The Principal's Handbook

Clarity is a Leadership Skill
Audio Only - All Participants: , [00:00:00] welcome everyone to the podcast today. I'm excited to have a guest with us. Our guest today is Casey Watts. She is a dynamic national speaker, author, and researcher and clarity driven leadership. , Leaning into her 20 years of experience in education and eight years of experience coaching educators, entrepreneurs and leaders.
She developed the clarity cycle framework. Which helps leaders bridge gaps, foster commitment, and create sustainable alignment. Casey is also the founder and host of the Catching Up with Casey podcast, where she and her guests bring clarity to the seemingly small things in leadership that make a big difference.
So welcome Casey. It's great to have you on the podcast today. Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm super excited to be here, Barb. , Yeah, really interested in where our conversation goes. Sure. So if you wanna just share a little bit, I shared a little bit about your bio, but if you wanna talk about, , how did you get into clarity work?
Where did that come from and how did you get started? Yeah, [00:01:00] I mean, it is an interesting story, but it's really not that interesting when you really dig into it. So it came from obviously my own experiences as an instructional leader. For the longest time, I have found myself working in these, what I call mundum spaces.
So I serve in more than one role. I served kind of as an in-between person and the role that I found that there was the most. Lack of clarity, lack, or the least clarity? If I could say that was when I worked as a district instructional specialist and my job was to support both campus administrators and teachers and department heads and leaders in other like.
Departments of the organization. So I think the technology department, the curriculum department, et cetera. And my role was, was essentially to kind of bridge the gap between those [00:02:00] different departments or those different groups of people. And I remember vividly one day I was sitting in my office. And a group of teachers had come in to work with me on mapping out some curriculum, or maybe we were, I, I don't remember exactly what it was we were doing.
I just remember we were working on something that the administrators on the campus wanted the teachers to work on. And so when they sat in my office, I had already had a meeting with the campus administrators. For this group, and they told me, we've set expectations. We've told them what we want to be implemented.
We still don't have people buying in. There's no follow through. So they feel like administrators are feeling like we're putting out all of these expectations and doing as much as we can to get people on board. But then when I'm visiting with these teachers, one of the questions I asked was, tell me about the work that you believe you're supposed to be doing today.
And they paused [00:03:00] for a little bit. It was almost like an awkward silence. And then one brave teacher said, honestly, we never know what's going on. We really don't know what's expected of us, and we never do, or we don't know what our role is in this. And then I just started hearing that again and again and again, and recognizing it, you know, sometimes you don't recognize things until.
One thing is made apparent to you and then you start seeing it everywhere, and that's what this moment was. It was a catalyst for me seeing this happening. In all different ways across not just that campus, but from one campus to another and from one department to another. And I just started seeing all of these different gaps between the adults.
And it's apparent that those gaps among the adults makes it really challenging to bridge the gaps in student learning. And so that. Kind of where the journey started of developing the clarity cycle framework. And the goal is truly to think about what are our goals for our campus or for our [00:04:00] district or for our department, and then how do we transfer ownership of those goals in a really clear way so that we can sustain.
Progress. , And people can not only buy in, but they actually commit to the bigger purpose. So in, in essence, what we're really trying to do is build capacity of our people, but we're also trying to retain our best people. So yeah, that's, that's kind of the journey and how it all panned out. I love that, and I think it's so interesting you're talking about clarity and expectations and what are we working on from a teacher's standpoint, because I have talked to, just recently in the last week, a couple of school leaders who feel that way in their role, right?
, We have such a broad role as a school leader, and they're like, we don't even know. Specifically, these are assistant principals, what does that role look like for me? What are the true expectations for me? Am I working on the right things for the district? When we think about initiatives and what they're trying to push forward in [00:05:00] supporting teachers, there's so much, where do I focus?
And so I see that as a huge issue all around. And that's interesting that you bring that up. Just this morning, I mean, like an hour ago, I had a call with, , a group that I've worked with in the past this past year, but they're about to start implementing a new layered leadership model so that they can get really clear about what are the roles and responsibilities of.
The different leaders and the different groups in our organization, their, their goal is really to build their leadership pipeline and retain leaders. And so one of the things that we're gonna be doing is going through the clarity cycle framework so they can gain a lot of clarity for themselves about what that layered leadership model looks like, but then also decide, okay, well now how do we create clarity for our people so they have a full understanding.
Yeah. So talk to us a little bit about like your framework and how that works in helping everybody be on the [00:06:00] same page. Yeah, so the, when I developed this framework, it, it was me taking all of these things, all of these experiences that I had, taking, all of these things that I had read about, all of these thought leaders that I had pulled from, and kind of combining it into a logical.
Order, but the steps in the clarity cycle framework, I like to pitch them as habits that we're building because while they do go in an order, when you're beginning, you're trying to develop them as habits so you can attend to any one of these six steps of the Clarity Cycle framework. Again and again in your leadership.
So it just becomes a part of who you are and how you lead as a clarity driven leader. So there are six steps, like I said, to the Clarity Cycle framework, and we start, well, let me preface, this framework is meant to be engaged with a team of people. So [00:07:00] I will, I. I don't ever really take just one person through the clarity cycle framework.
If we're doing the training, they're engaging in the framework with a group of people. Because I am a firm believer that leadership is a team sport. So this leadership team, whoever it might be, they start with what their area focus is. So we identified based on the data. That's presented. Where do we know that our focus needs to be?
We analyze that area of focus, which leads us to step two of the Clarity Cycle framework, and that is developing goals. So after we've analyzed that area of focus, what are the goals that we can, . Work toward, in order to support that area, focus and solve the problem. Then in step three, we are gaining insight from stakeholders, and those stakeholders could be, you know, other department heads.
It could be teachers, it could be other staff members, like support staff. It doesn't matter [00:08:00] who it is, but it is such an important piece of the clarity cycle framework because that's part of the transfer of ownership. So. We've got area focus, then goals. Then we're gaining insight after we gain insight from stakeholders.
Step four is deciding how are we going to cast vision and script critical moves. So based on what they said, what are the small incremental steps we can take to reach these goals? Then the fifth step is, wait, did I just say three? No, four. That was the fourth step is scripting critical moves and casting vision.
The fifth step is really thinking about providing feedback regularly and celebrating systematically. In other words. Is our feedback and are our celebrations directly tied to our area of focus and goals? You know, I hear so often leaders saying, I'm not quite sure what to provide feedback on, or when we celebrate it's we're [00:09:00] celebrating just because it's a Friday, or we're celebrating because we've made it to the end of a quarter.
But we want our celebrations to be really intentional and tied to our area of focus because that's what helps to transfer ownership. And then finally, the last step is calibrating in order to sustain progress. And this is just a measure for your, for that leadership team to decide how are we going to maintain, how are we gonna check in regularly with ourselves and make adjustments as necessary.
So that we're sustaining progress. And this doesn't become just like that one initiative that, you know, we said we were going to do, but then nobody ever talked about it again. Or it doesn't become just this vision on the wall that looks pretty, but we pass by it because it's become a piece of wall art.
So those are the six steps, and again, I do like to pitch them as habits that you're building as a leader. And I love , a few things you said there, that was a lot of great things, but I love how you talked about identity, having this [00:10:00] identity of the clarity driven leader, because that's one thing, and I have a podcast episode, you know, for principals listening where we talk about your 1.0 and 2.0 self, your identity.
And I love that idea of . Changing how you think about yourself, first of all, , and changing that before you even get into it. Because that's the first thing, right? If you wanna make change, be aware of how you're showing up as a leader. So I think that's huge. And I also love that idea of habits.
I'm actually reading the book. I don't know if you've ever read The Slight Edge. . But such a good book. And he's basically talking about the slight edge is one. It's your philosophy of life, but it is those habits that you have. It's those small things that compound He talks about. Compound interest with money and things like that, but it works in everything.
And so we can think about, like you said, those small habits and how they add up and if we have that clear focus. And I think that's where I talked to a lot of principals about overwhelm and , a huge thing for me is time management and trying to leave work by four. And [00:11:00] that's easier when you have a clear focus.
That's hard when you're thinking about all these different things. Absolutely. It's so interesting because yesterday I did a podcast episode on my podcast with, , someone, we talked all about habit stacking and so our whole conversation was about habits, and it's so true. I think even thinking about not just your habits as a leader in the workplace, but what are your habits at home that are supporting you not only at home, but also.
In that workplace, , that it all goes together. I know there's a lot of talk of work-life balance, but I've heard a lot recently about work-life harmony. And I think that's such an interesting and important take on that work life balance because it's really, really challenging for school leaders to completely separate the two.
It's just not possible. It's just not possible. And I think the more we try to do that, , the more challenging it becomes. But if we [00:12:00] can shift, like you said, and really think about habits, man, it has such an impact on you as a leader and on your people as well. Yeah. And you know, that's another piece to the time management that I've talked to some clients about is this idea when we go home and we constantly think about school and we come up with new ideas and then, you know, if you're a this high achieving principal who has great ideas and you are thinking about it all night, you bring 'em back to school tomorrow and then you're like, okay, let's implement this, which again, causes us more stress, more overwhelm, more overwhelming our teachers versus.
Having this clear focus. And I think sometimes, and it kind of goes with what people say about habits. Like it can be boring to stick to the one thing, right? It's easier to find the next shiny object and think about that of , oh, I could improve my school in this way. Yeah. What do you say to leaders who , get stuck in that?
'cause I'm guilty of that, you know? Like I get excited about so many different things. So how do you stay in just that . [00:13:00] One track mind of this is what we're clearly working on, these are the habits, let's focus on this. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Such a good question. Easier said than done, right? Yeah. Because I tend to be that person too.
I will have an idea and I want to run with it. And I've heard teachers in the past under , my own leadership saying, but I thought we were focused on this, or I. We were focused on this, and now all of a sudden we're doing this. And man, that's like a gut punch. , And I find myself thinking, you're right, , and I think sometimes it's easy for us to get really excited about something and see the potential of it.
But this is where in the clarity cycle framework, the gaining insight is so incredibly important because too often we miss that piece, which means we have this idea that we feel would be beneficial and it absolutely might be the thing that makes the difference. But [00:14:00] if we skip past gaining insight from our people then, and we run into implementing the idea.
We're not going to be able to transfer ownership to them because there's gonna be a disconnect between what it is that we're doing and why we're doing it and what the intended outcome could be. So first of all, I would say hold onto your great ideas. Write them down. Share them with like-minded people, and be sure as you're sharing those ideas to say, you know, this is just an idea rolling around.
In my mind, it's not for now, but I would love for us to come back to this conversation at. This point, whatever that point might be. , And then also, if you do feel like it's an idea worth investigating, gain insight from your people, gain insight from your teachers, and you might ask them, , here's the idea that I'm thinking about.
I wanna know how you feel like it connects to what we're already focused on. Would it support this [00:15:00] thing that we are focused on Because we're not losing sight of that. Or would it hinder us from making progress toward this focus? So that, those two things really holding onto the idea, sharing it with like-minded people who aren't going to get overwhelmed by it, who know you're, they know you're an ideas kind of person, , but then also gaining insight.
And I think too, one of the things that I, , that I work with leaders on when we're going through this clarity cycle framework is really thinking about de implementation. And then also if we're focused on this. Then what are we saying no to And mm-hmm. You've gotta be ready to ask yourself that question.
, If I said yes to this idea that I have, what would I be saying no to? Or if I'm saying yes to this being our focus, then I have to say no to this idea and that's okay. Yeah, I love that. And I love the gaining insight because that's how we get buy-in, right? That's how you get staff and the alignment, like you're saying.
Maybe it is an idea that can [00:16:00] stack onto what you're already doing. Maybe it fits and getting insight into that. So I think that is a, a great way to approach it. Another thing, , related to clarity, what do you do when you've got a very clear initiative happening, , as an, as a school leader and.
Then you have some people who just are not on board with it. What suggestions do you have for that? Okay. I love this question so much. As soon as you said that, like the first write out of the box, when you have people that won't get on board, there is a, , so there's a framework you can use that I, I suggest people use, especially going through this process.
. I, I don't know where it originated from, but I know I've heard Robin Jackson talk about it a lot. And the way that she describes it is you have these, this quadrants. So it's , a matrix and it's the skill will matrix. You, your listeners are probably somewhat familiar with this, but I wanna go through it as you are implementing a change.
I think it's important, [00:17:00] especially once you've gotten through. Maybe the first phase of implementing the change and you've started to observe people gain feedback or give feedback. You started those celebrations. You might start to add people to the skill wheel chart, and when you add people to the skill wheel chart, I think it does a couple of things.
First of all, we have a tendency when we have people who are experiencing resistance, we have a tendency to seek to view that as it being more people than it actually is. If you use a skill will chart, you're probably gonna notice that that number is actually very few. There are few people who are truly.
Experiencing resistance toward any initiative. But on the skill wheel chart, you have high will, high skill. Those are like your runners, the people who are your, , pilot people, your guiding coalition. You have high will, low skill. Those [00:18:00] people need support, and then you have. Low will high skill, meaning they're not really interested in doing it, but they are very skilled.
And then finally, you have your low will, low skill, and those are the people that typically are your most resistant. I have found time and time again that most of my people, if I really analyze it, most of my people are either high will, high skill or high will low skill. , And so that's one of the things that I suggest you look at.
Because it's gonna give you some perspective on how many people are we really dealing with that , we might need to have hard conversations. And then when you do have to have the hard conversation, I implement a strategy called, , perception checking. And when you are checking your perception, you truly are taking what you are, noticing what you are perceiving, and you're laying it out, away from your, , your own.
[00:19:00] Biases. You're laying it out separate from your own feelings, your own personal thoughts toward it, and you're kind of seeing it as, this is the thing that I wanna bring up to talk about. I'm gonna invite them into the conversation. So it might sound like, you know, Susie, , I wanna check my perception with you.
One of the things that I've noticed is that you seem to feel a little negative toward this initiative that we're implementing. And I just wanna check my perception. , Am I accurate on that or am I off base? Because then I'm inviting Susie, whoever it might be into the conversation to share what their perception is, which could be totally different than my perception, or my perception might be the reality.
And then we can decide from there how to approach, , how to further approach the conversation. But I think checking the perception is so important because. Again, it's almost like that gaining insight piece. You know, like I just need to understand where their mindset [00:20:00] is right now, and I can't have hard conversations with them unless I know the perception.
I love that as you said, that , it reminded me of something a mentor said to me. We were talking about difficult parents and he goes, list the difficult parents. And you think about it out of, , 420 kids, okay, maybe it's like less than five parents, you know, and we say, oh, they're so difficult.
Or like you said. Oh, the staff's being so difficult. Well, how many is one person? Just loud? And I like what you said, you know, I had that once where somebody pointed out to me, I think this person who's resisting just doesn't understand what you're trying to say. Exactly. And they don't even know how to ask for that.
You know? They don't know how to express that either. So I think that. , Low skill piece is huge because sometimes they don't even know it's a low skill or they don't know what's going on either with it. They just know, I want to do what's right for kids. I wanna do what's best for kids, but this isn't aligning somehow.
And it could just be that low skill piece. Yeah. I just wanna share a [00:21:00] quick story 'cause I feel like it paints this picture very vividly, but I once was leading a PD. With an elementary campus and there were, they had so many teachers per grade level. I think there were like 10 teachers per grade level. So we're looking at pre-K to.
Second grade campus, and I remember the, there was a kindergarten team, they were all sitting around a table together. And as I'm presenting, one of the teachers leans back, she's got her arms crossed, her eyebrows are furrowed. And the whole time I'm thinking, my gosh, she really doesn't care a bit about what I have to say.
She would rather be anywhere else but here. And so that's playing in my mind. And of course, those negative thoughts. Speak louder than anything else that might be going on in the room or in my mind. So that's what I'm holding onto. But I did not check my perception by her. I didn't ask her about anything.
I just kind of [00:22:00] let it fester. And it painted a picture of her in my mind, that ended up being totally inaccurate because she sent me an email later that day and she said, I just wanted to apologize for my team. They kept talking while you were presenting, and I got so frustrated and I know it must have been.
A bother to you and it was like, whoa, I totally read that wrong. If I had just asked her and checked my perception, I could have cleared some things up and had a different perspective of her. , So yeah, it's just so valuable to approach the person and check that perception before you make it your narrative and your reality.
Yeah. No, that's so true. And then I always say, when I have something in my head, then I make it awkward with people, right. Because right. I have this whole story about what's happening and it's not correct. And, and then I'm like, that person's being awkward, but really it's me. It's always a [00:23:00] reflection of how you're feeling.
Absolutely. Yeah. So I love that about checking perspectives. Is there anything else you wanna share, , regarding clarity before we wrap up our episode today? The final thing, Natalie, is so important to share and for people to recognize is we hear, you know, I am certain you and your listeners are familiar with Brene Brown's phrase, clear as kind.
It's very well known. We have a tendency though, to equate that to hard conversations. Like when I hear clear as kind in my mind and in conversations that I've had with other leaders, they assume, well, we have to have a hard conversation. And it's all about verbal communication. But if you read on in Brene Brown's work, she continues to talk about how we need to paint done.
And that's what being clear is. And so that's what the clarity [00:24:00] cycle framework is, and that when I talk about clarity specifically for school leaders, we are looking at how we can paint done in a way that. People understand not only where we're headed, but how we're going to get there and how they contribute as an essential member of this movement or of this initiative.
If we can't, if we're only communicating verbally, we're not being as clear as we could. And so we kind of eliminate that clear as kind phrase because we haven't painted done. So that's what I wanna leave listeners with, is just thinking about how do we take that to another level? Oh, I love that. And you're right, I hear that phrase all the time.
And when I think about this idea of clear as kind or even having hard conversations, I always go back to was it really articulated what the expectation was, what we want from teachers. And so that really goes and speaks to what you're saying that. Having that clarity [00:25:00] around the initiative and what is truly expected makes all the difference because you're, if you gather that insight, if you go through the cycle, you're probably gonna have a lot less hard conversations in general.
Yeah. Because one, you get the buy on, buy-in and two people understand what is truly expected in for them. Mm-hmm. Yes, absolutely. Alright, Casey, well this was a great conversation today. Where can people find you if they wanna learn more, reach out. Yeah, you guys can go to two places. I'm always on LinkedIn, so you can find me on LinkedIn at catch up with Casey, and then you can also go to my website catching up with casey.com and it shares all about the different ways that I can help you to gain clarity.
All right. Well thank you so much for being here. Yeah, thanks for having me.