The Tenth National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute An Overview of Tools and Resources to Support Partnerships at the State or Local Level

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The Tenth National Early Childhood Inclusion
InstituteAn Overview of Tools and Resources to
Support Partnerships at the State or Local Level

• Presenters Abby Cohen
• Desiree Reddick-Head
• Patti Russ

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Session Objectives

1. Learn about the training modules and resources
   produced by the National Child Care Information
   Center, Partnerships, Alliances and Coordination
   Techniques (PACT) initiative.
2. Examine specific collaboration techniques related
   to leadership.
3. Explore strategies for communicating effectively.
4. Apply knowledge and skills to existing
   partnerships.

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Todays Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Thinking and learning about our current
  partnerships
• Overview of the PACT training modules
• Application of PACT training modules
  Collaborative Leadership and Communication
• Review and Reflections

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PACT

• PACT is an NCCIC initiative, which is a service
  of the Child Care Bureau within the U.S.
  Department of Health and Human Services
• PACT gives State, Territory, and Tribal
  policymakersparticularly Child Care and
  Development Fund Administrators and their
  partnersthe resources they need to build more
  comprehensive and collaborative early and
  school-age care programs for serving children and
  families

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PACT Materials

• PACT consists of an introduction and six training
  modules
• Fundamentals of Collaborative Leadership
• Creating, Implementing, and Sustaining
  Partnerships
• Communication Strategies
• Financing
• Managing and Facilitating Successful Partnerships
• Building Capacity to Evaluate Partnership
  Initiatives
• Modules include intersecting and complementing
  concepts to provide users with a comprehensive
  package

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Partnerships can be messy, but doable and could
be fun!
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System Principles Elements of Working Together
Adapted from Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction and Great Lakes Resource Access
Project
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Todays Partnerships

• At your tables discuss
• Who you are partnering with
• What brings you together?
• What have been some of your successes?
• What have been major roadblocks ?

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Leadership is..

• A TRAIT and a PROCESS
• Traitthe ability to exert influence and have
  others accept that influence producing change or
  performance
• Chrislip, Sweeny, Chritian, Olsen,
  2002
• Northcross, 1997
• ProcessA process whereby an individual or small
  group influence others to achieve a common goal.

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 8)
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Why Collaborative Leadership ?

• Most partnerships are complex, interdependent,
  and messy.
• Most partnerships require a systems approach with
  diverse input and multiple perspectives.
• Many sectors need to own the solution for it to
  be successfully implemented.

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Collaborative Leadership

• Is leadership shown by a group that is acting
  collaboratively to solve agreed upon issues
• Has leaders who use supportive and inclusive
  methods to ensure that those they represent are
  part of the change process
• Requires new notion of powerthe more power that
  is shared, the more there is to use

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 25-26)
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What Makes Collaborative Leadership Different?
Usual Collaborative
Top down Few make decision Unilateral action Win or shift power Linear thinking Programs and products Charisma Persuasive Group falls apart if leader leaves Self governing Broad participation Guide and coordinate process Build relationships Systems thinking Process Vision Empathetic Group continues after leader leaves
(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 31-32)
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Leadership Styles Directing, Coaching,
Supporting, and Delegating

• Directing
• Focuses communication on goal achievement
• Gives instruction (what goals to achieve and how)
• Spends limited time on supporting behaviors
• Coaching
• Focuses communication on both goal achievement
  and peoples needs
• Gives encouragement
• Asks for input

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 13)
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Leadership Styles Directing, Coaching,
Supporting, and Delegating

• Supporting
• Does not focus just on goals
• Focuses on tasks to be accomplished
• Uses supportive behaviors to bring out others
  skills
• Listening
• Praising
• Asking for input
• Giving feedback
• Delegating
• Offers less input and social support
• Facilitates others confidence and motivation to
  do tasks
• Leader not as involved in planning, details or
  goal clarification

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 13-14)
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Four Leadership Styles
Supporting Behaviors
Supporting High supportive and low directive Coaching High supportive and high directive
Delegating Low supportive and low directive Directing Low supportive and high directive
Directive Behaviors
(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 14)
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Who is a Collaborative Leader?

• Someone who safeguards and promotes the
  collaborative process

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004a, p. 3)
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Qualities of Collaborative Leaders

• Acts maturely
• Shows patience
• Can learn from self reflection
• Handles uncertainty
• Tolerates uncertainty
• Has the ability to see problems from others
  points of view

• Respects others experience or point of view
• Has the ability to create a safe, supportive
  environment
• Is comfortable communicating across
  organizational boundaries and with every part of
  the community

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Qualities of Collaborative Leaders (Con.)

• Has the ability to create a shared vision
• Knows the need for creativity
• Constructively manage conflict, and
• The most important quality .
• The Ability to Listen

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 28)
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Six Guiding Principles of Collaborative Leadership

• Assessing the Environment for Collaboration
• Developing Clarity
• Building Trust
• Sharing Power and Influence
• Developing People
• Self Reflection

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004h, p. 33)
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Building Trust

• Practice focused listening
• Call each other by name
• Clearly identify purpose for gathering
• Let people know what is expected of them
• Identify time frame team will work within
• Balance process with product
• Ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak
• Use fair processes to get things done
• Have diverse representation of types of people
• Create working agreements

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004c, p. 9)
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Self Reflection

• The ability to analyze or examine in a serious
  way ones experience and the ability to see how
  that experience impacts and shapes ones
  relationships with others is a trait of
  individuals who develop effective leadership
  qualities and capacities.

(Collaborative Leadership, 2004j, p. 6)
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Partnerships, Alliances, and Coordination
Techniques

• Communication Strategies to Support Partnerships

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It is All About Communication!!

• How well we communicate is determined not by how
  well we say things but how well we are
  understood.
• Andrew Grove, CEO, Intel Corporation

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Key Concepts

• Communication is the process of exchanging
  information through speech, signals, or writing
• Communication involves listening, questioning,
  understanding, and responding to what is being
  expressed by others
• Effective communication is central to the success
  of creating, implementing, and sustaining
  partnerships over time

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Communication Pyramid
Communication

• Note Different authors use the terms
  cooperation and coordination interchangeably.
  This diagram follows the work of Sharon Lynn
  Kagan in defining the least intense level as
  cooperation as cited in Winer and Ray (2000).
  Used with permission.

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Modes of Communication
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Are You an Active Listener?

• Has anyone ever told you that you werent
  listening?
• Have you ever asked others to repeat themselves,
  because your mind had wandered?
• Have you ever been embarrassed because you gave
  the wrong answer to a question when you werent
  listening?
• Have you ever taken a mental leave of absence
  while someone was speaking?
• Has anyone ever asked you whether youre paying
  attention?

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Active Listening Techniques

• Stop talking
• Give the speaker your conscious attention
• Exercise patience
• Be empathetic
• Ask clarifying questions
• Paraphrase
• Make notes

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Communication Styles
Source Jourdain, K. (February 2004).
Communication styles and conflict. Approaching
change, Vol. 4, No. 6. Chrysalis Performance
Strategies, Inc. www.teamchrysalis.com/AC/V4/AC46_
Communication_Styles.htm
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Plan to Communicate

• Design a communication system that is responsive
  to the different kinds of agencies and people in
  your partnership
• Establish informal and formal communication links
• Create a communication plan that reflects what
  your partners want and need to know, and how they
  want to receive information
• Hold partners accountable for communications

Sources Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance and Ray, K., (2002). The nimble
collaboration Fine-tuning your collaboration
for lasting success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Expect Conflict

• Conflict is inevitable
• Early indicators of conflict can be recognized
• Conflict involves people resolving issues that
  are important to them
• Conflict causes authentic communication
• Conflict builds cooperation among people through
  learning more about each other
• Conflict helps people develop understanding and
  skills
• Although inevitable, conflict can be minimized,
  diverted, and/or resolved

Source Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Review

• Make sure your message is clear
• Practice active listening
• Acknowledge the viewpoints of others, even if you
  disagree
• Use specific language, especially when providing
  guidance and asking for feedback
• Ask questions to make sure your message is
  understood, or to clarify points you are
  uncertain about
• Make sure your body language delivers the same
  message as your words
• Think before you speak or write
• Keep your language simple and format brief

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Summary
Three brick layers were asked what they were
doing. One said, Im laying bricks. The second
replied, Im building a wall. The third stated,
Im constructing a temple. - Anonymous
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Reflections

• I learned
• I relearned
• I will apply
• I would like to know more about
• I am surprised by

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Thank you!
PACT is an initiative of NCCIC, a service of the
Child Care Bureau
Facilitated by the National Child Care
Information and Technical Assistance
Center 10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 400 ?
Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone [phone] ? Fax
800-716-2242 ? TTY 800-516-2242 Email
info_at_nccic.org ? Web http//nccic.acf.hhs.gov