Innovator's Mindset #1

I recently started reading The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros.  (I admit I am only a couple chapters in currently). I have followed him on twitter for a few years now and find his blog posts interesting and thought provoking.  What I have read so far in the book continues to push my thoughts and ideas. Reading his work has also inspired me to get back to writing and sharing my thoughts. Thank you George!

In his book he defines the Innovator’s Mindset as the “Belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas.” This idea takes the work of Carol Dweck on the Growth Mindset and expands on it.  

In chapter 2 he identifies some critical questions for the innovative educator.  His first question is “Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?” This is a great place for teachers to start.  It made me think about…what is the administrative equivalent of this? It could be “Would I want to be an adult learner (teacher or other staff member) in my own school?” or “Would I want to be an adult learner (teacher, other staff member or administrator) in my own district?” I suspect that he will get into these ideas later in the book but I thought I would capture my thoughts on them now.

How can we as leaders model the innovators mindset and ensure that adult learning is as meaningful to each person in our school or district as we want it to be for us when we learn.  A few things come to mind as we think about this.  We need to have a clear idea of where we are going but provide flexibility in what route people can take to get there.  It is also important for us as leaders to be comfortable with the reality that some will get there quicker than others.  When working toward a goal, I have often shared the idea that I don’t expect you to be there tomorrow, but I expect you to be moving in that direction.  We also need to be ready to provide differentiated types of support to staff along the way.  Just like we expect teachers to differentiate instruction based on the needs of their students, we need to differentiate learning opportunities and support based on the needs of individual staff members.  

If we are going to help the adults in our system not only develop their talents but get them to lead to the creation of new and better ideas, this will be a start.  This is only a start…there is definitely more to come. #InnovatorsMindset