[Re-Post] The Top 3 Decisions I Made as a Dad
Quick Note: I have just returned from a week in Singapore. I can't wait to share the lessons I learned on the blog next week. Today, I'm reposting one of my most popular posts from the last year. Enjoy! People ask me, almost every time I do a parenting event: what are the top three things you’ve done for your kids
[Re-Post] The Top Predictor of Student Success Once They Graduate
A Quick Note: I am currently flying back from Singapore after an incredible week. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with you over the next week. Today, I'll be reposting one of my most popular articles from the past year. Enjoy! I bet you have heard this scenario before. A child is very smart in the third grade. They make good
Photo Update from Singapore
Our Growing Leaders team has had the privilege of being in Singapore and Indonesia over the past five days. Although I have traveled to Asia many times, it's always such an honor to come back and be in this part of the world. We were grateful to be a part of a large conference for leaders and several other events
Video: Exploring Gender Differences, Part 2
Today's blog is a portion of an interview with Tami Heim, Partner at the A Group and former President of Borders Books.We sat down to discuss gender differences in the workplace and had quite a discussion. In this clip, Tami discusses why good feedback is so important and gives some practical advice for giving great feedback. The Difference Good Feedback Makes
What to Watch Out For with Social Media Sites
Today, I am writing this post from Asia. It is amazing what technology makes possible! I, and a few my Growing Leaders teammates, have been here for the past week, training business leaders, youth workers, church leaders and parents who lead Generation iY. Over this week I will be reflecting on some of the lessons I've learned during my time
Leaders Go First
My guess is—everyone reading this blog will use your phone today. But do you remember the story behind the invention of the telephone? In the 1870s, two inventors, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell, both independently designed devices that could transmit speech electrically (the telephone). Both men rushed their respective designs to the patent office within hours of each other, but
The Asian Invasion
This week I, and two team members from Growing Leaders, fly to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. We will spend a week doing launch events with students, with business leaders and with church leaders in that part of the world. In my daily blogs, I will include some insights I am picking up as I interface with leaders in these nations. Growing
Three Hurdles Kids Must Jump to Grow Up (part 3)
My blogs over the last two days covered the first two hurdles young people must jump in order to authentically mature. I have suggested that our culture today actually makes it harder for children to grow up; it fosters selfish consumers who remain absorbed in their own little bubbles. On Monday, I introduced “speed” and the pace of life as
Three Hurdles Kids Must Jump to Grow Up (Part Two)
Yesterday, I began reviewing three hurdles students must jump in order to mature in a healthy way. Our cultures makes growing up hard, as kids are exposed to information far earlier than they are ready and get answers almost instantly. We looked at the hurdle of “speed” and how our fast-paced world disables them from developing patience. Today, let’s look
Three Hurdles Kids Must Jump to Grow Up
In Friday’s blog I introduced three “hurdles” kids must jump in order to authentically grow up. Today, our culture actually makes growing up harder for young people. Over the next three days—I want to talk about these hurdles and what we can do, as caring adults in their lives. Let me explain. When I was in junior high, I ran on
Hurdles Kids Must Jump to Grow Up
When I was in junior high, I ran on our track team. I specifically remember trying out for the 100 yard, low-hurdle competition. Wow. It was so much harder than the 100-yard dash. There were these barriers in the way that kept slowing me down, distracting me from getting to my goal. I eventually gave up and became a long-distance
One Lesson About Developing Kids from the Butterfly
When I was nine years old, I had an experience that has enlightened me as a parent, four decades later. In school, our class was studying how caterpillars are transformed into butterflies. It’s a metamorphosis that has fascinated me all my life. I still don’t fully comprehend how a crawling, worm-like creature can spend time in a cocoon and later
The Short and Long Term Impact of Cheating on Students (part 2)
I am blogging this week about the tragedy that surfaced last week in the Atlanta Public School system. The story has gone nationwide; in fact, I just did an interview with the Washington Post, where journalists are grieving the scandal—teachers and administrators changing the answer to students’ test scores in order to pass them through the system and get money
The Short and Long Term Impact of Cheating on Students
This week, I am unpacking the recent scandal that surfaced with Atlanta Public Schools. Administrators and faculty have been cheating on behalf of the students, changing their test scores so that school funding and teacher salaries would increase. It’s bad enough that adults would demonstrate such a poor model of ethics for their students. What’s worse is—those students were not
Teachers Cheat to Achieve High Scores
I guess you heard the news about Atlanta Public Schools. Forty-four out of fifty-six schools in the APS system were found to be cheating on standardized test scores, to ensure students passed and schools got remunerated. Pay is attached to student performance, so principals and teachers have incentive to make sure kids score well, even if they don’t really learn anything.
Four Negative Impacts Technology Has Had on Our World
Yesterday, I examined a handful of positive outcomes we’ve enjoyed as a result of our new world filled with technology. We can connect faster with people and information than at any time in our past. Today—I want to cover the downside. Generation iY may or may not see the unintended outcomes of the Web 2.0 world. This is where caring
Three Positive Outcomes of Technology
Most of us at our Growing Leaders office own an iPhone. Everyone in my family owns one. My youngest, Jonathan, purchased his with his own money. He rarely gets up in the morning without reaching for it. In many ways, it is his lifeline to the world. He is part of a generation I call “Generation iY” impacted by iPhones,
Six Steps to Take with Students Who Have Addictive Behavior
Yesterday, I blogged about the top ten addictions in teens and young adults today. So, what can you do if you have a student with addictive behavior? Obviously, you can’t just fix the problem. They are their own persons and must choose to climb out of the addiction themselves. However, there are some ways you can lead them on this journey
Top Ten Addictive Behaviors of Adolescents
Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a coach, an employer or a youth worker, life becomes frustrating when you have a young person in front of you who is addicted to something. When I was growing up, addictions existed just like they do today, but there were fewer of them and they were less widespread. Back in the 1970s, the
Happy 4th of July!
"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." -Albert Einstein Today, we celebrate Independence Day. I'm thankful for those who have sacrificed to build the United States of America and allow us to enjoy freedom. I hope you have an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends today. I'll return to my regular
Three Rules to Live By if You Are Developing Students
Each week, I blog to teachers, youth workers, coaches, parents and employers who work with young people. In fact, my tagline for the blog is: Leading the Next Generation. Today, I’d like to unveil three rules every leader of young people ought to know about human nature, particularly young humans. If you train students or young adults, never forget the