Start With the , But Don’t Forget the

Begin With the

In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on the importance of beginning improvement initiatives by focusing on the “why.” While much has been written about the importance of starting with the why, perhaps the most impactful work has been Simon Sinek’s (2009) book Start With the Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Sinek observes that most leaders rarely focus on the why; rather, they focus on the “what” (actions that should be undertaken), followed by attention to the “how” (how to proceed). He writes, “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate the why they do what they do. When I say why, I don’t mean to make money— that’s a result. By why I mean what is your purpose, cause, or belief? Why does your company exist? Why do you get out of bed every morning? And why should anyone care?” (p. 39).

Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn (2016) echo the importance of articulating the why, pointing out that “leaders need the ability to develop a shared moral purpose and meaning as well as a pathway for attaining that purpose. . . . Great leaders connect others to the reasons they became educators—their moral purpose” (p. 17). Anthony Muhammad and Luis F. Cruz (2019), as well as Richard DuFour et al. (2021), make the case that, to be e ective, leaders must e ectively communicate the why of the work since people tend to resist change to practice and lack motivation when leaders have not skillfully communicated the rationale for the work they are being asked to do.

Professional Learning Communities at Work and the

e Professional Learning Communities at Work process rests on the assumption that the why of schools—their core purpose—is to ensure high levels of learning for all students, and leaders seeking to capture the power of the Professional Learning Communities at Work model begin by engaging others in a process designed to clarify and communicate this central learning mission. Engaging others in clarifying and emphasizing the why provides many bene ts.

PROVIDES FOCUS FOR DECISION-MAKING

ere is no shortage of information school leaders must absorb. Much of the information requires decisions to be made—often quickly. Douglas Reeves and Robert Eaker (2019) note that so much information often results in fragmentation, and a school culture that is characterized by fragmentation and a lack of focus is associated with signi cantly lower levels of student learning— particularly among students from low-income families, students learning English, and special education students.

On the other hand, Reeves’s (2011) research suggests that focus resulting in a few high-priority, high-leverage initiatives is strongly related to gains in student learning. A sharp and consistent connection to the why is essential for developing a focused school culture and serves as a lter for decisionmaking and setting priorities.

Provides The Moral Authority To Act

Clearly articulating and connecting to the why provides leaders with the moral authority to make decisions—to act. Absent this connection to the why, leaders are left with only the power of their position to hold others accountable. When asked why certain decisions are being made or various actions are being undertaken, by connecting to the why—the organization’s core purpose—leaders have a much more powerful tool at their disposal than simply “Because I said so!”

Not only does the why provide leaders with the moral authority to make decisions, it also creates conditions in which it becomes immoral not to act. Failure to implement commonsense, doable, high-leverage practices that move schools toward ful lling their moral purpose re ects a cruel indifference at best and malicious malpractice at worst.

Touches The Emotions

Truly e ective leaders motivate and inspire, and they inspire others by constantly and consistently reminding them that they are part of a greater calling—a purpose worthy of their e orts. Sinek (2009) writes, “ ose who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to” (p. 7). In other words, connecting decision-making and actions to the why is an e ective way leaders tap into this higher calling of the profession.

Identify your values.

Dive Deep Into the !

Focusing on the why is much more than rewriting a school’s or district’s mission statement. It is the lens through which every initiative, every decision, every action, every interaction is examined. is implies not only a collaborative analysis of why priorities are being established but also a deep dive into practices that are either (a) resulting in only marginal results or (b) actually hindering student learning. E ective leaders bene t from establishing “why not” or “stop doing” lists to gain maximum results in limited time.

One rarely, if ever, hears educators complain of having too much time. On the other hand, it is not uncommon to hear that educators feel overwhelmed with the day-to-day expectations of being an e ective teacher or administrator given the plethora of seemingly never-ending initiatives, projects, and goals. Reeves and Eaker (2019) note educators “are in an endless game of Whac-A-Mole, attempting to hit every demand that arises, while not making progress on their most important priorities” (p. 1). Alexander Bant (2021) in Not Doing List points out that we all have the same amount of time each day, but highly e ective leaders have a di erent yes-to-no ratio. ey are clear about the things they will not spend time on.

How can schools decide what things they should stop doing?

In many schools, there are policies and practices that hinder or have a negative e ect on student learning. And many of these practices, such as averaging grades or allowing an unequal range between grades, remain relatively unexamined—especially by practitioners.

Examining the why-nots and creating stop-doing lists should be a collaborative process for analyzing initiatives, actions, and behaviors. In 100-Day Leaders, Reeves and Eaker (2019) propose a six-step process that includes identi cation, measurement, delegation, and elimination, which, if implemented with delity, results in focusing on priorities that can have the greatest impact on the why—improved student learning. e steps are (Reeves & Eaker, 2019, pp. 6–9):

Take an initiative inventory.

Make a not-to-do list.

Identify 100-day challenges.

Monitor high-leverage practices.

Specify results.