February 17 , 2021 /

ILLUSTRATED INTENTION

Some people who know me might be surprised to learn that when I was invited to speak to a team of educators in an outstanding school, it was somewhat daunting for me. I speak to many school groups including faculties, boards of trustees, leadership teams, parents and students. The topics range over a wide variety

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January 21 , 2020 /

Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way

The bumper sticker message is clear. It does not ask a question. It’s in the imperative and requires a choice or a response. You may or may not choose to lead. You may or may not choose to follow the leader. If you wish to be neither a leader nor a follower then the message

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October 25 , 2019 /

TEN IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR EDUCATORS

Reflecting on a long and continuing career as a professional educator, here are 10 lessons I consider among those that are important.  Understanding this part of the definition of “important” may help: “likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.” This doesn’t mean there aren’t more lessons.  These are some of mine,

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May 20 , 2019 /

A HARD LOOK AT SCHOOL CULTURE

Starting in 1964 and stopping full time involvement in 2011, I worked with three types of schools that “educate” most of the K-12 children in the United States – public, private and charter which is a public school of choice.  Approximately 1,770,000 students are home schooled.    As we approach the end of another academic

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February 11 , 2019 /

THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP: TEN CHARACTERISTICS

The “spirit” of outstanding leaders can be seen, heard and felt in at least the following ten ways.  These behaviors of excellent  leadership are confirmed through experienced, successful leaders who have earned the respect of their colleagues and their peers.  You may know some people who exhibit these qualities on a regular, sustained basis. 1

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August 19 , 2018 /

A BETTER MOUSETRAP

The phrase “build a better mousetrap” turned into a metaphor about the power of innovation and is frequently taken literally, with more than 4,400 patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office for new mousetraps, with thousands more unsuccessful applicants, making them the “most frequently invented device in U.S. history.” Five “better mousetrap” books

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