Parenting, Youth

The latest example of the new way parents view their children just occurred. It illustrates our shift from equipping our youth to cope with adversity, to seeking ways to reduce the adversity. Instead of believing they’re strong enough to face tough times, we look outward for an answer. It happened the week following Kobe Bryant’s tragic helicopter crash, killing all nine

Generation Z, Youth

You won’t believe what happened on the third day of Wolf Cukier’s short internship at NASA over the summer. This 17-year old high school student from Scarsdale, New York was given an assignment to check images from a super-strength satellite. That’s when it happened—and it surprised everyone, including Wolf. This teenager discovered a new planet. This yet to be discovered planet by

Athletics, Parenting, Youth

Youth sports is one of the most hotly debated topics among educators and parents today. Is sports good for kids? Is sports harmful to kids? I spoke to a mom recently who argued she will not let her son participate in organized sports leagues because of the amount of injuries and because “parents today are off the charts.” By this she

Education, Generation iY®, Generation Y, Habitudes, Leadership, Parenting, Students, Workplace, Youth

Over a period of five days, I plan to blog about the research and history behind the idea of teaching with pictures. It’s actually quite fascinating, and sets up our release of three Habitudes® resources this month. Yesterday, we took a brief look at history and how cultures engaged their people with images. Below is part two. Picture Perfect Training Since the

Culture, Education, Generation iY®, Generation Y, Habitudes, Leadership, Parenting, Students, Youth

Follow @TimElmore A few short years ago, corporate executives were asked what single word best describes the recent college graduates entering their workplace. The word they selected? Entitled. Interestingly, when recent graduates were asked to guess what descriptive word these executives had chosen that begins with the letter “e,” they guessed: exciting, enterprising, entrepreneurial and energetic. None of them guessed how

book recommendations, books, Generation iY®, Generation Y, Growth, Habitudes, Leadership, Students, Youth

As I travel and speak to college students, I’m often asked what are the best books for a young leader to read. Years ago, I created a list of “Must Reads” for established leaders, but below, I list what I consider great reads for emerging leaders—teens and twenty-somethings who aspire to leadership. Hope it’s helpful. 1. Leadership and Self-Deception, by the

Culture, Parenting, technology, Youth

Today's blog is from Andrew McPeak. Andrew is a next gen researcher, speaker, and author for Growing Leaders. A few weeks ago I was having dinner with some friends and their kids did something hilarious. These two young boys moved some furniture around in the dining room and started doing what could be only described as a series of strange dances. Some were dances

Mission, Purpose, Serving others, Youth

May I tell you a great story? This year, we began working with a partner organization in the Domincan Republic, called “Global Effect.” They exist to empower local residents to bring about sustainable transformation to their communities, addressing economic, social and physical needs in those communities. A few years ago, Global Effect identified a lack of character and leadership in young

Culture, Students, Youth

If you work with students, you already know they have their own language. I suppose my generation did too, when I was a teenager, but language expansion must be on steroids today. Pause and think for a moment about the common phrases a high school or college student may use today: - Netflix and Chill - I Literally Can’t Even - Turn Down

Leadership, Youth

Recently, I had the privilege of spending a day at the United States Military Academy. You know it as West Point. From the initial formation and flag salute in the morning, to the classes I attended that day—I got to tour an institution that is quite literally an incubator for leaders. All of this, I expected. In fact, my goal on

Culture, Students, Youth

So how do you know if your teen is experiencing genuine symptoms of anxiety or depression, or if they’re simply, well…uh…a teenager. Adolescents have always shown symptoms of moodiness because of the hormone changes taking place, due to the life station they’re in. They can be emotional, withdrawn or even act out. Often, these are just signs of the times.

Parenting, Youth

I’m sure you know someone who started their career with minimal resources and over the years, accumulated wealth. Author Malcolm Gladwell writes about an immigrant who now lives in Southern California. He came to the United States with almost nothing in his pocket and worked hard enough to become one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. When he spoke to

Culture, Youth

I know high school and college educators who penalized students for participating in the “walkout” on March 14th. I also have teacher-friends who walked out with those students and then discussed the implications of such protests and demonstrations in a civics class. Both of these educators have reasons for their choices. Some gave suspensions or detentions to high school students,

Parenting, Youth

Helmets. Knee pads. Harnesses. Car Seats. Baby On Board signs in the back of the mini van. Diaper changing tables in the public restrooms. These are all signs of the times. And, for the most part, I believe they’re good signs; signals that adults have made children a priority. With these signs, however, there is an unintended consequence. Let me explain. Fifty

Culture, Youth

While on a flight home from California, I watched the movie, “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.” It’s an award-winning film about a hurting woman who takes on the local police, who’ve failed to locate the criminal who’s assaulted and murdered her daughter. In the midst of the story, viewers discover why she’s really upset over the tragedy. On the

Culture, Workplace, Youth

Did you know that today’s teen leaders and inventors are part of a long line of young entrepreneurs throughout history? Believe it or not, many of the world’s most incredible minds started displaying their brilliance very young, coming up with television, telephones and trampolines, as well as braille, calculators, popsicles and ear muffs—all before their 20th birthdays. So, how do we mentor such “out of the box” young people,

Culture, Youth

Technology has always impacted the way we do life, but I’m not sure if we recognize just how it’s changed us along the way. Whenever new gadgets or devices enter our daily life there is usually an upside and a downside. In the century following the Civil War, a handful of technologies revolutionized our existence. Consider some examples: The light

Culture, Generation Z, Students, Youth

Today, we hear from Andrew McPeak. Andrew is a next gen researcher, speaker, and author for Growing Leaders.  A study released in Jan 2018 by Barna Research Group reveals that Generation Z is more emotionally affected by the perils of social media than other generations who are also online. Utilizing a quantitative survey of 1,490 nationally representative students—ages 13 to 18 across the US—researchers

Culture, Students, Youth

I’ve noticed a missing word in our vocabulary for a decade now. I rarely hear the word “moderation.” Instead, I see both students and adults becoming addicted to technology, including everyday devices like phones, tablets or video games. Believe it or not, students in our recent focus groups readily admitted to an addiction to both their phones and to social

Culture, Parenting, Students, Youth

For years, we’ve heard journalists, educators and employers tell us that our youngest generation in America could be called a “snowflake generation.” Why? Because so many of these kids have been raised in a delicate, soft environment, protected from life’s harsh realities and responsibilities. Some even wrote that we’ve coddled them, protecting them with “bubble wrap.” Wikipedia reminds us, “The term

Athletics, Podcast, Students, Youth

Today I’m excited to share with you a conversation with two specials guests, Sarah Clapper and Timothy Alexander. Sarah was recently crowned Miss Ohio 2017 after overcoming several obstacles to achieve her goal. The second guest is Timothy Alexander, who is serving as the Character Coach for the University of Alabama at Birmingham football team. Timothy has an incredible story

Culture, Students, Youth

Did you know that among young teens, suicide attempts and emergency room visits have dramatically increased over the last eight years? In fact, girls committing self-harm has tripled since 2009. While overdosing on medication was most common among girls, self-inflicted injuries with sharp and blunt objects also increased during the study period. This data was released recently by the U.S.

Athletics, Youth

By 1996, college baseball coach, John Scolinos, had already become a legend. He was 78 years old that year, and he agreed to speak to 4,000 coaches at an ABCA convention in Nashville. It was an unforgettable scene. He shuffled up to the platform, looking strange. He wore a home plate, attached to a chain hung from his neck. Who does

Culture, Leadership, Youth

I get to meet some of the most amazing students as I travel. In fact, our entire team of speakers (at Growing Leaders) meets them, from secondary schools, to universities to international schools in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. As I meet these students, I am noticing something different. They are examples of the global research done