Change, according to Fullan

Change in our own perspectives on leadership, according to Fullen, Dean of Educational Studies at the University of Toronto, is what’s worth fighting for: "not system change, not change in others around us, but change in ourselves."

His ten guidelines—all working together to create his prescription for individual action are listed below:
Avoid "if only" statements, externalizing the blame and other forms of wishful thinking.
Start small, think big. Don’t over-plan or over-manage.
Focus on fundamentals: curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional culture.
Practice fearlessness and other forms of risk taking.
Embrace diversity and resistance while empowering others.
Build a vision in relation to both goals and change processes.
Decide what you are not going to do.
Build allies.
Know when to be cautious.
Give up the search for the "silver bullet."

He says we need this in order to survive as new demands appear daily for accountability, teacher appraisal, program initiatives—you name it. Meanwhile, not one "old" responsibility goes away. When asked, "Do you think the principal can effectively fulfill all the responsibilities assigned to him/her?" 91% of US principals responded, "No." Why are we not surprised? But that dark point is exactly where hope begins to shine, Fullen argues. "There is no point in lamenting the fact that the system is unreasonable, and no percentage in waiting around for it to become more reasonable. It won’t." He says that true school leaders will reframe their role to design continuous learning for everyone in the school organization.