investing in the right initiatives and resources to create meaningful change

have you ever taken up a hobby with enthusiasm, only to abandon it because life got in the way? maybe you started knitting with dreams of creating beautiful scarves, but now the yarn sits untouched in a box tucked away somewhere. or maybe you once eagerly hiked every weekend, but now your hiking boots sit in the back of your closet, gathering dust. what obstacles got in your way? was it time, support, energy, difficulty, resources, ability? or perhaps your priorities changed?

just as we may personally find difficulty to keep up with personal projects, school districts frequently struggle with the demands of multiple initiatives. in my time working with district and school leaders, i’ve found that we apply our passion to our work by solving for all the challenges we see - and sometimes that leads to too much on our plate and puts us in a position where we don’t realize change anywhere because our focus is spread too thin. the law of diminishing returns, an economic theory, predicts that after some optimal level of capacity is reached, adding an additional factor of production will result in smaller increases in output. our job as district leaders is to identify the point of maximum yield. too many initiatives can create challenges like constant code switching, conflicting priorities, and transfer of prioritization from leadership to the individual. 

fig 1.the law of diminishing returns

three main reasons why initiative overload occurs

there are many reasons we may find ourselves in an overload situation. below are a few trends i’ve seen in recent years:

1. the failure to end projects. the district fails to conclude a current initiative. this does not describe projects that fail but rather projects that are not planned to end. the project could fizzle out or outlive its purpose but it’s not definitively concluded. plates can get filled unintentionally. when this happens the team or organization is robbed of valuable learning opportunities. every initiative should have an end point, and we should take that end point as an opportunity to reflect. 
2. planning in a silo. in a silo, even the best plan runs the risk of misalignment to other district priorities, inaccurate impact metrics, inefficient use of resources, and lacking communication. when planning in a silo, we fail to see the ripple effects throughout the district.
3. mission creep. there is a difference between mission creep and making strategic adaptations to a plan that needs to change. mission creep causes confusion around priorities, whiplash, and the inability to achieve goals. very often we gradually shift in initiative objectives which results in long term commitments and organizational misalignments. without a firm vision, and we are so overloaded with initiatives, we continue to pile on initiatives almost as band-aids. it causes whiplash from initiatives that create sentiments like, “i don't know what i'm supposed to do, therefore i'm not going to do anything.”

when we experience initiative overload, we find ourselves experiencing lower quality of work, low buy-in to new or existing initiatives, lower roi, and increased burnout.

examining your current initiatives for overload

engaging in a reflection exercise or retrospective can help you determine if you’re experiencing initiative overload. in my experience, when an organization does something like “start, stop, continue” - we find a lot of items in the “start” column - not so many in the “stop.” we’ve found that exercises like that combined with an internal audit can provide a more comprehensive picture.

we recommend gathering your leadership team to analyze your existing initiatives. first, determine your north star by asking the group to define your current district priorities and goals. then, write a list of all existing initiatives in your district. for each initiative, answer these questions:

1. does this initiative reflect our current district priorities?
2. has this initiative yielded the results we anticipated so far?

if the answer to question 1 or 2 is “no”, officially conclude the initiative as soon as possible - what we call  “strategic abandonment”. schedule a retrospective for those initiatives - you can revive them later if needed.

then, evaluate each initiative further to determine how you can maximize impact:

1. how are we doing as a team measuring results of initiatives and being data driven, reflective, and iterative? 
2. what are the major themes or areas of focus across the initiatives?
3. do we see any duplicative strategies that need to be reorganized or revised?
4. what is that we need to remove or add to our overall strategic priorities?
5. are resources properly allocated and aligned for maximum impact?

starting new initiatives

as you look to bring in new initiatives into the mix, you’ll likely expand the questions you need to answer. recently, i supported a district with implementing personalized learning at the secondary level. the district leaders were worried that teachers would see this new initiative as just another burden, despite recognizing its potential value. the teachers were already grappling with new curriculum and technology, making it difficult to embrace personalized learning fully.

we used the art of implementing well framework to help us determine if the initiative would serve the district’s goals and priorities well. in addition to the framework’s questions, i share our learnings from the district below:

1. vision alignment: how does this initiative / priority align to and/or enhance your vision? when beginning a new initiative try completing a swob analysis with your project team to push them to use a wider lens (both in time and space) together, identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers to assess your current state as you prepare for the initiative.

this exercise revealed some crucial insights for the district leaders. for example, the district had received a grant the previous year to support personalized learning, and several teachers were already skilled in its principles. however, these teachers were not being utilized as coaches to help their peers, which was a missed opportunity. with this clarity, we moved to align the personalized learning initiative with the district's vision. we asked ourselves, "how does personalized learning enhance our current vision?" it became clear that the initiative’s focus on student-centered learning was a perfect match for the district's goal of creating active and engaged learners.

2. resource prioritization: how will you ensure equitable distribution of resources across your district? given the addition of this new initiative, what are you planning to de-prioritize in your district? complete an audit of relevant resources. brainstorm resources that you have, need and want. this will help your team optimize the tools at their disposal and minimize wasted/extra effort.

conducting an audit of existing initiatives and resources, we identified overlaps and areas for consolidation. we found that the new curriculum and personalized learning could actually complement each other. instead of viewing them as separate or conflicting, we integrated them to provide a more cohesive learning experience for students. for instance, the curriculum’s scripted lessons could include elements of personalized learning, allowing teachers to customize their instruction without feeling overwhelmed.

3. communication plan: how will you engage your community around the decision to begin this new initiative? how will you continue to update your community on implementation progress and changes? develop a communication plan that considers constituents, key messages and messaging opportunities to ensure that your initiative reaches people beyond those directly impacted.

communication was the final piece of the puzzle. we needed a robust plan to keep everyone informed and engaged. by identifying key stakeholders, crafting clear messages, and utilizing existing communication channels like newsletters and social media, we kept the community updated. this transparent approach helped build trust and buy-in from teachers, who now felt that the initiatives were not just more work, but part of a unified strategy to improve student outcomes.

just like a hobby that becomes a lifelong passion, when initiatives are well-planned and aligned with a clear vision, they can lead to meaningful and lasting improvements. this experience serves as a reminder that while the path may be challenging, with the right approach, it’s possible to navigate the complexities of educational initiatives and achieve success.