“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.”  – Chinese Proverb

We live in a world of naysayers.  It is easy to say “we can’t do that” and to get out of the way.  In fact, these people are rarely accountable when great accomplishment takes place.  The “it can’t be done” individual is usually nowhere to be found when greatness is achieved.  Don’t let people who say “it can’t be done” get in your way.  Don’t permit pessimists bring you down.  Don’t empower those fearful of change to impede your passion for growth.  You are too important.  Your beliefs – your inner core – are too strong to let a someone with a fixed mindset block your growth.

Let’s go one step further – let’s be mentors for others.  Let’s create a system of both values and accountability.  When we achieve success, don’t have an “I told you so” mindset, but do share accomplishments.  We must bring the masses along for the ride.  We must share our success at overcoming fear; we must share that the lessons learned from failure were the foundation for our successes.

“Authenticity is a state of being, a level of coherence with one’s self.  It is not a matter of feeling authentic but of being authentic and being aware of one’s true self.”   – Leadership Lessons from West Point

Do you have a personal culture blueprint?  Do you have clear values, focused behavior to support your values, and expected outcomes based on your values?

Before you can lead others, you must be able to lead yourself.  Before you can support the organization’s vision and values, you must be aware of your own self.  Your authenticity is predicated on a coherent understanding of your own values and belief.  Think about the people you know who are most authentic . . . think about people you know that are the most confident in their own values and belief.  Now, make a commitment for you to be that self aware.

Commit to do more than thinking about your values.  Commit to write them down, to talk about them with those closest to you, and to reflect and clarify them.  It takes time; it isn’t accomplished in a sitting, a day, or a week.  Taking the time to intentionally become an authentic leader – to become authentic in your 20 square feet – will serve as a cornerstone in your own behavior.  Your values must be happening “in you” before alignment can happen “through you.”

“I don’t have to agree with your to like or respect you.”   – Anthony Bourdain

I love having passionate discussions about issues.  I have the highest respect for people who disagree with me, push me, and debate with me.  I enjoy deep, meaningful conversations about education, politics, economics, and religion.  Our best team meetings aren’t when everyone agrees – they are when smart, dedicated professionals have in-depth interactions that make everyone involved better.

Many of my closest friends are divergent thinkers.  Many of my most respected peers approach this work from a completely different perspective.  I am better because of these relationships.  The Yin and Yang – the complementary thought leaders – produce a more complete vision.

We’ve lost the art of disagreeing in an agreeable manner.  Everything has become about winning – about getting our way.  There are times when the best outcome isn’t anyone’s individual solution, but a solution created by the group.

Don’t be disagreeable – be respectful.  For us, as leaders, it is imperative that we press pause and instill this in others.  Make a commitment right now, commit to this with me, you are going to engage people differently.  You are going to have courageous conversations to model respect and passion.  Openly speak about your respect for those who disagree – intentionally push back a little and share your love for the conversations.

“Shared Values are not restrictive; rather, they provide freedom of action for subordinates when it is not possible for higher authority to provide constant guidance.”  – Leadership Lessons from West Point

Elite organizations have uncommon focus and clarity.  Elite leaders cultivate shared values and behavior within the organization.  Leadership isn’t about giving commands.  Leadership, in my opinion, is about the culture.  Leaders create results by first building a foundation of trust – by leading with character, building connections, and technical skills.  Trust is paramount to results; it is the key.

Organizations achieve results through shared values, clarity of purpose, and accountability from within.  True, leaders must know when to have courageous conversation, but more importantly leaders lead from shared values.  Clarity of shared values drives the organization and provides greater freedom for all in the organization to be autonomous, self-motivated, and self-regulated.

Constant guidance creates a ceiling – results are limited to the directives given by the leader.  Shared values create limitless potential – shared values provide a safety-net without a ceiling.

“Busyness causes blindness and amnesia. You can become so busy that you lose sight of what you’re doing and forget why it matters. Busy leaders fall into frustration produced by immersion without reflection.”  – Dan Rockwell

We all fall into this trap from time to time.  We get so busy – we become frenetic – and we lose sight of what’s most important.  What’s worse is when we revel in our busyness – when we see our busyness as martyrdom.  When we reach this frenzied pitch we have tunnel vision – we fail to press pause and get our minds right.

As educators, as parents, and as leaders we must protect time to listen and observe.  Building relationships, developing trust, is predicated on our ability to use all our senses to make reflective, purposeful decisions.  When we are ramped-up and hectic, when our busyness causes us to operate on autopilot and without reflection, we are operating by default.  When we operate below the line we are less than our best.

Purposefully make time to observe and reflect.  Fight the urge to move from one thing to the next – intentionally create time for reflection.  Embrace your passion for growth with the understanding that growth comes from a relentless commitment to reflection and self-awareness.  Busy doesn’t equate to productive – it simply means you are probably permitting the world to pass by you.

“The best leaders love leading, which means they place the welfare of the organization ahead of their own self-interests.”   – Leadership Lessons from West Point

We are all leaders.  As parents, teachers, administrators . . . we lead.  The best leaders love what we do – they lead with passion, dedication, and service.  Your 20 square feet can be a bus, a classroom, a building, or a district – you are still the leader.

My goal – a goal I don’t always achieve – is to be a servant leader.  There is nothing more rewarding than giving of myself for the success of the organization.  When the team succeeds – that is the ultimate victory.  Professionally – as educators – there is no real personal success.  The success in education is when great things happen for students.  Successful programs, activities and initiatives are all for the students we serve on a daily basis.

Leadership is a “we” – not an “I” – activity.  Leadership is dependent on serving, inspiring, and supporting others to become elite.  One of my favorite quotes from The West Wing comes from Vice President Russell when he says, “You know what you call a leader with no followers?  Just a guy out on a walk.”  Leaders serve those in the organization; they serve those who follow.

Cultivate your love for your work – it will, in turn, cultivate your leadership.  Serve those you lead – it is the most fulfilling and reward approach to life.

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” – Saint Augustine

We always want evidence. We pride ourselves in data and analytics. We strive to prove “this works and this didn’t.” It is our world – the world of “prove it.”

I ask you, are there things you simply believe about your work? Are there aspects of education that, in your inner core, you know to be true? Do these things supersede the data? If so, what are they?

I have faith in some aspects of how I lead. I don’t have data to tell me that building relationships is essential in leadership. I don’t have statistics to tell me that leaders with character are more effective. I don’t have a spreadsheet or research to inform me that consistency in behavior is important in building trust. Really . . . If someone has done research in these areas they have wasted their time. I have faith – I know these things to be true without reading a book or a research study.

Where is your faith? What do you simply know – in your heart of hearts and soul of souls – to be true about your profession? About your life? There are some things that simply don’t need statistical support – live them.

“There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Magic . . . . It’s supernatural or unexplainable. One of my favorite places in the entire world is The Magic Kingdom . . . The happiest place on earth. It’s magic when this superintendent is transformed into a child again. When the worries, challenges, and stress of the job are transformed into blissful joy and happiness – that’s magic.

Enthusiasm is magical . . . It can transform a room and change the entire course of a meeting. Enthusiasm is contagious – it can magically change moods and attitudes. A potentially hopeless situation becomes full of hope with the enthusiasm of an idea. Possibilities seem endless with the enthusiastic support of a leader. The impossible becomes possible with a new idea that breaks from autopilot and enthusiastically heads in a new direction.

Enthusiasm is energy . . . It embodies optimism with hope. It is a spark that ignites passion in others. As a leader, you can literally bring the magic to your team. You must summon your inner energy, you must dig deep when you a tired, and you must overcome fears to enthusiastically lead your team. You are the magic maker . . . It’s the difference between accepting the mediocre and celebrate the exceptional. It is entirely up to you.