Brain Rule # 2 – Survival – The human brain evolved, too – John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008 

We are thinking creatures. Our thoughts and development goes well beyond simple survival. We strive to understand not only our own needs – we have evolved to understand one another’s intentions and motivations. We have evolved to coordinate needs within a group . . . to care for others.

 

Leadership isn’t about being the strongest, fastest, or smartest. Leadership is about getting a group of people to perform at the highest levels. What we do every day is about bringing out the best in others. Your task is to continually process what is needed for the group to perform. It is reflective and based on a growth mindset. What is required of you today may be different than what was required yesterday.

 

Leadership is an evolutionary process . . . it is changing to meet the needs of today. Each event, each encounter, demands that we reassess, recalculate, and recalibrate our response. We strive to serve others, to live with purpose, and to do what is required of us.

 

Standing still isn’t an option; performing the same as yesterday won’t continue to move us forward. Evolve, improve, and strive to be elite!

Brain Rule # 1 – Exercise – Exercise Boosts Brain Power – John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008 

You know it and I know it . . . exercise improves our lives. Exercise improves our thinking and reasoning skills. We know it, yet for some reason it seems to take a back seat.

 

We’ve all sat in meetings or events and found ourselves drifting off. The longer we sit . . . the more lethargic we become. It’s simple . . . long meetings equal less productivity. Exercise – movement – gets blood to our brains, bringing it glucose for energy and oxygen to soak up the toxic electrons that are left over. We’ve seen the brain studies . . . movement stimulates neuron activities.

 

So . . . starting today, do not allow yourself to sit still for long periods of time. Get up from meetings . . . walk around . . . take control of your own brain activity. It doesn’t take discipline to “sit and listen” . . . it takes discipline to take control of your own brain activity. Boost your own productivity; activity makes us all better!

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”  – Aristotle

 

What habits do you have?   What things do you do without thinking about them?  What do you do that, if you didn’t do it, would ruin your day?

 

Coaches drill specific plays – specific actions – for athletes to master.  Coaches strive to create game-type situations in practice . . . we are what we repeatedly do!

 

Musicians practice the hard passages of a piece over and over until it becomes second nature.  They strive for excellence in the practice room . . . that excellence is then repeated on the stage.

 

In our classrooms we practice skills and master techniques.  From math problems to science labs, from developing reading skills to writing, they become part of daily life . . . we are what we repeatedly do.

 

Today, think about your habits.  What do you do repeatedly that makes you excellence?  What do you do that keeps you from becoming excellent?  Be discipline and intentional . . . extend the habits to pursue excellence and eliminate the behaviors that bring you down.

Atychiphobia is defined as an unwarranted fear of failure.

 

As leaders we must commit ourselves to ending the unwarranted fear of failure.  As leaders, our words and actions must be in alignment.  Leaders encourage intentional risk taking; leaders model taking risks themselves.

 

A leader can’t play it safe . . . a leader can’t talk the talk without walking the walk.

 

As a leader, I strive to be purposeful as I embrace the discomfort of change.  Yes, there are times fear – or our internal voice – is good.  There are times fear warns us to press pause.  I am not proposing for leaders to be reckless or haphazard; I am encouraging leaders to keep driving for excellence.  To strive to be elite.

 

Fight your atychiphobia . . . fight the unwarranted fear of failure.  As my friend Tim Kight continues to remind us, “Fail forward.”

 

Our public schools have been very slow to change. Our schools – both in schedule and structure – look very similar to schools from the 1980’s, 1960’s and even 1940’s.  

 

One of the reasons we have failed in changing the school structure is because we nibble around the edges. There are things we know about education . . . we have facts, research, and evidence that we need to personalize education. We know we can’t test kids out of poverty. We know that teachers need additional time in the day for professional planning, collaboration, and teaming. We know that many students “slide” during the summer months.

 

As leaders we must create an environment, we must build the culture that encourages more than nibbling around the edges. We must cultivate a culture that embraces the discomfort of change and isn’t afraid of failure.  

 

Our work can’t be about embracing the status quo . . . it must be about a growth mindset committed to excellence. No one has ever been excellent by nibbling around the edges.

 

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”  – Helen Keller

 

In the world of educating children there is very little that can be done alone.  It truly takes a team effort to prepare each generation of young people to be successful in the future.  It truly takes teamwork, partnership, and collaboration to help each student on the journey from childhood to graduation.

 

In the school setting there is the temptation to say “I’ve got this” and to work to solve problems individually.  The structure of our buildings often contributes to the “independent contractor” mentality.   The ownership of “my class” or “my student” can be pervasive.

 

Yes, we all must start with taking responsibility for our own actions.  We value a “Stand up and Own it” commitment to excellence.  We also believe – we know in our inner core – that we are stronger together.  Each of us . . . each dedicated, professional, and skilled member of our team . . . working in concert together contributes to our overall success.

 

We do our part, we act with purpose, and we make a difference every day so we can be counted on by the team.  Alone we can only go so far . . . working together we have limitless potential.  Today, in your personal and professional life, commit to make the team better.  Commit to serve the great purpose with your individual contributions.

 

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”   – Robert Frost

 

Teaching takes many different roles.  I think in our society today we are doing the world of education a disservice by failing to embrace the complexity of what we ask teachers to do.

 

We are actively promoting critical thinking, problem solving, and inspirational learning.  We have Makers Spaces and flexible learning environments . . . we encourage student voice and choice.  We celebrate these qualities in our teachers . . . we seek ways to lift-up these important skills.

 

Don’t get me wrong . . . don’t miss my point.  These attributes are essential in the education we provide students today.  We must grow thinkers . . . we must discover passion and inspire greatness.

 

But . . . and this is an important but . . . we must also provide the foundation for learning.  We must also prepare students to do the necessary work.  Just as we inspire passion, we must also instill discipline.  Just as we grow thinkers, we must also teach respect for process and understanding of organizational structure.  Part of a well-rounded education is preparing students to live in a society that has laws and expectations.  Life often requires hard-work, dedication, and digging in to get things done.

 

Teachers are awakeners . . . they awaken the passion and inspiration in their students.  They awaken the students to the reality of what success requires.  They awake a balance – the balance that is required to be Ready for Tomorrow.

 

“Teachers teach because they care.  Teaching young people is what they do best.  It requires long hours, patience, and care.”  – Horace Mann

 

Teaching isn’t a job . . . teaching is a calling.  For teachers, their work is in their blood – it’s part of their DNA.

 

Teachers plan lessons on the weekend and grade papers on the couch into the late hours of the night.

 

Teachers worry about their students and continuously reflect on how to be more supportive, more challenging, and better prepared.

 

Teachers collaborate with parents . . . they are honest, real, and professional.

 

Teachers teach because they care . . . they are inspired to build foundations that will last for lifetimes.

 

 

It has been said that, “Teaching is the profession that creates all others.”

 

Every doctor, every lawyer, every engineer . . . every teachers has been taught by teachers.

 

Next to our families . . . our teachers shaped who we are today.  Our teachers have provided us with academic skills and developed life skills in each of us.

 

Our schools are the center of our student’s social development.  Students learn to engage their peers, develop the skills necessary to interact in groups, and appreciate the diverse community in which we live.  Teachers cultivate these skills in their students.

 

During this teacher appreciation week take the time to thank a teacher.  Our teachers are creating the future.  Teachers are cultivating the minds that will be our future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and yes . . . teachers.

Occam’s razor – all things being equal, simpler explanations are generally better than complex ones.

 

Occam’s razor is a heuristic used to help scientists through theoretical models; it is a process to help frame logic and test results.  We live and work in a complex world.  We face challenges; we deal with events, each and every day.  We have been working with Tim Kight on implementation of another heuristic, E + R = O, Event + Response = Outcome.

 

As we face events throughout our lives – both personal and professional – we must be intentional and purposeful in our actions.  For me, this is about stopping for a moment – pressing pause – to consider my emotions and the desire outcomes.  These heuristics, or methods to view a process, are a framework to reach the intended outcome.

 

As we consider our response to any event, application of Occam’s razor is essential.  Don’t fall into the trap of creating complex solutions for simple problems.  The simpler the solution, the better for everyone.  As we press pause and get our minds around what is required of us . . . keep it simple!