Had a conversation with my son last night about studying for a test. He was a bit discouraged because it appeared that the test he took didn’t have anything to do with the material covered in class. His question to me… How can you study for a test when you don’t know what’s going to be on the test? Great …
A Better Kind Of Character
I want to come back to the leadership image I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. I firmly believe the best student leaders (or most any leader) will lead from the inside out. They will take the time to develop who they are on the inside more than the type of person they hope to portray on the …
One Calendar To Rule Them All
Continuing with the theme of planning from yesterday’s post (read it here), I want to share some observations about my calendar. 1. I have one calendar. You might walk into my office and see a calendar hanging on the wall, but that’s not my calendar. The calendar that shows me the date on my desktop isn’t my calendar either. I …
Discipline Sounds A Lot Like Consistency
One of the first things I encourage others to reflect on in their leadership journey is the ability to lead themselves first. This flows out of the belief that the best leaders lead by example. The expectations a leader places on others should be reflected in the expectations a leader has of him or herself. Leaders lead themselves first. The …
How To Make An Impact Series #5
This is the last post in the “How To Make An Impact” series. The purpose of walking students through the Impact Graph is to help them see where they are and challenge them to go further in their ability to make a difference in their environment. One of the caveats to this kind of conversation is the desire of the …
How To Make An Impact Series #4
Blake Mycoskie made a discovery. While in Argentina, he noticed that a lot of kids didn’t have shoes. So he returned to the United States and started a shoe company. For every pair of shoes that someone buys here, he gives away a pair of shoes to someone who needs them. You’ve probably heard of Blake’s company – Tom’s Shoes. …
How To Make An Impact Series #3
Imagine you are watching the start of a race. The runners are at the starting blocks. Their feet are set and their fingers spread just behind the white line in their lane. The starter raises his hand and says these words: On your mark. Get set. Go! Imagine that all the runners take off…except for one. This runner remains in …
How To Make An Impact Series #1
I work with student leaders. Let me state that another way: I work with students who are in the process of developing their leadership knowledge, leadership skills, and leadership perspective. In the course of this type of work, I find it helpful to provide students with various pictures and tools that help them identify where they are and where they’re …