Are You Willing to Pay for What You Believe?
There’s lots of talk about values today. We ask each other: “What are your core values? What are your beliefs? What are the ideals for excellence in your school or organization? What are the academic standards your students must achieve?” We use this language because any worthwhile endeavor requires benchmarks to measure and determine whether we’ve attained our goal or not.
The Revolution Young Adults Need
Once in a while, a country just plain needs a revolution. During many political or military revolutions, a segment of the country’s population become part of what’s called “the resistance.” This simply means they revolt against what’s trending in the population and become counter-cultural. My uncle first told me about the “resistance” in Nazi Germany during the dark days of World
Nine Insights I Learned From National Leadership Forum 2016
Growing Leaders hosted our National Leadership Forum last week. Every year, I love the opportunity I get to meet leaders from all over the world and watch them connect with each other, as they learn, grow, and prepare for their next academic season. This year, we had perhaps our best experience yet. Our theme was: “Leaders at Every Level.” Conversations—both
Five Simple Practices to Build Stamina in Student Athletes
Tenacity vs. Talent You can’t coach well unless you recognize raw talent. The beginning of any winning season is the recruitment of high caliber athletes to join the team. So we’ve become scientists when it comes to evaluating talent in our sport. For that matter, in any kind of performer—football, violin, tennis, singing, basketball, you name it. But we often fail to
Today, I Mourn the Death of a Former Celebrity
A clever and pointed obituary was written and published around the world. Evidently, it struck a cord with folks in Europe and Asia as well as America. I join these mourners, who grieve the loss of a once-loved celebrity. Hope you enjoy the memoir below… Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with
Two Extremes We Must Help Students Avoid
Decision-making. It is one of the most paralyzing acts humans must perform. What with all the information available to us today—we can become overwhelmed with the knowledge we accumulate and the options we must wade through. This is especially true for students. Today, scientists have located a specific region of the brain called the “amygdala” which is responsible for instinctual reactions—like fear,
A Case Study: Three Insights We Learn From the Brock Turner Case
A tragic story broke last week about Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, who was found guilty of sexual assault against a young woman while she was unconscious. The crime was utterly horrendous, and the jury found Turner guilty on three felony counts. However, shortly after the verdict, the light sentence handed down by the judge made things go
Four Essentials to Move Students from Apathy to Empathy
I recently experienced a déjà vu moment. Both the moment and the original event happened on the same day. I know. Weird. I was on a college campus, and overheard two students who vehemently disagreed with each other on a political issue. Of course, that’s nothing new. What was sad is that neither knew how to enjoy a civil discourse on
The Relationship Between Resourcefulness and Sacrifice
I had an interesting conversation with a college student this spring. When I met her, she was dressed in Abercrombie and Fitch clothes, had an Apple watch, wore Gucci’s on her feet and drove us to a coffee shop in her Jaguar. When I asked her, “How can you afford all these, as a college student? She said, “Oh, I
How the NFL Is Improving Its Culture: Podcast #38
Today, I’m thrilled to share a conversation with Austin Moss. Austin is the manager of player engagement at the NFL’s headquarters in New York City. In his role, he oversees the administration and execution of all NFL PREP programs for high school and college student athletes. Austin Moss will also be a speaker at our National Leadership Forum this summer
Four Myths About College You Should Reject
It’s that time of year again. While many high school graduates have made their decision on where they want to go and what they want to do this fall, some are still sorting out the issue of college entrance. Americans love the idea of going to college and we love reading about college rankings each year. Which schools have the
Getting Out of the Way of Millennials’ Growth
The Pew Research Center just released a report that deserves some careful thought. I’d like to relay what it tells us—and challenge you to discuss it with your colleagues. For the first time in modern history, the most popular living arrangement for 18-34 year old young adults is with their parents, at their home. Demographic shifts in marital status, education levels
The Six Best Summer Jobs for Students and Why
I recently met Geoff Goodman, president of Orange Leaf Yogurt. He oversees 300 frozen yogurt stores all over the country. Orange Leaf was founded in 2008 and now employs thousands of young team members across America. The majority of them are high school or college students…much like the ones you see each day. What makes Geoff different is his perspective on