Too many want 5 minutes of fame instead of working 10,000 hours to become great. Fame doesn’t last. Character through hard work does. – Jon Gordon
Think about those people in your life, those people you’ve encountered in the past, that inspire you. Think about leaders that light a spark . . . that bring energy to a room. In any field, in any organization, there are those with talent and those who work. The elite have identified their talent and put in the work.
Don’t seek fame . . . seek effort. Identify your interests, develop your skills, and do the work. Strive to be the leader that inspires others . . . be the person others want to work with because of your character.  

If you’re doing something just because it’s always been done that way, you may be missing an opportunity to do it better. – Bill Parcells
One of our three values in the Hilliard City School District is our Passion for Growth. We are committed to a journey that includes being better today than we were yesterday. We live a growth mindset . . . we are on the path to being elite and it takes great work.
Getting better doesn’t mean abandoning traditions or time-tested strategies. Getting better, living a growth mindset must include honest evaluation and reflection. It must include intentionally questioning, “It’s always been done that way” and making purposeful decisions.
Yes, we live in a time of great change. Yes, we must continue to evolve our practices. Yes, we do what we do very well and some things won’t change. For me, it’s about finding those opportunities to do better and celebrating what we already do exceptionally well

Don’t take too much on.  Too many “to-do’s” lead to stress and anxiety.  Focus on the must do’s and leave the remaining time for being.

I love creating lists . . . I enjoy the satisfaction of compiling an entire to do list.  My challenges is not falling into the trap of creating too many “to-do’s” and not leaving enough time “to be.”

When you make a “to-do” list get in the habit of reviewing your list with a critical eye.  Have you taken on too much?  What are the “must do’s” and what could be delegated to someone else?

In order for me to be the “best version of me,” I need to make time for rest, relaxation, exercise, and reflection.  Fight the urge to take on too much . . . seek balance.

No one ever becomes their best by focusing on someone else’s flaws. – Jon Gordon
There are times I get stuck trying to “solve” other people’s problems. There are times I become fixated on that one person, or that small group, that I want to educate and prepare for the future. It’s easy to identify what others can do better to meet my needs – it is me on autopilot; it is me being undisciplined.
A discipline life requires more of us . . . it requires us to focus on ourselves and our flaws so that we can better serve others. When I am at my best, I am focused on my behavior, on my flaws, so I can live my passion for growth.
Today when you find yourself thinking about someone else’s flaws stop – press pause – and think about what you can do to improve your response to the situation. Focus on what you can control – that’s you!

Practice without improvement is meaningless.  – Chuck Knox

Each of us practices our craft every day.  Do you practice with purpose, at building skill?  Do you reflect and intentionally strive to get better?

Going through the motions . . . just living to “get through the day” isn’t bringing meaning to your work.   Practice your skills with purpose . . . improve each and every day at what you do.

Now . . . there are going to be days that feel “flat” and there are going to be times you just feel like you need to “survive and advance.”  None of us is perfect and we all fall short of our own expectations from time to time.  Just don’t give up . . . don’t let one bad day lead to multiple bad days.  Stay on your path . . . live the journey to be elite.

Often the biggest barrier to innovation is our own way of thinking.  – George Couros

I love our team; I love working with our team.  I thrive in environments of ongoing collaboration, idea sharing, and pushing each other to get better with skill.

George is right, we get stuck in our “own way of thinking.”  When we expand our circle and collaborate with other passionate, smart people, we expand our lens and look at things differently.

Don’t lead, or work, in isolation.  Expand your view by collaborating with others – add a different perspective and look at challenges through a new lens.  Live our “Power of the Team” and push yourself to new levels of innovation.

Good leaders know how to lead.  Great leaders know why they lead.  They are driven by purpose.  – Jon Gordon

Tim Kight reminds us all the time, “If it’s not happening in you, it can’t happen through you.”  With this in mind, “why do you do what you do?”

Each of us must believe, we must live, the work we do if we are going to be the most effective versions of us.  For me, my heart and soul must be in alignment for me to be effective and lead each and every day.  Our work is too difficult; there are too many energy vampires, for us to lead half-heartedly.

We must support each other, push each other, and call each other out when the “why” isn’t evident.  We don’t have time to only be good . . . we strive to be elite.  Find time each day to reflect, to intentionally feed your why!  Don’t go through the motions . . . be the leader you strive to be.

The most important rule of change is identifying what’s not going to change.  – Doug Reeves

Let’s start with the premise that we are not total failures.  Let’s begin with the mindset that we do an awful lot of things very, very well.

As public educators, in the Hilliard City Schools specifically, we are very skilled and successful in preparing students to be Ready for Tomorrow.  With that said, we live our “passion for growth” and look for areas to improve each and every day.

As we live this growth mindset – as you lead in your 20 square feet – don’t forget to celebrate what’s working and identify the foundational skills that don’t change.  Change creates productive discomfort, but it shouldn’t cause destruction of successful programs.  Identify what’s not changing and cultivate a trusting environment.

Sprinting is a fine strategy for a young genius, but becoming a master requires patience of experimentation to run a marathon.  – Adam Grant

Real change . . . real improvement is a marathon.  Fast, immediate change is easy but rarely has staying power in established systems.  Real change takes hard work, it takes reflection, it takes improvement, and it takes continued adaptations and adjustments.

Creating the culture and path for real change takes expertise.  Change management is a skill that requires development.  The ability to cultivate a shared vision, inspire collaborative decision-making, synthesize events during the process, and adapt to what is required for success requires training.

Become a master leader . . . cultivate and develop your leadership abilities . . . train for what is required of you.

It is not the system, but the execution of the system, that counts.  – Tex Winter

Systems themselves don’t lead to success . . . it is in the people in the systems that are important.  For me, leadership isn’t about creating successful systems.  For me, leadership is about building-up people.

Strong people, engaged teams make nearly every system successful.  Strong people execute systems with fidelity.  Strong teams improve systems on a continuous basis.

Build your team – not your system.