Summary for Educators: “Trust the Process – Sitting in the Discomfort (and Why That’s Okay)”

In their June 29, 2025 post titled “Trust the Process”, Nicole and Trici from Beyond the Box offer educators a reflective, transformative approach to leadership and collaboration by centering the work around a shared vision and a powerful framework they call the Gameboard of Change. This tool is not just a strategic model—it’s a pathway to collective growth, deeper connection, and lasting school transformation.

Starting with Purpose

The authors assert that educational initiatives can’t succeed with top-down mandates. Instead, impactful change grows from shared purpose, nurtured through honest conversation and deep listening. Before moving forward, teams must clarify what they are working toward—not in isolation, but together.

The foundation of this approach lies in co-creating a shared vision—one that inspires and unites. Educators must engage in generative dialogue, openly exploring aspirations, current realities, and future possibilities.

The Gameboard of Change

At the heart of this process is a deceptively simple protocol. Teams begin by drawing:

• A box on the far left, representing current reality—an honest, nonjudgmental snapshot of where things stand.

• A cloud on the far right, symbolizing the preferred future—an open, imaginative space that captures how teaching and learning should look, sound, and feel.

This visual exercise helps educators externalize abstract ideas and discover how much they already share in terms of goals and values. It also creates a psychologically safe space for all voices to be heard.

Embracing Discomfort

Between the box and the cloud is the uncomfortable in-between. Rather than rushing to action, teams are encouraged to “sit in the discomfort”—to explore the tension and allow meaningful insights to emerge. This step resists the urge for premature solutions and instead nurtures authentic problem-solving.

Force Field Analysis: A Next-Step Generator

To navigate the space between current reality and future vision, teams engage in a force field analysis, identifying:

• Drivers that push them toward their goal

• Resistors that hold them back

• Resources and capacities they need

This activity reveals natural action steps, empowering individuals to self-select roles and take ownership of the work. The process fosters distributed leadership and intrinsic motivation.

Building Capacity and Collective Efficacy

The Gameboard of Change is not a one-time tool—it’s cyclical and scalable. As teams revisit it with each new milestone or initiative, teacher agency increases, and collective efficacy—the shared belief in the team’s ability to impact student learning—strengthens. This research shows that, is among the most significant factors influencing student achievement.

Broader Application

The beauty of this model lies in its adaptability. Beyond curriculum planning, it works with:

• Parent groups: Including stakeholders in shaping school direction

• Students: Inviting learner voice into reimagining school experiences

• Personal life: Applying the framework to career changes, habit shifts, or even family planning

Final Thoughts

This post is a call to educators to trust the process. When we hold space for possibility and involve others in building the future, transformation becomes not just achievable—but sustainable and deeply human.

Original Article

Source: Nicole & Trici. Trust the Process: Sitting in the Discomfort (and Why That’s Okay). Beyond the Box, June 29, 2025. https://beyondthebox.substack.com/p/trust-the-process

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com