Education is filled with many new initiatives. Many of these initiatives go through cycles where they are highlighted and then repressed. These Cycles reflect the ebb and flow of the changes that we see in the real world. Our world is going through large changes today, which in turn leads to initiatives being pushed harder, and driven deeper than ever before. Large pushes can come with confrontational interactions or loss of momentum. There are some great strategies and tactics that you can use to help lessen the conflict and to create trust in the decisions that you are making.





Transparency
Technology provides a very unique avenue that few leaders take advantage of. The ability to show exactly what you are doing when you are doing it, is a huge card that we hold in our hand. Leveraging the ability to show what you are working towards and how you are doing it shows that you are vulnerable, that you are subject to criticism, and that you have best practices in mind. Using this to your advantage will build momentum toward any initiative.


Feedback
This is arguably the most important step. Being transparent with your work can be comboed with sound feedback loops. Meeting with specific groups, showcasing progress, and offering for specific feedback will aid in your ability to create a sound action plan to deliver on your initiative. Once the feedback is received, putting those suggestions into action showcases your ability to accept criticism, and transfers ownership on to those who submitted feedback.


Research
Justifying the decisions you are making with sound research cannot be overlooked. There is countless time-tested statistics and articles that can be leveraged to back your decision making. Having these on hand or referring to them as you are working will lead your initiative down a path of success.


Best Practices
This seems like a no-brainer but it is one that can be overlooked. Falling back to what has been successful and synthesizing it to make today's classroom better is the perfect balance of tradition and innovation. Time and time again district push towards innovation when these pushes are simply best practices. They are things that every teacher does, and has done for many years. Simply by labeling things wrong, you aid in the confusion leading to distrust in the abilities of leadership.