The One Thing I Do at the End of Each Year
For thirty years now, I have performed a ritual at the end of December. It’s the way I wrap up each year and gain some perspective on my life. I blogged about this last December and got such good response, I thought it may be helpful again. I take a half a day and get completely alone. Usually, I get away from
The Common Thread Among All Hall of Famers: Podcast #32
Today, I am honored to share with you a conversation I recently had with Jeff Idelson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. We discussed the criteria to become a member of the Hall of Fame, what it means to be successful, and much more. Below are some highlights from our discussion, but I encourage you to
The Compartmentalizing of America
Recently, I spoke to an audience of faculty and parents, and someone posed the question as to why teens are struggling with the idea of growing up and becoming adults. Why is, for instance, 26 the new 18? Certainly, there are loads of reasons for this, and fortunately, we don’t see it in every adolescent. We do, however, see too many
A Very Merry Christmas…to You
Today—I share a simple wish with you. I hope you’ve experienced a fruitful year and are now able to experience a restful holiday season. I have loved posting blogs for you in 2015 and receiving your comments along the way. So many of you who read them share my same heart to equip students for life and leadership. You care about
One Leadership Lesson We Learn from Ebenezer Scrooge
This time of year, we all remember Charles Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol.” Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and that cruel business tycoon, Ebenezer Scrooge, are the key characters in this timeless story of transformation. Scrooge begins as a heartless, bitter, miserly old geezer, but during a single night’s visitation—from his former partner, Jacob Marley, and three angels—he suddenly sees
The Key to Reducing Stress & Gaining Clear Direction
During the 1990s, a cluster of Stanford University students returned home for winter break. Over that period of time, they’d been given an assignment to keep a daily journal. The journal was to contain entries about their most significant, personal values, and then to explain how their regular activities were connected to those values. The task was simple but profound. A
What Student Behavior Reveals About Their Parents
College student demonstrations are back in vogue. Students are hosting sit-ins and demonstrations; they’re petitioning authorities and heckling speakers who disagree with their point of view, in Connecticut, Missouri, California, and beyond. This time, however, the causes are slightly different than the 1960s. The difference? Fifty years ago, students were defending their right to free speech. Today, they’re launching an assault
The Upside of Generation Z and How to Capitalize on It
The Millennial generation has given way to Generation Z, those kids who are growing up in the 21st century. Gen Z lives in a very different world than earlier generations. Recently, I read of one girl who illustrates the upside of this younger generation. Her name is Mira Modi, and she lives in New York. Mira was eleven years old when
Four Leadership Lessons from Star Wars
With the new iteration of Star Wars out this month (The Force Awakens), I felt it was only appropriate to explore and see what we can learn about life and leadership from this iconic movie series. I remember watching the first one, back in 1977 as a teen. This popular series of movies by George Lucas not only has a cult
What a Celebration Reveals About an Athlete
Recently, a panel of ESPN commentators were discussing football players who excessively celebrated in the end zone when they scored. Some teams had criticized Cam Newton for his dance and his lengthy antics after a touchdown. The panel took both sides of the issue—but most defended players who did it, explaining it was part of their “hubris”; it was all
How to Parent (or Teach) a Gamer
While growing up, my son, Jonathan, enjoyed gaming on a screen as much as anyone else. He’d spend hours in front of a video game, until we finally came up with an equation: The number of hours he spent in front of a screen must be matched with hours interacting with real people, learning interpersonal skills, reading non-verbal cues and
Five Ways Gaming Is Changing Our World
Today we hear from Andrew McPeak again. Andrew is a writer, curriculum designer, and speaker who has served with a number of non-profit organizations (and has spoken to thousands of Millennials) over the last 5 years and now serves on our team at Growing Leaders. Today, Andrew offers his insights on how gaming has changed our world and how adults can
The Word of the Year is… Not a Word
Perhaps you heard the news. Every year, Oxford Dictionaries broadcasts a “Word of the Year” based on its usage and popularity. This year, they didn’t choose a word at all. They chose an emoji. Yep—an emoji, right from your tablet or phone. Instead of text, it was an image. Uh… do you see any pattern here? As I travel the world, I’ve
The Best Way to Ensure Your Students are Learning
Whether he knew it or not, Sam Levin started a little movement when he was a freshman in high school. When he complained to his mom that he and his classmates hated school, she responded with, “Why don’t you just make your own school?” So he did. As a freshman, Sam took a small step. According to an article from Time, Sam
Four Life Lessons Learned From Johnny Manziel
When Johnny Manziel played quarterback for Texas A&M, I became a fan. After his speech at the Heisman Trophy ceremony, I thought: A future NFL star is born. Unfortunately, this just shows you how wrong a person can be. Just one week after being named the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, Johnny Manziel was benched as a third-string quarterback. It had