The Connection Between Kids’ Happiness and Their Expectations
By Tim Elmore Members of Generation Z, by and large, have been raised by parents or guardians who’ve prioritized the importance of happiness. What parent doesn’t want their kids…
Four Data Points that Should Inform Your Decisions This School Year
We live in a world that has constant concerns about artificial intelligence, gun violence’s impact on mental health, and gender disparities in schools. By understanding these issues and taking action,…
What Teachers Really Want From Their Leaders
By Tim Elmore Last month, I had the privilege again to speak to the “Teachers As Leaders” in Gwinnett County Public School District, just north of Atlanta. What an…
Four Rules That Could Reverse the Anxiety Epidemic in Teens
By Tim Elmore Most teenagers today are aware of the negative impact of smartphones. By this point, they all seem to know it deepens anxiety, heightens negative emotions, and…
Strategies Schools Are Using to Curb Social Media Abuse
These days, we are reading about school decisions regarding smartphone use, ranging from banning portable devices to displaying laissez-faire attitudes regarding phones. Many educators and support staff feel that students’…
One Change I’d Make to Engage Kids Better If I Had to Do It Over Again
By Tim Elmore One of the best questions I’ve asked people over the years was this: “If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?”…
A Tool to Foster Better Conversations with Your Kids
By Tim Elmore Let’s face it. It’s harder than we thought it would be. A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that most parents (62 percent) say that being…
Leading Kids: Is Empathy or Compassion Better?
When empathy grows into compassion, it becomes more helpful for both you and the person for whom you demonstrate it. Empathy feels good to give, but you may feel someone’s…
How to Offer Feedback in a Fragile World
By Tim Elmore When Carol reminded her class about Friday’s exam, she got a surprising text from one of her students. Chelsea’s message said, “I won’t be in class…
Strategies Schools Are Using to Curb Social Media Abuse
By Tim Elmore – These days, I’m reading about school decisions regarding smartphone use, ranging from banning portable devices to displaying laissez-faire attitudes regarding phones. Many educators and support staff…
What the Amish Can Teach Us About Getting Kids Ready for Life
Every teacher, school administrator, coach, youth leader, and parent we know wants to help their kids prepare for the life that awaits them as adults. We want them to be…
Taking Advantage of Natural Junctions in the Day with Your Kids
By Tim Elmore __ I know, I know. Your days each week are crazy. You’re busy. Your kids are busy. And often, family times are reduced to eating chicken nuggets…
You Have 3 Options When You Face a Loss This Year
By Tim Elmore Looking back on my life and career, I see more gains than losses. Upon deeper reflection, however, I think my memory is reconstructed. While I recall tragedies,…
5 Key Insights Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders with Cam Turner
Leadership across generations is hard, but we believe success in cross-generational leadership begins with listening and empathy. That’s what we want to do in our everyday lives. Today, we have…
Research that Informs Your Decisions This School Year
By Tim Elmore One of my most common concerns is to miss important information when making decisions. I don’t want to feel I’m in the dark on the data.…
Habitudes Flashcards
This deck of flashcards contains 13 images from our high school course, Year 1. Each card is printed in high-quality full color on 5" x 7" matte paper. These are…
We Don’t Actually Want Our Kids to Be Happy
By Andrew McPeak “To live with joy is to live with wonder, gratitude, and hope.” — David Brooks In 2014, a fascinating report from the Harvard Graduation School…
How to Stop Faking Courage and Actually Practice It
Today, as we all know, it’s easy to hide behind a screen and post something that seems courageous, but leaders realize we can and must do better. **I now believe…
A Secret I Learned That Determines My Level of Hope
By Tim Elmore I met a young woman recently who suffered a tragic accident on the freeway. We hear stories like hers far too often. She was hit by…
Fighting for Friendship in Your Career
By Tim Elmore I’ve made two observations about friendships as I have grown older. First, the older I get, the less I feel I need people. I know that…
What Students Say Will Motivate Them Most
Many educators and youth leaders struggle to motivate kids or to keep them engaged for any period of time. It’s worth periodically reminding yourself: that students, particularly those who may…
The Correlation Between Cancel Culture and Resilience in Students
By Tim Elmore I will never forget Halloween in 2015. Just prior to October 31, a group of deans at Yale University sent an email urging students to avoid…
My Favorite Books Last Year
By Tim Elmore Each January (as a norm), I publish a list of my favorite books I read the previous year. Many of the books I read in 2023…
Build the Year You Want
Most people view happiness as a positive emotion. Without thinking, we may say, “I wish I were happy all the time!” However negative emotions play a useful role in our…
Leading Kids: Is Empathy or Compassion Better?
By Tim Elmore A high school principal recently told me that the mother of one of his students requested her daughter be taken out of her civics class and…
What the Amish Can Teach Us About Getting Kids Ready for Life
By Tim Elmore When my two kids turned 12, my wife and I initiated a special two-year journey that would become a “rite of passage” for them—an experience that…
Becoming a Servant Leader with Christa Campbell
Christa Campbell is a Trustee Scholar and honors student at Boston University studying business strategy and innovation. Although she now lives far from home, Christa grew up in Gwinnett County…
A Reminder for the Season: Waiting Is a Good Thing
By Andrew McPeak Can you remember back to the greatest gift you’ve ever opened on a holiday? My own epic memory brings a smile to my face. I…
What Students Say Will Motivate Them the Most
By Tim Elmore I once taught a classroom of students with a wide variety of personalities. Some were loud; others were quiet. There were some who were completely engaged,…
Drunk on Dopamine
We live in a society that loves to “binge” on things we like. These can be addictions to drugs or alcohol, but they can also be simple pleasures like Netflix,…
Teaching Students to Stop Waiting for the World to Change
By Tim Elmore Back in 2006, musician John Mayer released a song for millions of twenty-first century young adults. It was called, “Waiting on the World to Change.” …
The Value of Exposing Kids to Extremes
By Tim Elmore I enjoyed dinner with a group of business executives in Cancun, Mexico, recently. During our conversation, several spoke about the vacations they’ve taken with their children…
Using Purpose to Make Change with Brett Hagler
Please be advised: The sound quality may be affected due to the podcast host and guest being in different locations. We still recommend that you listen to the amazing words…
What Were You Thinking?
By Tim Elmore In 1994, Mother Teresa gave a speech where she recounted the story of four people on the street in Calcutta. She asked the sisters who were…
One Change I’d Make to Engage Kids Better if I Had to Do It Over Again
By Tim Elmore One of the best questions I’ve asked people over the years was this: “If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?”…