Powe??rful Guiding Coalitions: How to Build and Sustain the Leadership Team in Your PLC

by Bill Hall

Overview

Building a professional learning community (PLC) is not a journey taken alone. That's where the guiding coalition comes in. With clear, practical guidance, this resource examines every aspect of how to create, develop, and sustain this essential leadership team. Each chapter includes next steps, FAQs, and reflections carefully designed to help you overcome common roadblocks as you move from current practice to best practice.

• Define a guiding coalition and understand its importance.
• Learn basic PLC concepts and principles to inform guiding coalition processes.
• Understand the three basic school structures to ensure a proper PLC foundation.
• Form and maintain strong relationships that strengthen leadership.
• Implement levers to improve school culture and create effective, efficient leadership.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951075170
Publisher:	Solution Tree Press
Publication date:	09/24/2021
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,008,842
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

About the Author xi

Introduction 1

The Cardboard Box Theory 1

PLCs and Leadership Capacity 2

Leadership at All Levels 3

The Guiding Coalition 4

A Powerful Guiding Coalition 4

The School Leader 5

About This Book 6

Chapters 6

Next Steps, FAQs, Reflections, and Voices From the Field 7

From Current Practice to Best Practice 8

1 Creating a Powerful Guiding Coalition 9

Traditional Leadership Teams 11

The PLC Leadership Team 12

Organization of Teams for PLC Implementation 14

Guiding Coalition Membership 16

Four Essential Types of Power 16

Two Types of Members to Avoid 17

Five Types of Adopters 19

Opinion Leaders and Influencers 22

Avoiding Elephant Traps 23

Application for Guiding Coalition Membership 24

Conclusion 25

2 Leading the PLC Basics 37

Creating a Collaborative Culture 37

A Common Goal 38

Interdependence 38

Mutual Accountability 39

Leading the Three Big ideas of a PLC 41

Leading the Focus on Learning 41

Leading the Collaborative Culture and Collective Responsibility 42

Leading the Focus on Results 43

Leading Fidelity With PLC Principles and Concepts 43

Leading the Four Critical Questions of a PLC 44

Conclusion 49

3 Building a Solid PLC Foundation 57

The Three School Structures 58

Traditional Schools 58

Pseudo PLCs 59

True PLCs 61

PLC Creation 61

Plan and Prepare the PLC Construction Site 62

Set the Cultural Footings 63

Build Shared Knowledge of PLC Characteristics and Their Links to the Research of Effective Schooling Practices 66

Build Shared Knowledge of the Current Reality in Your District or School 66

Develop a Guiding Coalition 66

Establish a Common Vocabulary 66

Celebrate Your Progress on the PLC Journey 70

The PLC Structure 72

The Four Pillars 72

Mission 72

Vision 75

Values (Collective Commitments) 77

Goals 80

Conclusion 81

4 Building Powerful Relationships 87

Lead More, Manage Less 87

Model Strong Relationships 89

Build Trust 93

The Be. Do, Have Model for Building Trust 94

Actions to Strengthen Trust 95

Actions to Repair Broken Trust 96

Empower Others 98

Assuming Meeting Responsibilities 99

Creating Values (Collective Commitments) 99

Leading Grade-Level or Department Teams 100

Building in Safety Measures 100

Seek Information and Awareness and Acknowledge Needs 101

Conclusion 103

5 Promoting Collaborative Leadership 107

Collaborative Versus Lone Leadership 108

Transition Strategies 110

Clarify Your Primary Purpose for the Change 110

Keep Communication Lines Open 110

Build Partnership Skills 110

Don't Waste Time 110

Don't Be Afraid to Show Vulnerability 111

Use the PLC Block-and-Tackle System 111

Review, Redo, and Renew (Re5) 113

Mindset 113

Leadership for All Faculty Personalities 115

The Oranges (Promoters) 116

The Blues (Supporters) 116

The Golds (Controllers) 116

The Greens (Analyzers) 116

Movement at the Right Pace 117

Conclusion 119

6 Leveraging Your Leadership 125

Lead the Learning 126

At the Personal Level 126

At the Guiding Coalition Level 126

At the Collaborative Team Level 127

Develop Courageous Followers 128

Harness the Potential and Power of Teacher Leadership 129

Create a Legacy of Leadership 131

Conclusion 136

Epilogue 141

References and Resources 145

Index 153