Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Teacher Professional Development Plan

Teacher Professional Development Plan

Most organizations make a good habit of evaluating staff performance on an annual or semi-annual basis.  These evaluations should be written and should include observation and/or assessments of work performance.  Employees should also be given the opportunity to do a self-evaluation of their work performance.  Evaluations should be discussed privately with staff, dated, signed and placed in the employees’ confidential file.

It is also a good idea to prepare a professional development plan for the employee during the evaluation meeting.  The professional development plan should include at least three topics that are identified as areas needing improvement and areas of opportunity for growth.  The plan should indicate the staff member’s responsibility and the supervisors’ responsibility for insuring growth.  Additionally, there should be a time line and steps taken to achieve the agreed upon goals.  Make sure that goals are attainable and measureable.


Tina Oliver, M.Ed.
Networx  Early Childhood Training and Consulting Co.

Monday, October 27, 2014

What are Model Work Standards?

What are Model Work Standards?

If your goal is to have a high quality adult working environment, you want to use Model Work Standards in the administration of your business.  Whether you are in the child care business or some other industry, the ultimate success of your business is dependent upon the satisfaction of a group of your key stakeholders, your employees.

So how can we make sure that our employees are satisfied and that we are in fact running a high quality adult working environment?  Get staff involved by asking them to identify the needs for improvement and then make them part of the strategic planning process.

When I work with child care programs who are interested in improving the quality of their work environment, I put together a STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING AROUND MODEL WORK STANDARDS.  Prior to this meeting, I will have staff complete a detailed survey. I then compile a list of possible goals from the results of the survey.  During our first meeting, staff will establish a voting system for selection of goals and prioritizing goals. We then create a one year action plan listing the goals, step for meeting the goals, and timeline.  This plan is then reviewed quarterly for progress.

In child care, a quality work environment means quality care for the children served, lower teacher turnover and higher quality teachers.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.
Networx Early Childhood Training and Consulting Co.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Exit Interviews: A Key to Quality Improvement



Exit Interviews: A Key to Quality Improvement



As owners and leaders of organizations, we often overlook a potential key element to improve our company’s bottom line; exit interviews.  When properly conducted, the exit interview could be a valuable source of information and could catapult your organization to the next level.  As we discussed in the article, Human Resource Development Best Practices, our employees are our greatest asset and one of our greatest stakeholders.  So, it would stand to reason that we want to know how they really feel about the organization and how it is run.    Unfortunately or fortunately, you may get your best critical analysis from an exiting employee.  They have nothing to lose by giving you their true and honest opinions about the company.

There are a couple of ways to go about conducting these interviews.  The exit interview could be done in person (which is the best option) or remotely (online anonymous survey).  I personally think it is a good idea to have the interview conducted in person by someone in the organization who did not work as a direct supervisor of the employee. Having the interview conducted by the direct supervisor could potentially make the interview uncomfortable.  Feelings could get in the way of getting and receiving the best feedback.  The exiting employee may fear retaliation or hard feelings from the supervisor which could affect getting a good recommendation.  Anonymous interviews are also a great option for getting honest feedback. There are services like SurveyMonkey that could be used as a good start.

Here are a few examples of questions that could be used during the exit interview:

What was your overall satisfaction level in your job? 1-5
If you rated 1-3, did you share your dissatisfaction with you supervisor.
What is the reason for leaving the company?
Was there a single event that caused your decision to leave?
What did you like most about your job?

It is not enough just to ask the good questions, you have to be willing to take the information and use it to improve your organization.  It may be difficult to hear some of the negative responses, but those comments may very well be the ones that, if properly addressed, could cause an improvement in employee satisfaction and in turn increase your bottom line revenue.

Contact Networx for training and development for the Early Childhood Professional.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.
Training and Development Specialist,
Early Childhood Training, Resource and Consulting Company
 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Human Resource Development Best Practices: Part 2

Human Resource Development Best Practices: Part 2


Having a employee grievance policy is a must in any organization.  It is essential that each employee be given an opportunity to communicate their problems or concerns in a formalized way. By doing so, a level of trust is developed with staff which improves the overall working conditions.  What you don't want is disgruntle employees going around complaining to any and every employee that will listen. Disgruntle or dissatisfied employees are to be handled very delicately and very quickly. Negative feelings of dissatisfaction can spread through the organization like a bad cancer.

Job evaluations and performance appraisals are important, not only to determine the worth of the employee but also to determine the proper compensation for that position within the organization.  These documents can also serve as great tools for determining the correct placement of employees and help with developing a professional development plan.

Understanding the Best practices of HRD in your Early Childhood program, shows your dedication to the profession. It is all about respecting staff, supporting each one in their growth and development and being committed to making sure that everyone is treated fairly in compensation and growth potential.

For more informational resources for the Early Childhood Professional, contact Networx LLC.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.
Training and Development Specialist
Networx LLC
Early Childhood Training, Resource and Consulting Company

Part 2 of 2, read part 1

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Human Resource Development Best Practices: Part 1

Human Resource Development (HRD) Best Practices


In a early childhood program or day care center business, Human Resource Development is a very relevant topic to consider.

Employees (human capital or resources) are the programs greatest asset and one of the most significant stakeholders.  In order to improve the businesses effectiveness, Human Resource Development Best Practices must be strategically implemented. Providing opportunities for staff to learn and develop is at the heart of HRD.

There are many different disciplines that could be said to influence HRD such as; social science, psychology, sociology, arts, humanities and biology, but adult education seems to be the core discipline of HRD.

The Human Resource Development process starts with careful care and consideration for recruitment, interviewing and hiring.  Once an employee is hired, a well thought out and organized orientation should be in place.  Orientation is an important training opportunity that occurs when an the employee is hired and it sets the tone for the future performance goals of the employee.

During the orientation at my organization, the policies and procedures of the organization and job descriptions are reviewed in detail.  Once the employment begins, staff continue to undergo training and development.

Effective training can raise performance, improve morale and increase the organizations potential. Every effort should be made to ensure that training is affordable, if not free, convenient and most importantly relevant. More ...

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.

Training and Development Specialist
Networx LLC,
Early Childhood Training, Resource and Consulting

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Understanding your Developing Leadership Identity



Understanding your Developing Leadership Identity


Analysis and Critique of Literature 


A review of the article entitled “Developing a Leadership Identity: A Grounded Theory”, written by Komives, Mainella, Owen, Osteen, and Longerbeam (2005).  In their research, Komives, et al (2005) began by making distinctions between the old and new definition of leadership.  They referenced the old definition which is described as an industrial era definition which looks at traits and behaviors.    It is then stated that there is a new definition that is knowledge based and post industrial.  This definition of leadership deals more with collaboration, ethical actions, moral purpose and transformational processes.  The relational leadership model is the grounded theory used in this study.  The relational process is defined as “people coming together with the attempt to accomplish change or make a difference to benefit the common good” (Komives, et al, p. 594).  It is believed that in order to produce an effective leadership development program, one must first understand the process of becoming a leader or how one creates a leadership identity.

Summary of the Research
This article outlines a case study in leadership identity.  “A case study investigates a leadership phenomenon within its real –life context especially when the boundaries between the phenomenon and the context are not clearly defined” ( Klenke, 2008, p. 59).
The study in this article was conducted using 13 college students.  The students who were invited to participate in the study were extremely diverse.  There were different races, ages, sexual orientations, religious affiliations and different college majors involved. Next the students were required to engage in three series of one to two hour interviews using a structured interview protocol.  During the interview process, students were asked to reflect on their early life experiences as a leader and how they felt that they have changed.   The interview team then sought feedback on the interpretations of the data and conducted constant comparative analysis of the data so that they could better understand the meaning.  In order to analyze the data, a coding process was used to categorize and organize the concepts.  Through this process of data collection, there were found to be four developmental influencers’ that fostered the development of leadership identity. 
The first was adult influences.  Parents, family members, teachers, community leaders and other adults help to mold and influence the lives of young people.  One participant indicated that her family helped her to build character.  Another indicated that teachers and schools created safe places where communication was fostered.  Another indicated that it was important to have several combinations of influencing adults and that drawing different qualities from different people was important.  It was also recognized that adults are the first ones to recognize leadership potential and abilities and to help set high expectations for those individuals.  Role modeling is also very important as leadership identity is formulating.  With all of these external affirmations in place, eventually this ability becomes intrinsic; however adults continue to be important at different stages of the development process.
The second influencer is peer influences.  Peers and friends can serve as motivators on the path to early leadership identity.  They can be a valuable source of influence and support.  Older peers were cited as being an especially great source of affirmation.  In the abstract, Tapping Youth as Agents for Change: Evaluation of a Peer Leadership HIV/AIDS Intervention, a Quasi-experiment was conducted on 235 adolescents.  The results of the experiment showed that those who participated as peer leaders gained knowledge and skills that allowed them the ability to develop a view of themselves as individuals who could make a change in their community (Pearlman, et al, 2002).
The next influencer is meaningful involvement.  Being involved in different groups and organizations help to clarify ones values, interests and new skill levels.    The opportunity to relate and interact with diverse groups of peers also served to be helpful.  It was also indicated that being part of a team, such as sports teams, teaches one to understand the importance of team work and that what one person can affects others.  It also helps youth to understand that it’s not just about them.  Being involved in groups provided rich opportunities for the participants to learn the importance of developing relationships with their peers and adults outside of their family.
Finally, reflective learning was indicated as being an influence of leadership identity formation.   Being able to reflect through writing and conversations was indicated as being key in helping to grow as a leader.  An example of earlier experiences could be at home with family around the family table.  Some prefer to use journaling as a way of writing their thoughts on paper and sharing those thoughts with others as a way of reflecting.  A couple of  participants remembered having this reflective learning experience while taking part in training or courses. Through this training and or coursework, they were able to be exposed to various languages and theories pertaining to leadership that was found to be helpful. One participant even felt that taking part in this study helped to support their reflective learning experience.
This study also found that there are five properties of personal or self growth development that change throughout the leadership development process.  The first is the deepening of self-awareness.  Self -awareness is not a destination point, but rather an emerging process where one continually comes to understand his or her unique talents, strengths, sense of purpose, core values, beliefs and desires. It can include having a basic and fundamental awareness of one’s knowledge, experience, and capabilities” (Douglas, 2011).  Participants recalled that family and peers helped them to identify areas of themselves that needed growth and also those areas where they saw strengths.  After growing and maturing they were then able to identify those areas on their own.  Students of color identified race as being a factor in how they were able to see themselves in the developing process.  Gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation also played a role in how some approached the leadership process.  Some tried not to think about it too much, some thought it was an advantage and some felt that it could be a barrier based on other people’s perception.  Several of the white participants were able to identify that they indeed held a position of privilege when it came to how they were perceived as emerging leaders.  Personal values and integrity were other aspects of deepening self-awareness that were discussed by the participants in this study.  “Becoming aware of who we are, both our strengths and weaknesses, as individuals is key to personal development.  To effectively lead others, one must first be able to lead themselves” (Neck & Manz, 2007).
There was a research study focused on the dimension of developing self with reference to leadership identity.  Personal Growth Project (PGP) was used to help students develop their sense of self through experiential learning activities.  This method gives learners an opportunity to reflect on and observe experiences.  Students are provided with developmentally appropriate experiences and activities to help and guided them through the complexities of their leadership identity (Odom, 2012).
Building Self-confidence was the second of the five properties of personal growth.  Having the approval and support of family, friends, and teachers was also viewed as part of helping one to develop their leadership identity.  Hearing encouraging words and receiving that gentle push from those who really cared, helped to make them feel that they mattered and boosted the self-confidence that was needed.  Once self-confidence was built, they were able to take risks and try new things. Having self-confidence enables an emerging leader to take a stand regardless of the opposition.
Establishing Interpersonal Efficacy is another contributor to the process.  Being able to communicate and interact with different types of people was listed as being very important to developing a leadership identity.  By doing so one begins to create an understanding and appreciation for other groups of people.  Being able to relate to people has a huge effect on the level of influence with people.  Most of the participants viewed themselves as being “people persons” that love and appreciate relationships with others.
What was also important in this process is the ability to Apply New Skills.  The participants agreed that as they grew in the leadership identity, they saw the need to develop and hone the skills that were necessary to accomplish their jobs.  Skills that were noted were; learning to trust others, diversity skills, team-building skills and learning to listen. 
Finally, Expanding Motivations is also important to the process.  Participants had a need for something meaningful that motivates them beyond themselves.
Group influences was also important in building leadership identity and includes three categories.  The first of which is Engaging in Groups.  Group engagement is important because it allows individuals to feel that they are part of something and that they have a place to belong.  Participants referenced being part of camps and church groups as making them feel that they were in a safe place where they could identify with others that experienced the same issues and struggles and where they could come to learn how to practice in shared leadership.  Being part of groups also helps to build trusting relationships.  The participants also made it clear that there comes a time when you can grow out of a group because your values and/or objectives may change and are no longer aligned with the make-up of the group.  In a study of the influence of fraternity and sorority membership, Cory (2011) found that Active participation in campus organizations was an integral component of the undergraduate student experience.  When students were meaningfully involved in serving in these groups, they were able to build healthy relationships with peers, and it also fostered their development of leadership.
At some point it becomes important to narrow down efforts and commitment to only one or a few membership organization.  In the category of Membership Continuity, Students felt that it was important to have a “core group” to work within.  With this group, over time, you learn to work with those who you initially found hard to get along with.  Because you continued to work with and identify with this group, you are able to build morale and create bonds with those individuals.  With this continuity one could also find that working together with a group is more effective.  One participant initially felt that she had preferred to complete tasks on her own but then learned an important lesson about the power of teamwork.  She found that she was more productive when she worked on projects with others.
The last category involved Changing Perceptions of Groups.  Initially the participants did not realize that groups had purpose and were not just a conglomerate of friends and people they knew.  They began to realize that groups have structure and purpose, a place where they were able to develop their leadership identity.  They were able to understand and gain new views of organizational structure and dynamics.
After describing the process that the participants went through to develop their identities though self and group influences, the article goes on to describe the six stages or periods of advancement that one goes through in the process of leadership identity.
The first stage was Awareness of who leaders were.  As youngsters growing up, many thought of leadership as being external to themselves.  They thought about their parents, the president and other public figures as being leaders but did not understand their personal identity as a leader.
The Exploration/Engagement stage is the stage where one realizes that perhaps they could be like one of these leaders. There is an immersion in group experiences for the sake of making friends but in the process becomes a time of learning to engage with others.
The third stage, Leader Identified, was when the participants viewed leadership as being positional.  If you had a position that made you a leader and as a leader one was singlehandedly responsible for the results and outcome of the objectives.  This person was also perceived as the person who does most of the work and who is in charge.  John C Maxwell, (2011) describes this perception in his book “The 360 Leader” as the position myth.  Just because you have a position doesn’t mean you are a leader and you don’t have to have a title/position to be a leader.  Leadership is about influence.
During the fourth stage, Leadership Differentiated, participants were able to understand that leadership was a process that involved a group of people.  They understood that the group successes depended on all members working together to share responsibilities with the leader.  Leadership is a process where you could be both followers and leaders at the same time. They began to understand that leaders are those who facilitate and motivate the members to support and reach the group goals and objectives.  
During the state of Generativity, students were interested in reaching back, after being mentored themselves, they are willing to offer the same benefit to others who were developing in their leadership identity.  They began to see the larger picture and became committed to promoting and helping the success of future groups and people.  This state reminds me of someone growing to be a transformational leadership which was addressed in our textbook, Leadership Theory and Practice.  This type of leader was defined as being “attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential” (Northouse, 2013, p. 186)
Most, but not all of the participants in the study showed that they had also entered the last stage of Integration/synthesis.  Being confident that they could adapt and work with diverse people in different context as leader or not.   They wanted to continue to actively engage in the daily process of leadership.
Researchers’ Conclusions
What we had labeled as leadership in the past was actually good management.  The definition of leadership has changed from an industrial era perception to more of a knowledge based ideal that considers advancements in technology, globalization, collaboration and transformation.
Leadership is a stage process.  As the students navigated through all of the stages, they experienced a changing view of themselves and a broadening view of leadership.  How we grow and learn as leaders has much to do with not only personal awareness but individual and group interactions and influences.  Leadership identity is a unique process that is developed over time and is discovered through a process of observation and reflection.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.
Networx LLC
Early Childhood Training, Resource and Consulting

References
Cory, A.J., (2011) The Influence Of Fraternity Or Sorority Membership On The Leadership
Identity Development Of College Student Leaders. Retrieved from
Klenke, K.  (2008) Qualitative Research In The Study Of Leadership.Bingley, West Yourkshire:
Komives, S.R., Mainella,F.C.,  Owen, J.E., Osteen,L,  Longerbeam, S.D. (2005).  Developing a     Leadership Identity: A Grounded Theory  (vol 46 no 6)  Journal of college student development. Retrieved from http://nclp.umd.edu/include/pdfs/LIDjcsd1105.pdf
Leadership Identity - Being You More Effectively. Retrieved from http://leadershipidentity.com 
Maxwell, J.C. (2005) The 360 leader: Developing Your Influence From Anywhere In The   Organization. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Muir, D.K. (2011)  Leader Identity Development Through Mentoring: A Case Study.  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Retrieved from http://udini.proquest.com/view/leader-identity-development-through-pqid:2386308431/
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage      Publication.
Odom, S.F.,  Boyd, B.L., Williams, J. (2012)  Impact of Personal Growth Projects on Leadership Identity Development  Journal of Leadership Education Volume 11, Issue 1. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipeducators.org/Resources/Documents/jole/2012_Winter/Odom%20Boyd%20and%20Williams.pdf

Pearlman, D., Camberg L, Wallace LJ, Symons P, Finison L. (2002) Tapping youth as agents for change: evaluation of a peer leadership HIV/AIDS intervention. Medical Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12090963