acquire certain skill sets, capabilities, and Habits of Mind to assist them
in the work they want to do.
The Habits of Mind we have been cultivating in our students need to
be the habits we learn ourselves. In our contexts, in our schools, honing
our Habits of Mind can help us better navigate the systems we work in,
help us change the discourse we speak with, and open us to be even more
effective leaders. All of us can continue to develop these intelligent behav-
iors throughout our lifetimes. So on this, our professional path, the Habits
of Mind are an integral component in our own development as systems-
savvy leaders (Costa & Kallick, 2000).
The five Habits of Mind discussed here are not exhaustive, by any
means. Working on integrating a greater awareness of all 16 habits is the
ultimate goal for the systems-savvy leader. The five highlighted here—
persisting, managing impulsivity, listening with understanding and
empathy, communicating with precision and accuracy, and thinking
interdependently—are most fundamental in beginning the work of
becoming more systems savvy.
Persisting
Change requires lots of time, courage, patience, and endurance. Suc-
cessfully implementing a new school reform, a curriculum change, or a
new program requires a knowledge of the change process, implementa-
tion dips, people’s reasons for resistance to change, and an ability to use
positive self-talk.
Let’s consider an example of teachers at a high school who find that
cheating is on the rise in all grade levels. They begin to talk about pos-
sible reasons for the increase. They agree they need a multipronged
approach, prioritize their action steps, and propose a solution. They go to
the administration to get some support for the initiative. They hit a road-
block. They go to the site council to share their views, but addressing
cheating isn’t a school goal for the year. They keep talking. They talk to
members of their departments and find out what others are thinking. They
refine their strategy. They keep talking. They talk to colleagues in the
lunchroom. They talk it up at staff meetings. They write. They learn from
one another about which processes have been effective and which ideas
294 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind