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CHAPTER 2

Thinking in Terms of Both and And: A Core Leadership Competency

“We’ve seen this before.”

“If we wait it out, the pendulum will swing back to what we’re doing now.”

“These reforms aren’t actually reforms.”

You’ve heard these comments about new initiatives, right?

For example, the longer you’ve been in education, the more labels you’ll recognize for frameworks designed to create collaborative teams. Teachers spend too much time working in isolation, right? So, we need to bring them together. But then, something goes wrong, and things swing back to isolated practice again, until the pendulum swings yet again with another reincarnation of teamwork.

What’s missing? Collaboration isn’t actually a solution, but an interdependent set of values that coexists with values associated with working as individuals. Individual and team. We can’t spend all our time with others, or we’d neglect the particular needs of our own students or fail to make the most of our own strengths. Yet if we spend all our planning time alone, we miss the wisdom and experiences of others, the chance to learn from dialogue, opportunities to share workloads, and the pursuit of shared goals. You’ll read more about this ongoing interdependency between individuals and their communities in chapter 6 (page 75).

In fact, each of the interdependencies we explore within the Twelve Lenses of Leadership consists of paradigms that require looking two ways at once to work with two equally important sets of values. Another way of saying this is that the lenses consist of polarities—systems of interdependent sets of values and priorities that, over time, need each other.

In this chapter, we explore the concept of polarities and how those in this book connect to a core leadership competency—thinking in terms of both and and. You’ll learn how to identify polarities instead of trying to solve unsolvable problems and see how they connect with leadership priorities and emotional intelligence. We’ll wrap up with a reflection of what you’ve learned about polarities.

Polarities

Here’s a quick illustration of a polarity: Take a deep breath, and inhale slowly. Now exhale, and ask yourself, “Which is better, inhaling or exhaling?”

It’s a silly question, isn’t it? Our bodies require both. The energy system that is reality for the breathing cycle is best illustrated with an infinity loop, as shown in figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1: A simple polarity.

Inhaling brings needed oxygen, but breathing in for too long causes a problem: too much carbon dioxide. Exhaling releases that carbon dioxide, but eventually a new problem will arise: too little oxygen. We can’t choose either inhaling or exhaling. Each accurately describes something we need, yet neither is complete without the other. They’re interdependent. In fact, you can’t exhale unless you’ve inhaled, nor inhale unless you’ve exhaled.

Polarities are thus part of our lives literally from our first breath. Unlike breathing, however, learning to handle real-life polarities well can take some time. Barry Johnson (2012) coined the term polarity as he developed organizational tools for working with these systems:

Polarities are interdependent pairs that can support each other in pursuit of a common purpose. They can also undermine each other if seen as an either/or problem to solve. Polarities at their essence are unavoidable, unsolvable, unstoppable, and indestructible. Most importantly, they can be leveraged for a greater good. (p. 4)

In each of chapters 4–15 (the lens-focused chapters), you’ll see a diagram similar to figure 2.1 that captures the main interdependencies for each lens. These diagrams illustrate how each side or pole of the Twelve Lenses of Leadership holds only a partial solution for leaders. In fact, if you want to guarantee that you’ll fail to reach a leadership goal, build it solidly on the positive results one pole has to offer while excluding the values of the other. This balance is what makes the lenses very different from a list of school principal responsibilities. The lenses acknowledge that over-focus on a crucial role can lead to ignoring something equally crucial. It isn’t one or the other; it’s both!

In the next two sections, we look at some polarities for both–and thinking, and the fact that some dilemmas can’t be solved once and for all. No, this isn’t a fixed mindset, but an acknowledgement that when working with systems, ignoring some elements results in predictable patterns. For example, what happens if you hold your breath and never exhale? How will that work in the long term? Inhaling and exhaling are interdependent. Over time, both are required. Ignore either and problems ensue. Similarly, for these dilemmas that involve interdependent pairs of values, we need to leverage both sides, just as we learn to leverage the value of inhaling and exhaling when we are exercising, singing, meditating, or otherwise paying attention to how we breathe to maximize a bigger goal or purpose.

Polarities for Both–And Thinking

We all know that either–or thinking can lead to problems—we need and thinking as well. Consider the tensions that arise when we need to honor traditions and implement necessary changes, or use standardized assessments and customize how we check for understanding, or think short-term and long-term. In each case, both sides are right. A more appropriate phrasing might be that both sides are accurate, but each is also incomplete. Using the concepts and tools of polarity thinking can help leaders discern when we are dealing with perpetual dilemmas rather than problems that are solvable once and for all.

I’ve written extensively on techniques for seeing, mapping, and leveraging polarities. In this book, the polarities in each lens serve as tools for recognizing and addressing common tensions school leaders face. Using them allows you to recognize when either–or thinking simply isn’t appropriate. You’ll be better able to see systems and address their complexities instead of falling into the trap of looking for a single solution to unsolvable, ongoing interdependencies that need constant rebalancing.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

You can start seeing and working with polarities immediately, and you can take a two-year master class to develop the expertise necessary to use the tools for systems thinking. Barry Johnson (2012), founder of Polarity Partnerships (www.polaritypartnerships.com), and his colleagues have generously shared their research and tools with me for use in education. Unleashing the Positive Power of Differences: Polarity Thinking in Our Schools (Kise, 2014) analyzes key polarities in education, has step-by-step information on seeing, mapping, assessing, and leveraging them, and provides tools for using polarity thinking with leaders, staff, and students.

An Example of Problem–Solution Thinking When Both–And Is Necessary

Let’s look at a well-known solution often advocated in education circles: encouraging a growth mindset. Lauren Resnick (1999) draws attention to how a fixed mindset regarding intelligence—you either are or aren’t smart—limits student learning. Carol Dweck (2006) extends the research base and popularizes the idea of a growth mindset. Jonathon Saphier (2005) paints a clear picture of the difference the two mindsets make in a classroom (table 2.1).

Table 2.1: Comparing Atmospheres of Fixed and Growth Mindset Classrooms

Ability-Based Atmosphere	Effort-Creates-Ability Atmosphere
Mistakes are a sign of weakness.	Mistakes help one learn.
Speed counts. Faster is smarter.	Care, perseverance, and craftsmanship count.
Good students do it by themselves.	Good students need help and a lot of feedback.
Inborn intelligence is the main determinant of success.	Effort and effective strategies are the main determinants of success.
Only the bright few can achieve at a high level.	Everyone is capable of high achievement.

Source: Saphier, 2005; Saphier & D’Auria, 1993.

Soon, schools were solving the problem of fixed mindsets with strategies for promoting a growth mindset. The result? By 2015, Dweck (2015) was publishing articles clarifying that there was more to it than praising students for effort:

Recently, someone asked what keeps me up at night. It’s the fear that the mindset concepts, which grew up to counter the failed self-esteem movement, will be used to perpetuate that movement. In other words, if you want to make students feel good, even if they’re not learning, just praise their effort! Want to hide learning gaps from them? Just tell them, “Everyone is smart!” The growth mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It is about telling the truth about a student’s current achievement and then, together, doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter.

In effect, when educators see a fixed mindset, they treat it as a problem for which the solution is a growth mindset that they can create by teaching students that effort creates ability. They praise their effort rather than saying, “You’re so smart.”

However, while having a fixed mindset is a real problem, a growth mindset is only one of two interdependent sets of values. Readiness to learn specific content and processes is absolutely key, or effort will get you nowhere. Ask yourself, for example, “Am I ready right now to develop calculations to identify the gravitational pull of a black hole? Or might I need some prior knowledge and skills before I put in the effort required?”

Figure 2.2 (page 28) summarizes the interdependencies and dilemmas present in working with growth mindset strategies, using the infinity loop diagram we’ll be using throughout the book to examine twelve big, ongoing dilemmas—the leadership lenses—that require both–and thinking.

Can you see how applying this kind of both–and thinking while planning an initiative, such as fostering growth mindsets, can ensure that students are ready for the tasks on which you’ll be asking them to persevere, bringing the upside of both sets of values? That’s the sort of systems thinking we’ll be using to examine the ongoing dilemmas present in leading a thriving, whole-child school.

Figure 2.2: The readiness and effort loop.

Polarity Identification Instead of Unsolvable Problems

Another example of an ongoing polarity that leaders often treat as a problem to solve is accountability. Teacher accountability encompasses just one set of values that is interdependent with the values of supporting teachers for growth and development even as we hold them accountable. No one is actually born with all the complex skills the profession requires. Too often, schools lack the resources or mechanisms to truly support new teachers in developing in multiple areas such as pedagogy, classroom management, building relationships, and more. The inevitable problems that arise when you treat a system as a linear problem to solve show up in teacher strikes, decreased job satisfaction, and stretched resources for evaluation at the expense of other forms of professional development. For accountability measures to actually improve teacher quality, we also need action steps for supporting teachers’ growth.

How do you know when you have a polarity instead of a problem to solve? Here are four key factors.

1. Is it ongoing? Look back to the opening example of the waves of reform that often lead to a pendulum swinging back and forth between collaborative and individual work. This is indicative of a polarity.

2. Are the alternatives interdependent? Think of breathing, or how short-term goals add up to long-term goals.

3. Over time, are both poles or solutions necessary? Consider how school districts swing between centralizing and decentralizing how they make policies and other decisions—decentralization leads to schools with different practices, so certain things are pulled back to the district office, only to be farmed out again.

4. What happens with only a singular focus? Examine what happens, and might happen, if we focus only on one upside, and ask whether we might undermine our original goals, as Dweck (2006) articulates with mindset.

In grappling with these questions, consider the goal you’ve already identified that you’ll be thinking about throughout these pages. In chapters 4–14, each lens establishes an underlying interdependency, providing plenty of thought for how the lenses most connected with your leadership development goals might require both–and thinking. (The interdependencies for chapter 15 work a bit differently.) The goal isn’t balance between these sets of values, but instead placing the right amount of emphasis to get to the upside of each, avoid their downsides (look back at figure 2.2), and move ahead toward your purpose.

Note that the primary description of each lens comes through stories of leaders who have learned to work well with it. When people are locked into dualistic, either–or thinking, arguing your point of view often simply causes them to become even more entrenched in their own position. Telling stories that help them truly see the dilemma is often a crucial step into helping them see the bigger picture of both–and thinking (Rohr, 2013).

Polarities, Priorities, and Emotional Intelligence

Interwoven in the lens-focused chapters is the core idea that a thriving whole-child school requires an atmosphere of trust, safety, equity, and skilled collaboration. Creating that kind of atmosphere takes an entirely different set of leadership skills than a full-on accountability effort typically emphasizes. When leading holistically, the soft skills of emotional intelligence, which are often the hardest to learn, become vital. Leading a school for both whole-child success and academic success requires leaders who are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. In the next chapter, we’ll look at the far-ranging domain of emotional intelligence and how it fits into your developmental needs, given your goals and situation. As you ponder the dilemmas of both–and thinking, note that being able to work with seemingly contradictory ideas is a marker of both wisdom and adult development, especially as you lead in a VUCA world.

Three Ways to Improve Your Use of Both–And Thinking

Consider the following three action items for reflection.

1. Revisit figure 1.2 (page 19), listing the Twelve Lenses of Leadership. Read the description for each lens, which read as and statements. All of these are polarities. Where have you seen each interdependency in education policies, practices, initiatives, or dilemmas? Which are relevant to your current situation?

2. Review the following list of common polarities. Reflect or engage with another leader in conversation about when you have seen these in play in education. For example, you could examine the pushback against the Common Core State Standards in terms of the polarity standardization and customization.

a. Top-down and bottom-up

b. Centralized and decentralized

c. Individual responsibility and organizational responsibility

d. Competition and collaboration

e. Content and process

f. Individual freedom and community safety

3. For one of the interdependencies you identified in question 1 regarding figure 1.2, try to create a loop as it appears in figure 2.1 (page 24). What is the upside of each pole? Given the nature of a system, what might be an unintended consequence if you over-focus on one side or the other? Use the blank loop in figure 2.3 to capture your thoughts.

Figure 2.3: Defining interdependencies between poles.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/leadership for a free reproducible version of this figure.