What If Leadership Didn’t Just Come from the Team Captain?
The first Monday Night Football game of 2019 between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints was a great one. “The Saints took possession with 37 seconds remaining in the game, used 36 of those seconds to drive to the Texans' 40-yard line, and put Wil Lutz on the field to attempt a winning kick.” His line drive was
How to Keep Rewards from Backfiring with Students
Fourteen thousand students in California were surveyed recently. Each of their schools had given out awards to students for school attendance. The goal, of course, was to highlight the importance of showing up every day. What researchers discovered, in retrospect, was enlightening. Many of the students who received the award, started attending school less often. In other words, the reward did not
The One Question You Never Want to Hear from Students
Parents tell me that their kids are asking them far fewer questions than they used to ask their parents when they were growing up. There’s nothing scientific about this observation, but I tend to believe them. Why? Because kids today have a portable device. They can Google. They can YouTube. I loved the questions my kids asked me as they grew up. I’m
Why the Government is Investing in Social and Emotional Learning
I recently read a report that congress passed legislation this summer for landmark spending on social and emotional learning for American students. It represents $260 million in what congress calls the Whole Child Initiative. This means our federal government believes it needs to spend money on kids beyond the education of reading, writing and arithmetic alone. This is amazing. In an era
Three Leaders Who Made a Difference for Generation Z
Jacob and Alexa are both sophomores in college. They’re like millions of other 19-year-olds in the U.S. They’re savvy to what’s happening in culture. They are smart and make good grades, and they plan to, one day, own their own company. Unlike millennials, however, Jacob and Alexa don’t feel they need to finish college to begin a start-up. They are both from
How to Prevent Becoming a Snowplow Parent
On my drive to work each day, I pass by several bus stops where children wait to be picked up. They are not alone. Parents are there, too. Lots of them. Once I stopped to count the number of adults waiting with several 8- to 11-year-old students. There were more parents waiting at the bus stop than students. I also drive
Three Ways to Help Students Choose the Right Major
If you asked the average high school student from Generation Z about their plans after graduation, they’d likely say: I plan to go to college, then start my own company. However, if you could fast forward to see what actually happens, it’ll likely be: I changed my major a few times. I transferred to a different college. I did not
It’s Time to Evaluate Your Parenting Style
I recently had the privilege of meeting with parents and grandparents to discuss parenting styles across the country and through the years. As you might imagine, we laughed a lot at how times have changed—and how parenting methods and priorities have shifted as well. We had four generations represented in the room: Builder Generation—born between 1929-1945 Baby Boomer Generation—born between 1946-1964
How to Lead Someone Older Than You
I found myself talking about “generational diversity in the workplace” twice during podcasts recently. In response, I’ve had young leaders send a specific question: “How do you lead someone from an older generation who is, well…different from you?” It’s a good question. Generational diversity in the workplace can be just as challenging as ethnic, economic or gender diversity. But I know
10 Tips for Handling Difficult Conversations Between Teachers & Parents
It’s September and already, I’ve heard from a teacher who was ambushed by an upset parent in a hallway after school. Students and faculty were all around when an argument surfaced that failed to reach any resolution and, in fact, only built walls between the teacher and parent. All they accomplished was venting. Most of the time, both teachers and parents
Three Ideas to Handle Conflict on Social Media
Something happened on television a decade ago that changed the face of public interaction. Do you remember what it was? It was ten years ago when incivility was officially ushered in by a huge personality who had little restraint. The person was Kanye West. It was the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, aired on national television. 19-year old Taylor Swift, who had
The First Two Steps in a Student’s Leadership Journey
A great news story broke not long ago in Denver, Colorado. On July 15th, 23-year old Nathan Patterson was attending a Colorado Rockies ballgame. At Coors Field, like in most baseball stadiums today, there are amusements all over the stadium for fans who get bored just watching the game. They want to “do” something. Nathan stepped up to the Speed Pitch