The Reason Toolkit resources can help early learning leaders:
- Reflect on personal values that affect leadership
- Align program policies with vision and values
- Encourage curiosity and innovation
The information and resources help leaders answer these key questions:
- Why are we doing this?
- Does this meet our vision?
- Is there a better way?
Activity 1: Leadership Values
As a leader in early learning, your job is to imagine a better future and help others believe in it. A good first step is to think about what matters most to you.
Objectives
- Know what matters most to you as a leader.
- Make sure your actions match your values.
Use the resources below to reflect on values.
Activity 2: Program Practice and the Why
As an early learning leader, it is important to understand the purpose behind your work. When you clearly share these reasons, staff can connect with them. When staff see how their work supports program goals, they’re more motivated to give their best and stay committed to high-quality practices.
Objective
- Make sure your program’s policies, procedures, and practices match its goals and values.
Download the following worksheets to understand the purpose.
Activity 3: Curiosity and Innovation
Encourage staff to ask, “Is there another way to achieve better outcomes for children and families?” Successful early learning leaders encourage new ideas beyond current practices.
Objectives
- Consider whether current practices still support program values and goals or if new methods may yield better results.
- Learn about practical strategies early learning leaders can use to integrate Reason practices into their daily work.
Reason, Curiosity, and Above the Line Leadership
Early learning leaders inspire commitment by asking the “why” for practices and policies. They seek better outcomes for children and families. They are curious and encourage curiosity within their teams to foster innovation, facilitate learning, and build relationships.
Effective early learning leaders consider the importance of reason and ask,
“Is there another way we can achieve a similar or better outcome for children and families?” They encourage staff to think beyond what we currently do to what could we do.
Why is curiosity important?
Research tells us that curiosity comes with many benefits, including:
- Increasing effectiveness and decreasing decision-making errors
- Improving motivation
- Reducing group conflict
- Encouraging open communication
- Predicting leadership ability
- Extending length of life
In a 2018 Harvard Business Review article, Francesca Gino emphasized that “maintaining a sense of wonder” is crucial for innovation. Curious people find solutions. They don’t just gather information; they ask questions and see answers where others see problems.
Why does curiosity matter?
- Curiosity sparks creative thinking.
- It leads to better outcomes for everyone — children, families, and staff.
What gets in the way?
If we know the benefits of encouraging curiosity, what are the barriers?
- Lack of time
- Limited budget
- Buy-in — hard to get time and energy for new ideas
- Reluctance — resistant to changing current methods
Above and Below the Line Leadership
There is a line dividing our responses and interactions as leaders. We can be either above or below the line.
| Above the line leadership promotes team cohesion, communication, collaboration, and productivity. | Leaders above the line:
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| Below the line leadership leads to lack of team unity, repetitive tasks, siloed workgroups, and lower quality service or products. | Leaders below the line:
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Drifting Below the Line
Human nature tends toward negative behaviors. Our brains’ natural response to negative stimuli is faster and stronger than to positive stimuli. This reaction occurs whether the threat is real and triggers the same chemical reaction that causes us to act negatively.
Shifting is key. Things happen “by me” not “to me.”
Above the line leaders are open, curious, and committed to learning. Above the line leadership means:
- Taking ownership
- Understanding that negative triggers promote a defensive state
- Admitting to not always having answers
- Focusing on growing others
We all want to be above the line leaders. This requires us to be present. But sometimes something happens, and we may drift below the line. When we remain present, we can consider below the line and above the line leadership reactions to help us act accordingly.
Consider this example of below and above the line leadership.
Trigger
- Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) Instructional Support domain average score is 2.7.
Reaction
- Above the line: Behavior change takes time.
- "This score is low, but higher than the last time."
- Below the line: Winning is the way to prove your worth.
- "If I can’t raise these scores, I’m going to lose my job."
Remain Present to Notice Drift or Shift
- Shift above the line:
- “I’m concerned about these scores. I see small improvements that we can build on. I need to talk with the team to create a plan. I’ll talk with them as classroom teams, then as a large group. We’ve got this!”
- Drift below the line:
- “All lead teachers must not know CLASS well enough to implement these interactions and skills with the children. As the education manager, I am worried I am going to lose my job. I need the approval of leadership. I feel overwhelmed, and the quick fix is sending staff to training.”
Behavior
- Above the line: Build from a place of curiosity.
- I wonder how we can leverage our individual strengths to build up the full team. I wonder what ideas the team will have."
- Below the line: Blaming others.
- "I’m going to ask to send all the lead teachers to CLASS training again."
Strategies to Stay Above the Line
Physically shift to relax your body and brain.
- Conscious breathing: Four breaths in and out (four seconds each) can change our blood chemistry and help us relax.
- Radically change posture: Notice and change your defensive posture to reduce defensiveness. For example, do you notice your arms are crossed? Uncross your arms. Do you notice your shoulders feel tense? Roll your shoulders back or raise them up and down to relieve tension.
Relaxing your body and brain helps your mind be open to wonder, curiosity, and innovation.
Wonder.
Wonder isn’t about knowing; it’s about exploring and taking risks. Curiosity in leadership means wondering how to improve and asking yourself:
- What can I learn today to help everyone?
- How can we be more efficient in less time?
- What choices today can bring more fun and creativity?
- How is abundance showing up in my life today?
- What can I learn from recurring staff issues to improve my leadership?
Setting the Stage for Curiosity and Innovation with Your Team
Staff might need encouragement to question old practices and suggest new ideas. The Monkeys and the Bananas reflection activity help staff to think about whether current policies and procedures are still the best choice and if they might want to consider different approaches.
Monkeys and the Bananas: Share the story and provide time for education staff to reflect in small groups. Use the discussion questions provided or create your own. This reflection prompts staff to think about how a practice became “they way we’ve always done things.”
