Brain Rule #6 – Remember to repeat – John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008
No . . . this isn’t the same as yesterday. My hope is that you remember yesterday’s message.
Most memories only survive a couple of minutes. The things you have already encountered today are far too numerous to actively remember them all . . . you only actually remember a fraction of the sensory events that take place around you.
Long-term memories have meaning . . . long-term memories are the result of “self-talk” between your hippocampus and your cortex. It often takes years for a long-term memory to be embedded in the cortex.
If you want to remember something – I mean really remember it – you must remember to repeat it. You must, in your actions and self-talk, take the time and exert the energy, to remember to repeat the information. You must reread it, talk about it, think about it, and apply it.
What do you remember? I mean really remember. You have memories that are highly emotional and you remember things you have repeated and repeated over time. It may be something you repeat week after week in church (for a lifetime) or something you’ve used every day for many years.  
If something is important to you . . . if you want something to be important to others . . . it can’t be a one-time, one-year initiative. It must be important enough to live each and every day! You must remember to repeat.

Brain Rule #5 – Repeat to remember – John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008
The more elaborately we encode a memory – the more we find value and emotion in the event – during the initial moments, the stronger the memory will be. Your life is full of memories. You are reading this right now . . . will you remember it?
The encoding process is essential as all information entering your brain is divided into fragments that are sent to different regions of your brain. The more regions you reach . . . the more meaning in each region . . . the better chance you will remember it. 
Let’s return to learning theories class with Vygotsky . . . the more hooks you create to an event, the more likely you are to remember it. You are building a scaffold based on past experiences, emotional responses, and levels of interest. Repeated events – especially with meaning and emotion – become deeper seated memories.
As we work together, as we work with others, we must remember how we remember. How many times do we, as leaders, say, “I sent it in an email or I said it in a meeting”? We must extend beyond saying or sending it . . . we must create hooks.
You . . . as a leader . . . as a teacher . . . as a spouse . . . as a parent . . . as a friend must decide what’s important enough to communicate in multiple memory systems. We must prioritize our messages, focus our communications, and engage in active emotions. Not everything can be important . . . if it is you better reevaluate your purpose.

Brain Rule #4 – Attention – We don’t pay attention to boring things — John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008 

Growing up as a preacher’s kid I was always concerned with the length of Dad’s sermons. In fact, I would often sit in the back of the church (as a good Lutheran we sat in “our seats” every Sunday). I would hold up 10 fingers as a signal – a not always appreciated reminder to Dad – that he was at the 10 minute mark.  

As an observant youngster I noticed it was around 10 minutes that people listening to the sermon would start to drift off, they would shift their attention from the message to other things. Next time you are forced to sit and listen for a period of time pay attention to others. It is around 10 minutes that people start looking out the window, appreciating the art, or reading the bulletin. It’s at that 10 minute mark that you notice your own mismatched socks or the lady with the funny hat three rows ahead of you.

We don’t pay attention to boring things and we can only hold attention for a fixed period of time. Yes, tapping into emotion grabs attention back, but that can be a challenge (especially if we have been sitting for a longer period of time – go back to exercise post.)

In summary – don’t be boring! Don’t make people listen to you for more than 10 minutes. PowerPoint presentations aren’t emotional (more to come on this later) . . . use emotion, get people moving, and keep it short.

Don’t be boring!

Brain Rule #3 – Wiring – Every brain is wired differently — John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008 

Many of us like rules . . . we want the owner’s manual, the rulebook, or the rubric. We hear all the time, “just tell me what you want me to do.”

The problem with owner’s manuals, rulebooks, and rubrics is that they are static. Sure, the owner’s manual for your car will explain how to change the clock on the radio or provide the requisite tire pressure, but as humans we aren’t static. The human brain continues to rewire itself – and we do it without installing upgraded operating systems. The human brain physically changes; it literally rewires itself. To further complicate matters, no two people learn or store information in the same manner. How we live, what we do, and how we interact is a personal experience.

We live in groups, but we all learn and experience life differently. We must find ways to both share experiences, yet respect differences. We must seek opportunities to engage and interact with the appreciation that others may have a completely different lens. This is an imperative concept in all teaching situations. The rulebook or playbook is different for each individual . . . it is up to us to seek opportunities for connections.

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.