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Momentum: get your mass moving!

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Momentum is a powerful tool for a leader; if you can get it going in the direction you want it to go. It can also be your foe if you it is going the wrong direction and you are not able to stop it. As a school leader, you can see this happening often. An initiative comes along that really makes sense, it’s working and people can see the results. The more people join in, the more the movement picks up steam and you are really move it. The effort has gained momentum. You can also see something fall apart and spin out of control even faster. Sir Issac Newton’s first law of motion is: an object in motion, tends to stay in motion. Momentum is defined as mass times velocity. The more mass you get moving, the stronger the momentum, Think of a freight train that weighs millions of pounds. The heavy engines take time to build up speed, and once its move it, the system is very efficient to move heavy freight long distances. But all that mass moving at 60-80 miles an hour does not turn or stop we...
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What does marginal effort do for you?

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Noah Lyles Wins the 100 Meter in Dramatic Photo Finish WSJ 4 Aug 2024 I once spoke with a business leader in an airport waiting at our gate.  He was a tech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley.  We spoke about our employees and how they contributed to our organizations.  He had a startup educational technology business, at the time, I was as district official supervising 54 schools.  I learned from him a simple truth, that a little more effort, above the average, was all it took to stand out above the rest.   Now, all of these athlete above are world class and given a lifetime of training and effort to their sport.  Well above ordinary, but in the photo above, it is a fraction of a second that made the difference.  Lyles did not win this race by a few seconds, its was a fraction. Anyone who has both risen to a position of leadership as a supervisor, manager or executive knows this principle.  Those individuals have performed in a way that is seen...
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A little Courage goes a long way

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Leaders are often at a crossroads when a decision has to be made. Some are really easy and obvious choices. Those do not require much courage. Others are fraught with challenge, controversy, unknown and unintended negative consequences. This is where a leader's courage to act comes in. This last summer I shared the power of a moment to my district's school administrators. I retold an experience when as a high school principal, I made some bold statements to my teachers. I wanted to instill in them that they matter, that they make a difference in the lives of students. I further stated that if they did not believe they had the power to make a difference, they needed to find a new professional as soon as possible and not be around me. A few weeks ago, one of my elementary principals, told me that she followed my example this Fall. There was a moment in her staff meeting when some of her teachers started making excuses for their school's test scores ...
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Ride the Rapids of Leadership

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In today's heightened stressful environments brought on by the unrest in our communities both real and online, it can feel like navigating a river of Class V rapids.  I am no expert in rafting, but I have been a time or two down the American River near Sutter's Mill in the Gold Country of El Dorado County, CA.  The only safety tips I remember were, "If you fall out, keep your head up, point your feet downriver, and wait for the water to calm down before you swim to the side." Thanks to: raftecho.com for the information  and the image. We know that not everything is going to go your way.  Sometimes things are really messy and not easy to solve.  It can feel very turbulent, moving too fast, with obstacles in the way, and entanglements that can trap us or pull us down.  But just like in rafting, the same safety principles apply. Keep your head up, you still have to breathe.  This principle is all about self-care.  I never did yoga until I became a su...
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Making Your Leadership More Visible

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  On occasion, I am asked by an aspiring leader, "What can I do to be ready for my next step?"  I have provided both general and specific counsel based on what I think is needed, and though I have experience, that does not make me an expert.  I have perspective, but that does not mean I can see all things.  I try to best serve my colleagues with honest feedback, but I also know that it does not always land well or might not be the right counsel for them in that moment, or context.   But I came across some helpful information that may help you.  It helped me, and I am not looking for a promotion, but I do want to contribute the best I can. This summer I listened to a great  podcast from Harvard Business Review .  (Harvard Business Review Podcast 29 May 2024; How to Make Your Leadership Potential More Visible.) In it, Suzanne Peterson shares counsel for aspiring leaders to work on how they demonstrate their potential.  In many ways, it is ...
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The Power of Moments

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As a school superintendent, I am often called upon to speak with little notice, so I have to always be prepared. Other times, I get to plan a message. This one has been planned for months. This year, our District-wide theme is The Power of Moments, inspired by the book, The Power of Moments by Heath and Heath. Great message and it really resonated. Earlier in the summer, I shared this theme with my principals and managers. I shared the message by way of my summer vacation and all moments that were both created and simply occurred.   Some were years in the making, and others appeared on the spot. For example, my wife and took a Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral because we really wanted to visit Disney's private island and snorkel in the lagoon. It's been on our bucket list for nearly 20 years. We did it and it was great! Other powerful moments just happen. During our summer road trip, we stopped in Capitol Reef National Park and hiked out to Hickman Bridge, a natural arch of s...
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Clarity makes all the difference!

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  Clarity!  Most of the conflict in our lives and work is about the lack of clarity.  Too many times in my life, I did not understand the expectation, or I was not clear in my communication to another about what I expected.  Sometimes, the issue is benign like getting the wrong kind of bread at the store on the way home. Other times, it can be catastrophic, even deadly. Douglas Fouts retells the World War II story of Exercise Tiger.  A preparatory simulation for D day later that year. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/deadly-consequences-poor-communication-douglas-fouts/) "On the morning of April 27th, 1944, the plan was to launch this practice assault at 7:30am in the morning, however, one of the ships that was going to be used for the was experiencing operational issues that required repairs. The decision was made by the generals to postpone the practice run an hour… but the communication of this decision broke down and therefore the majority of watercrafts...
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