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COLLECTIVE EFFICACY
I N A P L C AT W O R K ®
Questions vs. Answers Widely considered one of the top leadership authorities in the world, John C. Maxwell (2014), in his book Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, emphasizes: Life is a journey, one in which we seek to find our way and make a difference. In fact, the word question is derived from the Latin root word quaerere meaning “ask” or “seek.” It has the same root word as “quest.” Sometimes the questions come from others and sometimes the questions are ones we ask. Either way, the answers mark us. (p. 15)
Leaders unfamiliar with asking important questions and receiving deep answers now had to rethink the art of casting questions in relation to purpose. In addition, the district leaders needed to consider Maxwell’s “quest” metaphor in relation to the district’s new path. With this newly reframed mindset, organizational leadership sought to anchor teams with a set of questions that provided a pathway—an exemplar of what to ask. For this exemplar, Sanger turned to the PLC process (DuFour et al., 2016). According to DuFour et al. (2016), within the four pillars of a PLC (mission, vision, values, and goals) are specific questions for teams to use to spark discussion around organizational identity and purpose. These questions include: • Why do we exist? • What must our school become to accomplish our purpose? • How must we behave to achieve our vision? • How will we mark our progress? (DuFour et al., 2016, p. 39)
These four pillars helped shape and align our organizational messaging with a powerful purpose and served as meaningful guideposts for leaders, setting the path for district transformation.
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However, the nuance that district and site leaders faced, especially with Jefferson Elementary, was there was no cognitive dissonance. There was no discomfort with “feeling good, doing badly” because they rejected the “doing badly” label altogether. No one was walking around with their head down and tail tucked. Leaders found that staffers’ feelings and actions were actually aligned because, in their minds, they were truly maximizing their potential given the historical and cultural circumstances of the community and staff capacity at the time. Using this research, leaders must learn to consider the gentle introduction of the discrepancy between the current reality and new vision, and then thoughtfully articulate a greater purpose with a relentless enthusiasm for change that creates a degree of discomfort—enough to create change—with the current reality.
