Why We Can’t Ignore the Lowest Birthrates in US History
Do you know the current birth rate in America today? The U.S. fertility rate fell to the lowest point since record keeping started more than a century ago, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s almost unbelievable. In 1909, the government began keeping track of what's called the fertility rate. The general fertility rate is the number
The Secret to Student Development
An AP high school teacher recently said to me: “I’ve been asked to teach history, science and math over my career, but I don’t get the chance to teach the most important subject that will enable my students to succeed in life!” “What’s that?” I inquired. He frowned, and sighed, “Social emotional learning.” What Is Social Emotional Learning? It’s become a buzzword today, as
8 Steps to Create a Bench of New & Ready Leaders
For me, baseball offers so many pictures of real life. It’s about thinking and timing; consistency and strategy. The game of baseball is about both strategy and luck . . . and of course, spotting and developing talent. And nobody knew how to do that more than Brooklyn Dodgers executive, Branch Rickey. Mr. Rickey is credited with inventing modern baseball. One
Five Reasons Why Young Adults Don’t Accept Responsibilities
Our American athletes just competed the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio. The U.S. has won a total of 121 medals, more than any other country in the world. In this article, I want to focus on some helpful insights we can learn about leadership from the track athletes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Specifically, I’d like you to reflect with
Seven Different Mentors Your Students Need
One of the most common questions I receive from college students is: “How do I find a mentor?” What they mean by this is—how can I locate or identify the right kind of mentor for my personal plans?” Over the years, I’ve found the majority of students say they desire to have a mentor in their life; someone they could
Fast Forward to Generation Z
National Leadership Forum 2017 Racing Toward the Future as Y Shifts to Z Chrome. Vines. TBH. Likes. Snapchat. Memes. The world of Generation Z will evolve as they move from middle school to high school—to post-secondary education. Do you know how they think? Their vocabulary? Their values? Their vices and virtues? To teach them, we must earn their trust. And trust requires
Keeping Your College Degree From Being Antiquated
One of my jobs is to work with new professionals, helping them on-board into the workforce. They are usually university graduates, tech grads, or college dropouts who didn’t see the point in finishing their degree. When I meet a dropout, they often don’t fit the stereotype you’d expect. They aren’t undisciplined, they don’t come across uneducated and they certainly don’t lack
The Best Response to Narcissism in Students
I have written on the rising number of students who are narcissistic and those who suffer from NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Dr. Jean Twenge, author of The Narcissism Epidemic and a speaker at next year’s National Leadership Forum, unveils the signals of a growing population of students who are narcissistic: College students now endorse narcissistic personality traits. The words “I,
A New Model to Approach Educating At-Risk Students
My friend Jeff Busch just let me in on a little secret—called the Cristo Rey School Network. Have you heard of them? It’s a new way to approach reaching and equipping high school students, to prepare them for college and career. The network is comprised of 32 schools serving underrepresented urban youth. Here is the premise: A Cristo Rey High School collaborates
Why This One University Graduates Career-Ready Athletes
In our work with sports teams across the nation, we come across some stellar athletic departments every year; ones that model what leadership should look like. Case in point. Career readiness is now a focal point for educators, both in high school and college settings. Too often, students graduate ill-prepared for work. Even if they made good grades in class, they
Four Reminders I Received From the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction
On July 23-24th, a handful of team members from Growing Leaders flew up to New York to attend the Induction of Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza into the Baseball Hall of Fame. We took in a Yankees/Giants game on Saturday, then, sped to Cooperstown for the ceremony on Sunday. It was memorable for me. Piazza and Griffey took the stage
How to Turn a Disadvantage into an Advantage for Students
John D’ Eri is the CEO of Rising Tide Car Wash, in Parkland, Florida. He’s also the father of Andrew, his son with autism. Like all good dads, John wanted a good life for his son, one that empowered him to work, have a social life and add value to others. So, he started a car wash that would employ