Future-Proof Education

I am currently reading "Stop Stealing Dreams" by Seth Godin.  This free e book tackles the question "What is school for?" and is based on the premise that the economy has changed forever but school hasn't.  If you haven't downloaded it yet, you can find it here.


There are an abundance of points that resonate with me.  I thought I'd share my favorite quote so far below: 

"The two pillars of a future-proof education: 

# 1 Teach kids how to lead. 

# 2 Help them learn to solve interesting problems."

I couldn't agree more with those two pillars.  How do we build schools around those pillars?  That is a definitely a question to tackle in future posts.  


Download your copy and join the worldwide dialogue around "What is school for?".

5 Questions to Test Your Leadership Visibility

I believe that every person in this world has dreamed of having the power to be invisible.  It would be nice to have the power to strategically vanish (if only for a little while).  As nice as it would be…the power of invisibility does not translate well into the world of leadership.

Visibility is a key part of being an effective leader.  The visibility of a leader has been linked to overall organizational effectiveness, innovation, and to student achievement in schools.  Most people think of a single question when the notion of a leader's visibility comes up. 

• Are you a visible leader?

I always find some fault with yes/no type questions because they do not require you to justify, prove or even think much.  You can easily answer yes and still not be effective.  This is often the case when we treat essential leadership traits as check marks.  Each skill falls on a continuum with a never-ending cycle of improvement.   

Instead, consider the following five questions:

1. How would people know what you value?
2. How does your calendar reflect what you find is important?
3. Where are you the most visible?
4. Where are you the least visible?
5. Does this match your stated priorities, key initiatives, data points, etc.?

These are just a few questions to get you thinking about visibility and moving in the right direction on the continuum.  The world is in need of super leaders.  We just don't need one with powers of invisibility.  

Showing up and being visible is only the first step.  Now you have to do something!

Surviving a Leadership Undercurrent

My mother always scared me with stories of rip tides or undercurrents taking people out to sea.  I believe her purpose was to keep me safe but it was also to show me the power of something that you cannot see.  Undercurrents exist both in the ocean and in organizations of all sizes.  People who are not cognizant of the undercurrent can be taken further away from the shore without even realizing it.  Leaders who lack situational awareness can also be taken further away from the mission/vision of the organization by not understanding the signs around them.  This type of situational awareness is an essential leadership skill

It is not surprising that the concept of situational awareness has been linked to both organization effectiveness and even student achievement. The researchers at McREL identified 21 key leadership responsibilities that are significantly correlated with higher student achievement.  The leadership responsibility with the highest correlation to student achievement was situational awareness.    

Leaders must understand their staff and community members’ dispositions to the changes they are leading.  This does not mean that you have to wait until everyone is happy and on board with the change.  In truth, that moment will never occur because people naturally resist change.  The key for leaders is to tailor their practices in stakeholder accordance with disposition and changes that are occurring. 

Not every tool should be a hammer and not every problem is a nail.   Some changes are easier for people to implement while others may be in direct opposition to prevailing attitudes. Effective leaders understand how the changes they are leading will be received and understood by all stakeholders.   The most effective leaders take the understanding a step further and tailor their leadership styles to create a movement for these changes.

The following advice on undercurrents comes from Trails.com:

Undercurrents are real and you cannot always see them but you can sense and feel when they begin to take hold.  As a swimmer if you do get caught in an undercurrent, don't exhaust yourself trying to swim against it. The best method for combating undercurrent is to attempt to swim perpendicular to the direction of the undercurrent. These rip tides typically exist in patches, and if you can swim out of the patch you will be able to return to shore.

Now read the previous paragraph again and replace swimmer with leader and swim with lead.  

Does it still make sense?  This advice holds true for both leaders and swimmers.  Leaders will exhaust themselves by going directly against the undercurrent.  Think about the undercurrent during your next initiative.  Your situational awareness will be key to not only surviving but also effectively implementing a new initiative to move your organization forward.  

6 Leadership Lessons From Dr. Seuss

Today is the day that the legendary Dr. Seuss was born.  Many images enter you head when someone mentions Dr. Seuss.  You may think of your first book, green eggs and ham, or even that pesky Grinch who stole Christmas.  When I think about Dr. Seuss I envision leadership lessons.  Below you will find a series of quotes from the collective works of Dr. Seuss and a brief explanation of how each relates to leadership. 

                     

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Leaders should be bold, take risks, and move organizations forward.  One of my favorite sayings is that managers do things right and leaders do the right things.  That's the difference between fitting in and standing out.  Dr. Seuss did not fit in and neither should you.  

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”  

I believe that leaders have a responsibility to be the "Lead Learner".  You set the tone for the rest of the organization through your actions.  The best leaders are typically learners first.  The great news is that you do not have to attend a conference or pay for an expensive workshop to get smarter.  Technology allows leaders to leverage the wisdom of the world.  You can even become smarter in a box with a fox or on a train in the rain.

“With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.” 

The not-so-good street that many leaders end up on has to do with actions not matching words.  A leader can have the best ideas and intentions yet go nowhere when the actions don't match up.  A leader’s actions must always match even if your wardrobe does not match like many of the characters in Dr. Seuss’ imagination.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, 

because those who mind don't matter, 

and those who matter don't mind” 

If everyone is happy with the work you are doing then you probably aren't leading much of anything.   Leadership is about change and relentlessly seeking a better way.  Somebody, somewhere will not be excited about change and a better way.  Make sure you take inventory of those who mind and those who matter.  

“You have brains in your head. 

You have feet in your shoes 

You can steer yourself 

any direction you choose.” 

Do not be afraid to abandon an initiative that isn't working.  Leaders often ignore signs that an initiative or project should change direction.  Leaders can and should admit when a project has failed or an idea hasn't panned out.  This type of transparency builds trust within an organization.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

 Everyone has a responsibility to lead.  You are the only one that brings your combination of skills to the table.  Nothing will get better without your leadership and today is the only day you are guaranteed.

There were many more quotes that I could choose.  

So next time you are reading a Dr. Seuss Book 

Make sure not to snooze.

Impossible is Nothing

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." 

- Muhammad Ali

5 Free iPad Apps that Bring the News to You

I am a big believer in finding ways to be more efficient.  I love to Google and wander through endless resources online but I find myself utilizing apps that feed news, blogs, articles, etc. more and more.  Here are five apps that I am currently using to bring all of the smart information that is out there to me.

1. Zite is a free personalized magazine that automatically learns what you like and gets smarter every time you use it. I have expanded my interests and discovered new authors, topics, etc.  This app also allows you to share directly from the magazine.  I can even save into Evernote, ReaditLater, Instapaper, etc.  

2. SkyGrid is billed as a beautiful and captivating way to stay up to date on your news. You can follow sources, topics and receive updates on the interests you care about. The customized Photo Grid™ is also a nice feature.  

3. Flipboard also creates a personalized magazine out of everything being shared with you. I love that you can flip through your Facebook newsfeed, tweets from your Twitter timeline, photos from Instagram and much more. The interface is both beautiful and functional.

4. News360 is a new app for me.  It provides many of the same functions as the previous three.  News360 for iPad aggregates more than 7000 different news sources around the web to bring you news stories in a concise and useful stream.  I do like the way News360 can learn from your Facebook, Twitter, Evernote & Google Reader accounts to automatically create an interest graph that you use to get the stories that are most relevant to you.

5.  MobileRSS I'd be remiss if I didn't add a mobile RSS feeder to the list.  There are many different ones out there.  The one I currently utilize is very simple and straightforward.  You can move directly from the reader to email, Twitter, ReaditLater, etc.


I know that there are many more apps that you are utilizing to both become smarter and more efficient.  Feel free to share!

Leap Before You Look

This year is a leap year as evidenced by today being February 29th.  It should also be a leap year for your leadership practices.  I know you have heard the saying "Look Before You Leap" a million times. This concept was unsuccessfully drilled in my head throughout a series of leaping adventures growing up where both bones and many household items were broken.

What if we were to flip that saying around during this leap year?

Instead of "Look Before You Leap" we would "Leap Before We Look".  

Many people spend so much time looking that they become paralyzed by fear and never leap.  We also box ourselves into what people have done before and impose constraints that may not be necessary.  We are in need of some big changes in education.  Those changes will not be made by people who are afraid to leap.

Many changes are being made TODAY on the shoulders of teachers and administrators that have the courage to allow students to bring their own device, flip the classroom, engage students in service learning, and more.  Our students need us to leap today so that they have the tomorrow they deserve.

I firmly believe that you can lead from wherever you are.  Leadership is all about having the courage to leap forward knowing that failure is possible.

This is your leap year.  What leaps will you make to propel all of us forward?