Innovation – something different that has an impact.  – Scott Anthony

Innovation is more than an idea; it is more than a concept.  Innovation makes an impact; innovation is positive change.  The idea is only the beginning.  The idea must be executed, reviewed, and improved.  There is nothing simple or easy about innovation; innovation requires work.

Innovation embraces the uncertainty of process.  It is the journey from the idea, through execution, to impact. We don’t innovate using the process already in place.  We can’t evaluate success with the existing performance metrics.  Education today requires an innovative approach in some areas.  Let’s be intentional in the areas that we innovate to create the most positive impact for our students.

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker

Public education has long been defined by outside forces.  From legislators with political agendas to media outlets focused on ratings, from government bureaucrats to think tanks, external forces with divergent purposes all influence both the perception and the policies that govern the very schools we serve.  

The time is now to take back the conversation . . . to shape the future that is required of us.  We serve the students in our care; we serve our school community.  Let’s eliminate the noise and set the course that best prepares our students for the future.  We must stop reacting to unfocused, bifurcated messages.  The best future for our students, for our country, is for us to write the narrative, to set the course for public education.

The thing that’s important for me is to remember what’s the most important thing.  – George W. Bush

We all get pulled in a myriad of different directions each and every day.  The stimuli we face in today’s electronic, need it now culture are multidimensional.  From the ping of an alert to the vibration of a text message, from the constant flow of information on our computer screens to the video monitors on seemingly every wall, it is beyond easy to get distracted.  

It has never been more important to develop discipline in our lives.  A new attention to focus is required; developing filters to remain centered on what is most important is an essential still.  

Be aware today of each distraction . . . of each “pull” in a different direction.  Be intentional with your attention and your decision making process.  For me, it is unnerving to be aware of each situation that distracts me.  I must adapt and adjust to stay focused on what’s the most important thing.

We must never go back.  There is no room for racism or other forms of ethnic or racial hatred in this country.  – Ronald Reagan

On March 8, 1983, President Ronald Reagan delivered his famous Evil Empire Speech.  In referring to the Soviet Union, President Reagan’s use of this Star Wars inspired phrase set the tone for the Reagan Doctrine; the collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe was less than a decade away.

In the same speech President Reagan championed the principles of the United States as his shining city on a hill; he championed the inclusive, welcoming country that was Reagan’s America.  Today, 35 years later, it is just as important to live this vision for America.  There is no room for racism or other forms of ethnic or racial hatred in this country.  We are all Americans.

Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to a cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely and who rely on you.  – John McCain

We live our lives with purpose.  We are in service to others; we are true to our inner core.  Each and every day people are counting on you, and you rely on other people.  These relationships are built on trust and a common bond – the bond of shared purpose and experience.

Cultivate the connections you have with those in your work and personal life.  Be constant in your commitment to a cause greater than yourself.  When you act with purpose and intentionality, when you are true to your principles, you live a centered, balanced life.

It is your character, and your character alone, that will make your life happy or unhappy.  – John McCain

Each of us know people who strive to be happy through acquisition of material things; we experience people who compromise their values to achieve temporary success.  At the end of the day, true happiness can only be achieved by being true to our values.  Life is about relationships; it is based on the care, love, and service to others.

Don’t compromise your character for the short term win or for the instant gratification. We all make mistakes – and we all learn from them – but be steadfast to your character and principles above all else.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.  – John McCain

We live in a dangerous, frightening world.  Just turn on a cable news network or read a daily news brief; it is easy to live our lives in fear.  From violence and hatred in our streets to carcinogenic additives in our food, the fears we face can cause paralysis in our action.  There are those who withdraw from day to day society, and want to create a safe cocoon to hide from reality.

It takes courage and skill to act despite our fears.  We build skills to respond to the events we face each day.  We adapt and adjust to our environment; we intentionally create the culture that makes us better.  We live in a broken world, but we can act with purpose each and every day to make it a better place.  It starts with each one of us . . . step up and act.

No just cause is futile, even if it’s lost, if it helps make the future better than the past.  – John McCain

United State Senator John McCain is a true American Hero.  From his service to America in uniform during the Vietnam War, to his decades in the United States Senate, from his Presidential Campaign in 2008, to his maverick leadership in turbulent times, John McCain dedicated his life to public service.  His devotion to making the future better than the past rose above party lines; he was a true American Statesman.

If we all follow the example of John McCain, if we all focus on what is just, if we focus on what is required of us to forge a better future, the world will be a better place.

Civility requires no operator’s manual, no updates to download, no complicated set of rules. It is simple; it is easy, and it produces positive and constructive human interaction. – The Late Ohio Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moyer

For generations our mothers taught us, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Our teachers and families instructed us in the golden rule, “treat others as you would like to be treated.” Civility is easy; it is grounded in principles that have guided humans since the dawn of time. These unchanging truths, these natural laws of human interaction, seem to have taken a back seat – to some – in exchange for winning and social division.

As a society, with the immediacy of social media fueled by technology and the senseless belief that in order to be a winner someone else must in turn be a loser, we must model for today’s children an expectation of civility. Listening and respecting differing opinions isn’t difficult; it simply takes a civil approach to dissension. One of our country’s mottos, e pluribus unum, celebrates our foundation as a country. Out of many peoples, we are one nation. Out of many cultures, religions, and traditions we are all Americans. Civility is a requirement in a diverse society; it produces positive and constructive human interaction.

When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred. – Thomas Jefferson

We have been partnering with Focus 3 and Tim Kight for many years. I was drawn to Tim’s R-Factor skills because many writers and speakers clearly articulate the values we aspire to model for our students, but Tim’s work provides a simple framework to actually practice those very values. The R-Factor skills, and the heuristic E + R = O, is a process by which we intentionally meet the events of each day.

Thomas Jefferson employed the first of the R-Factor skills as a politician, philosopher, and statesman. Thomas Jefferson, a leader with political enemies and opposition throughout his career of public service, knew to “press pause” before responding to the events of his time. From decisions about the revolution, to the historic battle for the presidency in 1800, the wisdom to think first, act with intentionality, and be disciplined in behavior served this Founding Father well.

While we all, including Thomas Jefferson, fall short of our aim from time to time, the practice of acting with discipline is timeless. Actions in anger, with passion and haste, will never equal the outcome obtained with skill, purpose, and reason.