The Secret to John Wooden’s Coaching Success
We’ve all seen it. Sometimes, we see it in ourselves. A college game is on ESPN, and a coach is screaming on the sidelines. His face is red; his mouth is wide open, contorted, and his veins are about to pop out. Who knows—he may even throw his headset on the ground. The cameras stay on him because, well .
Three Reasons for Teen Unhappiness and What To Do About It
Not long ago, I read the results of a study on happiness, which focused on children under 18 years old. I was immediately enraptured with this global report because I assumed with all the resources and technology we have at our fingertips, American kids would likely be the happiest kids in the world. Ugh. No. Our students are not the happiest. They’re
Why Parents’ Priorities Are Hurting Students
This article is a simple reminder of a timeless truth: "What gets rewarded gets repeated." My generation placed an emphasis on several priorities that I believe have backfired on our children. While the goals were well intentioned, they unwittingly manipulated our kids to value lower priorities over higher ones and to value the end, not the means. In fact, for too many
The Power of Social Emotional Learning: Podcast #40
Today, I’m excited to share with you a conversation with Dr. Meria Carstarphen, Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. With over 20 years of educational experience, Dr. Carstarphen has an impressive record of transformative educational leadership. She will also be a speaker at our upcoming National Leadership Forum 2017. Below are some highlights from our conversation. Here is the full audio of
Ten Steps to Help Students Be More Mindful
Yesterday, I blogged about the damages of multi-tasking. As a multi-tasking addict, I have become a convert to mono-tasking—concentrating on one clear task at a time. I reject FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and embrace MONO . . . as in mono-tasking. Today, I want to offer some practical steps to become more mindful. As I noted yesterday, “mindfulness” has become
The Unintended Consequences of Multi-Tasking
I remember becoming acutely aware of students’ multi-tasking abilities in 2005. I watched my daughter, who was a senior in high school, do her homework while also enjoying four other inputs—music from her iPod, a television show, her laptop and her phone, which enabled her to continue an ongoing conversation with a friend about a boy. Today, most of us can’t
How to Keep Athletes from Collapsing Under Pressure
Albert Einstein once insightfully wrote: “The last thing to collapse is the surface.” When I pause and reflect for a moment, I can see he’s right. The surface collapses last in our day because we’re only aware of that surface. We’re consumed with how we look. It’s possible that we’ve never been as mindful of our image and appearance as we
One Sign Every School Needs to Hang Up
I loved the news report I read last month. Perhaps you saw it too. A Catholic High School in Little Rock, Arkansas has a rule for parents whose students are enrolled in their school: Please stop rescuing your kid. It is a high school for boys and, like thousands of other American schools, they have parents who are prone to do all
Five Trends That Inform Our Work with Students Globally
Growing Leaders recently hosted three “Global Voices Gatherings” at our Atlanta offices. They were compelling meetings with youth executives from around the world. While there are differences in every nation, we all drew one conclusion: [Tweet "Today's youth need to be equipped to serve and lead."] As we consider the price tag for expanding our work with students internationally, the following statistics
Five Questions to Ask Yourself About Leading Teens
This past month, I was encouraged and entertained by teenagers who symbolized two completely different perspectives on life. I thought you’d enjoy them too, and perhaps learn what they teach us about adolescents today. I offer these two case studies below. Fasten your seatbelt. Case Study One: Can You Post a Better Photo? An 18-year-old girl who had escaped from an Australian
Re-Defining the High School Experience
I just interviewed Leslie Smith, Head of School for Orange Lutheran High School in Orange County, California. Leslie and her incredible staff have become dear friends over the past three years—and we just honored her with our 2016 Growing Leaders Award for her work in cultivating a leadership culture on campus. May I share how they have re-defined the high school
Four Acts That Inspire Young Adults
I’ve drawn a conclusion. Because our young adults today are growing up in such a different world than the one their parents or employers did, we often see only the downside, rather than the upside of those differences. We can too easily spot how they’ve drifted from a good work ethic, good values and good social skills. It’s easy for me