Degrees of Ownership... "Do You Want: Interest-in, Buy-in or Belief-in?"

Do You Want: Interest-in, Buy-in or Belief-in?

“Your belief system saturates the space around you.” Aaron Huey

For more than seventeen years, I have been the Principal of two large suburban high schools.  Each year, I am accountable for thousands of students and hundreds of staff members. These schools have both been in the same "cutting edge" school system. We have been known as a progressive, technologically advanced school system. We embraced many areas of instruction, planning, technological uses, and leadership thinking. To this end, it has been my responsibility to manage the change process in both settings for many new initiatives. As the decade rolled on, we embraced standards-based grading, many technology initiatives through hardware and software adoptions, planning strategies, a new master schedule,  a substantial student support initiative, a personalized professional learning structure, and the opening of a brand new high school with a newly formed culture. Additionally, much of this was done in the most recent financial crisis. To this end, I have learned that to be successful in classrooms or schools, organizations need a commitment to ownership. Teachers, students, administrators, and families succeed when ownership of outcomes, efforts, and results are present. Here, I present to you the knowledge I have gained about organizational goals and the commitment needed to effect change at the highest levels. 

“True North”- “True North” is a term I use to define the hypothetical destination in a journey. In terms of organizational leadership, a goal or destination is framed by objectives and measurable actions. However, I have learned that a True North goal could be an attitude, a culture, an aspect of Improvement that cannot always be measured. As often as the presence of tangible, measurable objectives is evidence of a goal, I would ask that the absence of an intangible, unmeasurable, yet positive attribute, can provide leaders evidence of a need for change of direction toward a True North. As an example, I would consider a “True North” for my school as being a 100% graduation rate. Graduation rates are measurable goals, yet many of the attributes that can bolster the culture needed for such a goal are important as well. For example, a culture of student success and student support are vital for learners to be able to access the remediation and support required to attempt learning objectives again and again. The culture required to support this belief allows for remediation, mistakes, growth mindset, working toward a standard, and an air of humor. 

As I have seen initiatives at the school and system level begin, run their course, systematically die a painful death, slowly drift into the abyss, or become a trusted part of the the culture of the organization; I have learned that there are three perspectives of change individuals use to  contribute to the success of endeavors. Likewise, they can also detract to their effectiveness altogether.  The three perspectives of change are: Stewards, Soldiers, and Satellites. 

·        Stewards

Stewards see the “True North” of an organization as vital for the organization and themselves to be successful. Personal success is measured in terms of group success. Stewards are the ultimate team-players. Stewards, in these terms, are willing to work to the benefit of the organization even to the detriment of their own success. For them, the growth and development of the team is of primary importance. In terms of organizational ownership, Stewards can fuel the growth toward group success, but our task is to be sure that we guide their own personal growth and development as well.

·        Soldiers

Soldiers see possibilities of “True North” as negotiable. They are attuned to the success of the organization, but are not defined by it. They see a win-win if both can be successful. Their ultimate goal is for the organization to win as long as they win also. The two are interlinked in their minds. However, positive in their approach, they only see success as both achieving their goals. In terms of organizational ownership, Soldiers may be the most well balanced individuals in terms of group success and happiness. However, they may be the first off the boat when the seas get rocky.

·        Satellites

Satellites see their own personal “True North” and not that of the organization. They are uninterested in the success of the organization. Do not misunderstand me. They are not directly opposed to the organization achieving their goals; rather they are primarily focused on their own attainment. They will move contrary to the organization if it benefits them or if they need to for their own personal success. They are like a satellite of a planet. They spin independently of the planet and are only connected in peripheral manners. They have a relationship with the host, but are their own entity. Their relationship only benefits their goal attainment.

Within each of the individuals there is a range of ownership levels when it comes to certain attributes for organizational/self success. Of course, if there is a negative it can be that organizations are full of each of these. Not all of your team members are Stewards or Soldiers. Also, Stewards or Soldiers can become Satellites through time, hardship, life circumstances, or envy. Although able to move from one category to another, these changes happen slowly over time. It might take years if someone migrates from Soldier to Satellite or Satellite to Steward. 

The more operation and quick moving emotional choice-range can be see through three lenses. They are: Interest-in, Buy-in, and Belief-in.  

What do the levels of ownership look like?

·        Interest in?

Each Sunday, I stop by the local grocery store each week to do our families shopping. Within ten miles of our home, there are eight different stores that sell relatively the same groceries. Of course, some stores have their own brands. But for the most part, they are the same. Even their layout is similar. Walk into the front door and you will see, more likely than not, the produce on one wall, the dairy on another, meat and the delicatessen on yet another. The center is row after row of canned foods, jars, and specialty items. This sameness makes me likely to shop at any one of the eight stores if their prices are somewhat consistent. I find myself not loyal in any way. I have no more than an interest in any of these stores. By that, I mean that I am not devoted to one store over another. If store A is out of a particular item, I simply go to store B. Certainly, there are amenities that I prefer, but by “interest in”, I refer to a deep reason to select one store no matter the prices, amenities, or selection of the others. This lack of devotion doesn’t mean that there isn’t a value that I place on groceries or location of shopping; it means that I am not a devotee to any of the stores. If one goes out of business, I will not shed a tear at their loss.

In a school organization the limited “interest-in” could be expressed as arriving at school right at the beginning of their assigned time, doing the bare minimum in any task, or assigning work to students only at times when they (teachers) can conveniently get it graded. As Principal, I see “interest in” staff as those not terribly devoted to going the extra mile for a student. So when I need someone to stay and work with a student to gain full understanding, the “interest in” staff may need to see what benefits them in this transaction.

·        Buy In?

My family and I live in a home that is nearly 40 years old. With the age of our home, we have quite a need for continuous home improvement and renovation work. I consider myself quite handy, so I am always looking for tools and items to repair the many “honey-do” tasks as necessary. With this constant need, I spend many hours and a lot of my money at a certain home improvement store, we’ll call Orange. Of course, there is a rival big box store across the street, we’ll call Blue. However, I have a “buy-in” for a certain store. Orange has always been easy to navigate when searching for products, helpful when asking questions, and the quality of their products has been reliable. If Orange is not able to meet my needs, I have no objection to seeing if Blue can meet our needs. I am not married to the notion of only one destination to address my needs, yet I am a loyal customer to Orange. Blue has gotten some of my business, but Orange certainly has had the lion’s share in the past decade.

The element of “buy in” has meant that reliability and consistency are major factors when shopping for home improvement needs. I have a bit more interest in one store, Orange, than the other store, Blue. By that I mean that I am more devoted to one store over another. If Orange is out of a particular item or cannot meet my needs at that time, I simply go to Blue to see if they can meet my needs. Blue has appeared to be a bit cleaner and more organized, but my “buy-in” has brought me to a solid reason of consistency and reliability that brings me back. This wavering of devotion doesn’t mean that there is no reason I will stay at Orange forever. The choice to mostly prefer one over another is an ego-centric decision.

In an organization the degree of ownership identified as “buy-in” could be expressed as always performing additional tasks when asked, being on time to duty stations, giving off extra time to a student…when available, or lending a hand to a peer, if asked.

·        Belief In?

Each Fall my family and I eagerly await every Saturday during the college football season. We actually build our weekend around the football schedule and plan family activities with the games in mind. Many in the South say that college football is as rich a tradition as is church and Sunday family dinners. I study the recruiting processes from the previous winter, watch summer practices and follow blogs devoted to our team. The University of Georgia Bulldogs football team has been the subject of many hours of concentrated effort, devotion, money, and attention. I have actually shed tears, hollered over their wins, losses, and survived football tragedies for nearly the past thirty years.

Each season has not been successful in terms of wins and losses. There are times that college players have done things that would be considered bad behavior or unbecoming of role models. In thirty years, I can attest that more anxiety and angst has been shed in the name of the Bulldogs than another team in my house or with my family. I wear their red and black colors no matter their performance or whether I am proud of their actions. They are our team! Recently, it has been more favorable to be considered a fan of the Bulldogs. However, if their wins dry up tomorrow, I would still watch, root, and cheer for them each Saturday.

This level of devotion has not been based on reliability and consistency, rather on the commitment to a community of believers that this is our team. The community of believers has a collegiality among each person that transcends single decisions and results. For example, fans of the Chicago Cubs were rabid fans that supported their team by showing up for games, buying Cubs swag, watching and rooting diligently against hope, and having their hearts broken for decades before the Cubs ever won a World Series. I posit that the successful result, as sweet as it was, is meaningless in the overall pursuit of the “belief-in” devotion that many fans (believers) show. As a Bulldogs fan, I hope to feel the exhilaration of a National Championship before I die, but it will not cause me to waiver in our support of the team if we do not meet that goal. The need to be a part of the collective of the community of believers is stronger than the sole individual.

In a school organization the degree of ownership identified as “belief-in” could be expressed as reliably and consistently serving when needed, spending additional time tutoring a student…even if it means a loss of personal time, lending a hand to a colleague before being asked, or simply picking up a piece of trash on a hallway floor as you pass by. Principals rely on these individuals as they are the jet fuel for initiatives or change processes. They are devoted to improvement and success of the organization and will go the extra mile to see it into fruition.

These three levels of operational ownership can determine a person’s ability to commit to the overall needs of the team or organization. As Principal, I use this information to know my staff well in regards to their perspectives toward the change process and their commitment to the organization. Of course, there are degrees to each and that combination allows me to find the right location in the organization for each staff member to maximize their abilities and their contributions.  

  For instance, when beginning a new student support initiative that would substantially change the school schedule, require tremendous efforts on behalf of all staff, and benefit students greatly, I knew that  certain staff members were best suited to be on the development team and others on implementation. Albeit, some staff were simply along for the ride given their lack of perspective toward such a substantial change and their operational commitment toward the organization rather than themselves. In the end, the decisions regarding perspectives and commitment paid huge dividends in the effectiveness of these change initiatives.