items also form a very logical, hierarchical structure to management.
Managers who focus on these 12 elements of engagement will create the environment where engagement can thrive and where individual and team performance can be maximized.
Basic Needs – Do I have what I need? Do I know what to do every day?
Individual Contribution – Am I using my strengths? Is my contribution validated through recognition and the people around me caring about me and encouraging me?
Teamwork – Do I belong? Am I a part of a bigger group that is motivated and connected to broader goals? Are we all working together to create high quality work? Am I developing trusting relationships?
Growth – Am I getting feedback about my progress over time? Am I getting the chance to learn and grow in areas of interest related to my job or future jobs?
Gallup’s research for the past 70 years has focused on human behavior and performance – what we call the “economics of human development”
The most important insight we have ever uncovered – by far – is this: no one becomes great by focusing on their weaknesses; weaknesses never develop; only strengths develop and they do so almost infinitely. If you want to be successful in life, you have to focus on your strengths.
We know that strengths drives hope and engagement, which in turn drives wellbeing and traditional measures of student success like grades and graduation
Hope, engagement and wellbeing account for 1/3 of variance of student success
In 2013, 33% of the students in grades 5 through 12 who took the Gallup Student Poll (GSP) were classified as “success-ready.” These students scored highly on all three dimensions that the assessment measures: hope, engagement, and well-being.
Gallup’s 2012 Daily tracking research found that K-12 teachers are the least likely among 12 occupational groups studied to agree that, “At work, my opinions seem to count.” Further, 46% of K-12 teachers report high daily stress.
Less than one-third of K-12 teachers (31%) are engaged in their jobs. Teachers’ average engagement level drops significantly in their first few years on the job, a likely factor in low retention rates among new teachers.
High Principal talent scorers had teachers who were 2.6 times more likely to have above-average teacher engagement scores.
The engagement items most clearly related to principal talent are:
In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
At work, my opinions seem to count.
Gallup research: Representative sample of Americans every night for past 50+ years; 98% of world’s population annually; 25 million workplace engagement surveys; largest worldwide study of leaders and managers; largest poll of US students
Focus on behavioral economics – and strengths/positive psychology - has led to breakthroughs proving that “soft” measures may be more powerful than the “hard” measures we have tracked traditionally; this came onto the world scene around the time of ‘Arab Spring’ when Gallup’s measures of well-being were much stronger predictors of unrest in countries such as Tunesia and Egypt than classic measures such as GDP; and it’s becoming real to companies who have shown our measures of employee and customer engagement drive revenue growth and stock performance.
No difference in workplace engagement between graduates of public vs. private non-profits
Grads of for-profits less engaged
No difference in workplace engagement between highly selective institutions and rest
No difference in workplace engagement between top 100 ranked schools in US News & World Report and rest
Graduates of smaller schools slightly less likely to be engaged than graduates of larger schools with enrollment over 10,000
Graduates who were “supported” during college are nearly 3x as likely to be thriving in their well-being
More graduates who had “experiential and deep learning” experiences during college are thriving (13% vs. 10%)
We are talking a big game when it comes to technology and “personalized education” – but mostly we’re talking about quizzing students, figuring out what they don’t know, and then drilling them on their weaknesses; basic proficiency is needed to a certain extent, of course, but we won’t make big strides with personalized education until we deliver it at the most fundamental level of figuring out a students unique talent signature and putting that to work on a daily basis
Although it is far more complex than this, if you just want to keep it real simple in terms of how we get our schools back on the path to winning again, it is this
Student engagement is the gold standard we are all shooting for and the number one driver of student engagement is teacher engagement
It turns out the number one driver of teacher engagement is principal engagement; you either have a great principal or you don’t and that is the whole game
A principal’s job should be to drive workplace engagement which in turn drives student engagement
Teachers, as a profession, have the highest wellbeing of any profession in the US; however they have relatively low workplace engagement. Imagine if that changed!
If we just back to the very roots of the meaning and purpose of education, we’ll figure this out