February 27, 2020: I am sitting in a large conference room at the NAIS Annual Conference with hundreds of other heads of school. A new virus is spreading rapidly around the globe, and we are here to discuss how it could potentially impact our schools.March 2, 2020: I am back in Seattle meeting with my senior leadership team. The color drains from their faces as I convey my deep concerns about the coronavirus and share what my intuition tells me: We must immediately develop a plan to move all business operations and educational programs off-campus. I tell them, “We need to create a strategy that will move the school from a centralized campus to one that is fully remote, dispersed among the individual households of all 80 employees.”
March 6, 2020: Seattle has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, and I announce that the school will move entirely to remote operations. On March 13, we close our physical doors for the rest of the school year. As head of school, I have never been so frightened and uncertain of the future, both personally and professionally.
That’s edgework.
We generally accept that change is inevitable, whether it’s a result of our own intentional or unintentional actions or because of forces beyond our control. But whether we choose our opportunities for growth or they are thrust upon us, we gain the most when we approach personal, professional, and organizational growth with intention. That’s what I mean by edgework.
It’s a mindset and an approach—and it is essential for the future of schools.
Schools today find themselves caught between two forces—the desire to be consistent and steadfast and the need to adapt and pivot. In order to survive and thrive, innovation is essential. And although the pandemic forced a wave of innovation unlike any time in recent history—with schools adopting new tools and processes to encourage and support ideation and leveraging creative problem-solving strategies—innovation is not enough.
We are ignoring something much deeper. Schools are facing a future in which pandemics, political upheaval, natural disasters, economic volatility, and unpredictable enrollment bring into question the very infrastructures they have relied on for decades. Such a future demands not only innovative approaches and solutions but an altogether different mindset.
What is Edgework?
I developed the concept of edgework within education nearly 30 years ago, refining it over the course of several decades through my own life experiences, honing it in my work as a classroom teacher and living it as a head of school, and giving the concept a name. I recognized that the term itself helped visualize the process, and while it’s not used much in schools or organizations in general, it does occasionally appear in literature—most often referring to the psychology of extreme risk-taking or as a practice technique in sports such as hockey and skiing. For me, edgework is a mindset and process that engages a growth mindset, encourages perspective-taking, identifies potential opportunities, expands skill sets, and builds confidence. It powerfully influences and shapes who we are as individuals, as well as within our roles as leaders and educators in our organizations.The “edge” symbolizes the boundary of our current capabilities, skills, knowledge, and experience. Often, it reflects the threshold of confidence as well. Too far away from the edge and we are not challenging ourselves. We are in the comfort zone, and we are not learning. Too far over the edge, and we are overly stressed and fearful—we are in the panic zone, and we are not learning. The goal is to be balanced on the edge—one foot secure and the other dangling just over the precipice.
Stepping over the edge is a commitment to the unknown and a recognition that growth requires risk-taking and a willingness to be vulnerable. To be successful, we must not only challenge ourselves and lean into the growth zone, we must also be grounded in who we are—our values and our competencies. It is this awareness that tethers us to our comfort zone as we bravely step into the growth zone.
Edgework is work. And it is personal. It requires reflection, intention, and commitment. It compels us to explore who we are, personally and professionally, while building relationships and inviting others to join us on our journeys. (There are some basic strategies that can help us on the pathway to growth; see “Finding Your Edge” below.)
Edgework’s Influences
Edgework rests upon the influential work of others. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky—specifically his theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD)—provides an important touchstone for edgework.Vygosky’s work focused primarily on child development and is often embedded in early childhood education philosophies and programs, such as Montessori. Children are quite naturally engaged in their own edgework—ZPD—constantly exploring their world and trying new skills. Learning occurs when an experience, a task, or a concept, lies just beyond current skills or awareness. This is the “sweet spot.” Children, with their innate curiosity and when provided with psychological safety, naturally lean into the challenge, into the growth zone.
But as teens and adults grow older, we become more conscious of our perceived limitations or potential consequences of taking risks. We internalize fear of failure. We often choose to stay a little closer to the shore. Nonetheless, I don’t believe we ever lose our innate curiosity. We continue to do our deepest learning when we connect personal meaning to new experiences. Vygotsky recognized that what a child can achieve independently and can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner can be quite different. The idea of “scaffolding” allows children to take the next physical, social, or cognitive step, just as scaffolding our adult experiences allow us to go beyond our current edges and learn new skills and gain new knowledge. As with children, adult learning is also maximized when we have support to help us take a risk and engage in a new experience that is “just beyond” our current limitations.
Edgework also captures the spirit of the flexible mindset, as researched and described by Carol Dweck in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. It embraces a desire to improve, gain new skills, acquire new perspectives, and expand experiences. It is grounded in the idea that “the hand you are dealt is just the starting point for development…based on the belief that your basic qualities are things that you can cultivate through your efforts, strategies, and help from others.”
John Dewey’s early theories and practice, as well as the core tenets of modern-day experiential education, emphasize “learning through doing.” These tenets, adapted from the Association for Experiential Education, are most applicable to edgework:
- The individual’s and the organization’s deep learning occurs when experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis, and synthesis.
- The learning process involves posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning.
- Deep learning engages us intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully, and/or physically.
- The results of learning form the basis for future experience and exploration.
- As we learn, relationships with self and others in and outside of our organizations are developed and nurtured.
- Success, failure, adventure, risk-taking, and uncertainty are part of the learning process because, ultimately, the outcomes of experiences cannot be predicted.
- Learning is an opportunity to explore and affirm one’s personal, professional, and school’s values.
Edgework in Practice
Edgework is particularly hard in schools. We research, study, and discuss decisions for months. We aren’t good at “failing forward.” As leaders and teachers, we find it hard to say, “I don’t know,” or “I need help.”Schools, like most people, are generally risk-averse. We are getting better at innovating inside the box, but I am not sure we are improving our ability (or willingness) to innovate outside the box—over the edge. We are good at pursuing a deliberate strategy. Quite often, these ideas and goals are spelled out in our strategic plans. And while these plans may well be innovative, they rely heavily on preconceived notions about the future. How we achieve those goals may also be innovative, but we have already designed the box and are looking for creative solutions and steps to move those goals forward.
Edgework, in contrast, embodies not only deliberate strategy, but also emergent strategy. I am talking about what Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma and Disrupting Class, refers to as the balance of “calculation and serendipity.” We cannot plan for every strategic outcome. We have to make discoveries along the way. And we must create the conditions for exploration of new ideas, a culture that values and encourages novel thoughts and concepts. I see two ways to create and nurture a climate that allows for discovery—edgework—to happen.
First, examine what behaviors and actions are rewarded. Too often schools reward compliance: the right answer, the completion of a goal, or the achievement of a benchmark. How do we reward novel ideas? Taking chances? Failing forward? Are those behaviors affirmed and rewarded or do people avoid taking a risk or resist saying, “I’ve got an idea”? Even our traditional pay scale in schools sends a powerful signal that performance is more about ticking the boxes than building new ones.
Several years ago at St. Thomas School (WA), we created an innovation grants program in which anyone in the school could submit a proposal for an idea, and if accepted, present the idea to a panel of peers and school leaders. The proposals and presentations needed to be student-centered and have clear goals, a timeline, processes for assessing impact, and any related costs. This last part is important; if approved, there was funding available. Suddenly, we were rewarding new and out-of-the box ideas. Those grants have led to the creation of a center for leadership and innovation, where this work continues to thrive. It is remarkable how faculty are willing to innovate and pursue emergent ideas under the umbrella of a center that gives them permission to explore, fail, and learn.
Creating a revenue-share structure for after-school and summer classes was another significant change. In the more traditional model, faculty were given a stipend for leading an after-school class. Because teachers appreciate being able to tap into their creative ideas and work with students outside of the classroom, we generally had teachers who willingly offered these extracurricular programs. The number of teachers offering a course, the array of options, and enrollment in these classes exploded once we offered a revenue-share approach. The better the class, the more students enrolled and the higher the teacher’s financial reward. Teachers were essentially creating their own business model, including the necessary staffing, materials, and time frame. We began to reward teachers’ entrepreneurial mindsets.
Leading the Work
“We know that vulnerability is the cornerstone of courage-building, but we often fail to realize that without vulnerability there is no creativity or innovation,” says Brené Brown in Dare to Lead. There is no easy way around it: If you want your school to embrace edgework as a mindset and as a practice, and if you want to lead others in their own growth (which, by the way, is the only pathway to organizational growth and improvement), you have to do your own work.The authentic leader is one who displays courage and willingness to be vulnerable; who is committed to serving and building enduring organizations; who has a deep sense of purpose; who is true to their core values; and who leads with integrity, character, and empathy. Authentic leaders are not afraid to “stub their toes” or afraid of people seeing their learning and growth in action because they recognize the importance of being transparent and making learning visible for others.
I often frame the journey this way:
Identify the need to grow or evolve. With the pandemic, the needs were obvious: Keep schools open and mitigate risk to staff and students. When the “need” is not thrust upon us, or perhaps less clear to the organization, we still need clarity on why change is needed or desired.
Ask big questions. Sometimes we start off with too narrow of a focus, almost as if we already know where we expect to land at the end of the journey. But what if our quest is framed as a question? What if we don’t actually know where we are going?
Commit publicly to doing the hard work. Others need to see you taking a stand and setting yourself on the path. There is something empowering in having shared a goal with others. Express your curiosity and your big questions. They can offer support and keep you accountable.
Build in time for self-reflection and be transparent with others. Too often, we do this work internally and don’t give others an opportunity to understand what we are thinking, what worries us, and what strengths or resources we bring (or need).
Identify the uncertainties and the unknowns. What feels risky? Why? What happens when things don’t go
as planned?
Visualize success. Even more powerfully, visualize the lack of success. What does “failure” looks like? How will you course-correct along the way?
Create a map of the journey. What small steps can be taken? What are the check-in points? How will learning influence the next step?
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. All edgework is about transformation and growth. By definition we are going to get uncomfortable.
Communicate the journey, the misteps, the forks in the road, and the successes.
Establishing and nurturing a climate of edgework starts from the top. It requires courage to be vulnerable. It requires the cultivation of a school culture that gives the faculty (and, ultimately, the students) time to get anchored in their own—and the school’s—values and intentions. And it requires permission to step onto, and beyond, the edge. It is a lot more fun to peer over the edge, grab hands, and jump together. That’s teamwork, and that’s organization edgework.
This isn’t just about finding innovative answers and solutions to current problems. This isn’t just about strategic planning. This is about clarifying who we are, what our schools stand for, and setting off on a journey of discovery. Growth only happens on the edge, by stepping into unknown territory. And it is essential if our schools are to thrive in an increasingly complex future. The journey into the unknown strengthens and clarifies what matters most and what is worth holding onto.
Finding Your Edge
There are some basic strategies that can help each of us on the pathway to growth.Set professional and personal goals. We tend to see our personal and professional lives as being quite separate. By articulating goals in all areas of our lives, we unlock the synergy among these goals and allow ourselves to engage our entire mind—creatively, strategically, and tactically.
Goals must be measurable, clear, and time-bound. We must intentionally review our goals at the beginning and end of each day. Most importantly, when setting goals, ask yourself, “Do these truly push me outside of my comfort zone? Do they require me to pursue new skills and knowledge? Are they ambitious enough to create a sense of discomfort?” If the answers are yes, then these are inviting you to step over the edge.
Share your goals with others. We all need accountability partners. If your goals are truly pushing you outside your comfort zone, you need others to be your safety net, check in with you, and support you when you feel self-doubt and vulnerability.
Establish a routine or ritual for reflection. I have found a five-year journal to be so effective. There is only a small space for each day’s entry (which means it is easier to commit to writing each day). The magic is that each year you come back to the same page and can re-read what you wrote on the same day in previous years. This gives you a real sense of progress—and the journey.
Observe and look for forks in the road. We know that the secret to accomplishing our goals is aligning our aspirations with the small steps and actions we take each day. But don’t forget to look for new directions and opportunities. As we move forward, the path will change. There is merit in “staying the course.”