Focus on the WIG

Everyone is very familiar with the whirlwind, no matter what they do as a job. Each day has its own challenges and each job has the daily tasks that need to be completed. As a teacher, just the day-to-day things can be so overwhelming that it is hard to take on new challenges to an already overflowing plate. People are busy and it can take the energy that is needed to try new things. Being consistent and getting clear on your goal can help battle the whirlwind. Another key piece is that only one goal should be focused on at a time. When too many goals are being focused on at once, the energy is being dispersed across multiple tasks and it can be hard to actually accomplish anything. Once a goal is decided on, most people tend to lead towards the lag measures because they are simply easier to measure and identify. But the lead measures are the ones that make the most significance. While the lag measures can be an accurate representation of how you are doing, they are measured too late in the process to make a change, that is why it is important to focus on the lead measures. Taking these measures and creating a scoreboard with your team can help keep things in perspective and keep people accountable. Using key questions during weekly WIG meetings can help keep the team focused on the goal and keep up with how everyone is doing. All of these things tied together can help push teams towards making significant changes.