Built to Last

The School Leader's Guide for Sustaining Change While Managing Resistance

Building change for the long game

It’s natural to resist change – but when we fundamentally commit to putting our students first, we must also commit to make lasting changes in current practice. Can we lead individuals and school teams to embrace strategic effort and lasting growth despite challenging circumstances and inevitable resistance?

For school leaders willing to change their behavior on behalf of their teams, the answer is Yes! This practical, thoughtful book builds on what we already know about change, invites reflection, and provides guidance to develop changes that will last. Readers will learn to:

• Organize and create conditions in which staff and students flourish
• Focus on phases of change and address the critical leadership practices that will simultaneously move change forward and address the kinds of resistance that may appear
• Apply two long-term stories of district change to their own particular contexts, so they can avoid mistakes and focus on strategies that work
• Create their own relationship-rich, personalized path for leading and managing change

We can build more reliable and effective changes in schools by ensuring steady progress over time. Dig into this informative book to discover the what, how, and why of a holistic change architecture to move your teams toward impactful changes that will stand the test of time.