(Continued from Previous Post)
Four years ago we loaded up our vehicles to move my oldest daughter into a college dorm. After the three hour trip and the emotions of this major life transition, we weren't exactly ready for the energy required to unload her belongings. Much to our surprise and delight, immediately upon parking in front of her dorm our car was surrounded by smiling upperclassmen who were prepared to do the grunt work. Amazingly all of the boxes, pillows, decor, and other items were carted to her room in less than ten minutes! My daughter was excited to meet some of the students and we were relieved not to have to walk those stairs so many times. That was an awesome first experience that I obviously haven't forgotten.

“You never get a second chance 
to make a good first impression.”
-- Will Rogers

How important is that first impression on the first day of school? Very! The experience on that first day alone can trump whatever happens the rest of the school year. First impressions are so powerful that they generally supersede your marketing and enrollment communications.

I love ping pong! My dad taught me how to play and we would play for hours. Literally! We would play first one to win 21 games. The way we played it was an aerobic workout. Of course, I enjoy the same relationship with my son where we've played many ping pong marathons and made lots of great memories.

The video below is of Ibrahim Hamato, who has been recently added to our Innovation Hall of Fame. Wow! What a story!

http://youtu.be/aDdh2439hnU

I've watched that video several times and still find it hard to believe how he plays ping pong at such a competitive level using a paddle in his mouth. Talk about reinventing the game. But it's not just his paddle movements--look at the way he moves his feet, positions his body, and plans his shots. This man has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve his dream.

What are the obstacles that are holding you back?

Why are you not pursuing your dreams? What steps can you take to inspire the dreams of your students?

Is it Fear?

Some fear is healthy, but sometimes its False Expectations Appearing Real. Fear of failure, embarrassment, commitment, change, loneliness, .... When you look at the worst case scenario, do you find that your imagination makes your fears seem scarier than they should be? Take the time to be very clear about where you want to go. Yes, you're going to deal with difficult times and uphill battles, but you can avoid getting bogged down in the fears by preparing your mind on a daily basis to focus on the big-picture goals. Focus keeps you on the path, moving forward through the obstacles.

Your dream can produce a high ”return,” if you are willing to address the risks it requires. Not achieving your dream is usually your choice--often because you choose not to take the chance of failure. Intentionally evaluate the risks to take ownership of your future and that of your school.

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. ― Rosa Parks

Is it Complacency?

Deadlines can create enough urgency for some, but others need a full blown crisis in order to get moving. It's okay to expose weaknesses in yourself or your school in order to escalate the importance of action. One way is to raise the expectations so high that your team can’t achieve them through the status quo. Everyone, especially you, should be accountable for success by sharing specific goals and performance data that forces them to face the brutal facts. Be prepared to manage weaknesses and competitive threats in an honest manner that emphasizes opportunities, rewards for success, and aggressively addresses those factors that are inhibiting growth.

There are few things more pathetic than those who have lost their curiosity and sense of adventure, and who no longer care to learn. ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Is it Procrastination?

Procrastination isn't necessarily about being lazy--often you can work intensely for long hours in order to meet deadlines. You postpone doing what you know you are supposed to do, always finding an excuse to push back to later what should be happening now. Self-discipline is critical to your success. Procrastination is a habit that you can beat. This deeply ingrained pattern of behavior isn't easy to break but with persistence and practice you can maximize your chances of overcoming this obstacle. Figure out how to use your natural strengths and instincts to be most productive, and build a team around you that recognizes, understands, and leverages each other's unique genius.

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. ― Pablo Picasso

Do you have Laser Focus on the best strategies and results for this upcoming year? Shared vision with crystal clear priorities?

Intentional planning for the first 90-days of the school year will help your leaders be better organized, with clear direction and accountability for everyone and a contagious culture for achievement. Your goal is focused strategy that allocates resources according to your priorities and builds unifying vision throughout the school community.

As a school administrator, the decisions you make over the next 90 days will determine the success of your school and your students next school year.

Next year will not be better than your talent and your school design. So what will you do now to make sure you and your school are in the best situation to achieve excellence? Now is the time to consider how you will adjust the talent mix in your program to maximize the opportunities for everyone in your community. No pressure, but this is what leadership is all about!

April showers bring May flowers. After such a long, hard winter we're all ready for spring, but the spring season brings with it some big challenges for school leaders.

A few weeks ago I shared a blog post about the causes and risks of being an Overloaded School Leader. The responses on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., were very interesting:

Growing a school in today's innovation economy requires some strategy adjustments: Listening to families in your target market is even more important, using your school as a platform to establish trust throughout the community, and finding new ways to add value. The best schools are redefining their relationships with students and families to build proactive collaboration, enabling them to thrive within this new economic reality where trust is the valued currency.

Below are three strategies you can use to listen, build trust, and innovate.

Overtly Define Success

What would happen in your school if the board, administrators and teachers understood that they win only when the students win? Student success has to be defined so clearly that everyone at every level of leadership knows how to win. Social media and personal feedback allows you to rapidly listen and responsively improve the school's processes and results. Your reputation for excellence and trust is dominated by the voice of student and parents who will rave about your genuineness or disparage the lack of concern. As the school leader your challenge is to overtly define success so that you are truly building your school instead of that of your predecessor(s). It's hard for the other people in the school to know what you want when your directions are vague and lack purpose.

Embrace Collaboration

For a variety of reasons the culture and economy has shifted toward collaborative problem solving. School designers have to think of their students, parents, and especially teachers as interactive partners who want a real voice in decisions and plans. When they are actively encouraged to share stories, ideas, feedback, and aspirations, they become intrinsically motivated to contribute their valuable resources toward the goals of the school. This shift to collaborative design requires a more developed emotional and interpersonal intelligence among the adults involved, which also serves as a powerful model for students.

Flexibly Adapt

For the first time in the history of the world, people can learn anything without a teacher or a school. Once you get your head around that idea, it makes more sense that the school model as you know it is changing. As a school designer your organization is more likely to grow as you implement processes and systems to adapt more quickly to the needs and opportunities of your target community. Find unique ways to differentiate your program in terms of personalization, depth of experience, and autonomy over how time is used. It is likely that your school will have to find a balance between being a learning destination (comprehensive curriculum that is self-contained) and a learning portal (providing access to both local and wired learning resources with credit given based on demonstrated mastery).

The school board and administration must be prepared to manage conflict and fear as the school/district responsibly and intelligently experiments with new school designs. Obviously expectations will remain high for results, and performance assessments will need to be carefully prepared in order to communicate accurately. Common language will be key to overcoming the risks, especially in an over-politicized environment where the adult issues are prioritized over the needs of students. Dialogue and discussion will be critical to building momentum, with focus on the guiding principles rather than polarizing positions that emphasize "right" and "wrong."

Board policies directly impact the school’s ability to innovate and compete in today’s marketplace. The leadership modeled by the school board influences the administrations ability to continue to innovate and improve the school or district.