Culture
One Secret to Help Kids Control Emotions
I’d like to review some case studies with you. So far, this fall, I’ve been in front of 4,000 students and faculty at various universities and high schools. In two of the events, I spoke to mature and respectful students who paid attention to my words. In two others, the students seemed to be unable…
Continue ReadingThe Science Behind Increasing Mental Toughness & Reducing Stress
During my years working with Dr. John C. Maxwell, he told me a story from his boyhood. He recalls wrestling his older brother, Larry, in the living room. Larry was bigger and more experienced, which meant he beat John every single time. Over time, the defeats came quicker and quicker, as John became conditioned to…
Continue ReadingWhy Kids Behave Poorly
Recently, Growing Leaders teamed up with Harris Poll to discover some important insights about life in today’s culture. We surveyed 2,264 adults, ages 18 and older in June 2017. One particular insight deserves some interpretation. In the survey, young adults said they learn more from technology than from people. Nearly 3 in 5 U.S. adults…
Continue ReadingFour Changes That Will Win the Heart of Generation Z Students
Ours is a world where students are savvy and aware—and very difficult to “wow.” Many are well-informed, well-entertained and have already traveled to places we never traveled until we were well into our adult lives. They scroll through their phones looking for something that will capture their interest. Due to over-exposure to information some have…
Continue Reading12 Things That Are in Your Control and Require No Talent
These days, it’s easy for students to become consumed with gaining a competitive advantage over their peers in college or in their career. They belabor their GPA or their SAT score, their IQ and whether they took an AP course, all the while missing some fundamentals that can completely differentiate them from others. The good…
Continue ReadingWhy Daily Silence Makes Students Smarter
Hear ye, hear ye! All educators, coaches, parents—and certainly students—need to ponder and digest the latest research on the topic of silence. Silence can grow your brain. I am not kidding. A 2013 study monitored the effect of “sound” versus “silence” on mice. What researchers discovered was profound. When exposed to two hours of silence…
Continue ReadingIn Ten Years, Will We Be Smart Enough for Our Smart World?
The Wall Street Journal recently posted an article reminding Americans how fast change is coming over the next ten years. The article was written following an interview with the executives at Apple, who whet our appetites for future technology by saying the iPhone may not even be a phone anymore in ten years. Did you…
Continue ReadingWhen Parents Disagree on How to Raise Their Child
This is one of the most challenging issues that emerges during the question and answer segment in my parent conferences. Recently, I had a dad ask what he should do when his teenage daughter failed to obey curfew times three weeks in a row. As he explained further, the issue was really about the fact…
Continue ReadingHow Our Screens Diminish Our Empathy
Sadly, it may just be a sign of the times. A shocking video was recently taken by a group of teens as they watched a man struggle and drown in a local pond. The body of Jamel Dunn was not found for five days. Apparently, it was entertaining. So instead of taking action, some students…
Continue ReadingNew Survey: Millennials Learn More from Technology Than from People
In June of 2017, our organization, Growing Leaders, collaborated with Harris Poll to conduct a survey and discover the perspectives of various generations in the U.S. The survey looked at how different generations feel prepared for adult life; whether they had/have an adult mentor preparing them for adulthood; how overwhelmed they are by daily life…
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