and communication strategies have not. And eventually they get a bit of
time on the agenda at the next staff meeting to propose some suggestions
for what can be done to stop cheating.
Step by step. Learning who the right people are, the right words, the
right timing. These teachers embody the verb persist. It all begins with the
keen yet painful understanding that persistence is a must for anyone who
wants to promote good systemic change in an organization. Persistence
means being aware of and acknowledging reality, anticipating resistance,
and expecting, from the outset, the need for support. Like marathon run-
ners who have cheerleaders on the sidelines, drinks to sustain them, and
an understanding that walls will be hit, systems-savvy leaders know the art
of persistence. Persistence is the first habit to be cultivated by a systems-
savvy leader who wants to make change.
Politically literate leaders who persist ask questions such as these:
•Who do I have on my support team?
•Am I dealing with reality in a way that moves us forward, or am I
getting hooked on other people’s resistance to the change?
•Do I know where we are in the journey? Where we are in terms of
the change process?
•Do I know what needs to happen at each stage?
•What do I know about what I need to do when the going gets
tough?
Managing Impulsivity
We h a v e a l l b e e n t h e r e : s i t t i n g i n a b r a i n s t o r mi n g s e s s i o n w h e n s o m e -
one shouts out, “That won’t work!” Or perhaps receiving an e-mail from
a parent on a night when you aren’t at your best and promptly but care-
lessly sending off a response, only to say to yourself the following morn-
ing, “Oops!” Or how about hearing an announcement at a staff meeting
and then hearing yourself audibly sigh in discontent as the principal looks
your way. Sound familiar?
Managing impulsivity extends far beyond teaching the students in
your elementary classroom to not shout out their answers and to raise their
hands instead. It is a skill of self-management and self-monitoring that
serves the systems-savvy leader well (Costa & Kallick, 2000).
Habits of Mind for the Systems-Savvy Leader 295