Are You Making the Right Choice about Choices?

Choice is essential to connect with those that you lead, and in schools providing choice makes sense.  More choice equals more freedom, and more freedom leads to more ownership.  Let's face it.  When people have more choice, they will be more engaged and even more empowered, but here is the reality about choice.

Choice is in the mind of the beholder.

If you don't believe me, watch The Art of Choosing.

Choice requires people to see a meaningful difference, and just because you offer it doesn't mean that you're helping people.  Just because you offer choices, doesn't mean you are empowering freedom.  According to research, too many choices can actually lead to higher stress, depression and perhaps psychological paralysis.

Too much choice
When was the last time you walked down the cereal aisle?  There are just too many choices.  If you don't know what you want, you could be there all day long.   The same goes for our schools.  If you offer people to many unfamiliar choices, they will become overwhelmed because they don't which choice is the best for them.

Too little choice
Ever been to a concession stand when all that was left was the one soda that you didn't want?  It is downright frustrating.  The same applies to choice in school.  If you don't provide enough choices to those that you lead, you will create an organization filled with resentment of the tasks they are asked to do.

Finding the Right Balance
If you believe in offering your people the right amount of choice, you must remember this.  If you don't know those that you lead, then you won't know the right kinds of choices or appropriate amounts of choice your people need to be more empowered.  Choice only works when leaders include followers in the development of the menu of options, and when leaders provide the right balance of choice, followers will always select the best choice that makes them more efficient, effective and ultimately successful.

26 Things You Should be Thankful for, but Probably Aren't

Thanksgiving is here, and that means it's time to give thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon us.  But to truly have the right heart for appreciation, one must be able to give thanks in all things. That means giving thanks for the good as well as the bad, but nobody wants to give thanks for bad stuff.  After all, it's bad, and it has hurt us and it has made our lives difficult.

So to help you truly give thanks for the most difficult things in our lives, I wanted to share 26 things that you should give thanks for but probably aren't. 

26 Things to Give Thanks for that You Probably Aren't. 

Aggravation and Annoyances

Betrayal and Bewilderment

Conflict and Confrontation 

Disappointment and Dismay

Embarrassing Events

Failure and Friction

Growing Pains and Gray Hairs

Humiliation

Injustice, Impatience, and Insecurity 

Jerks and Jams

Knives in the back and Knotheads

Loss  and Long Meetings

Mistakes and Misfortune

No's and Not Yets

Overwhelming Days

Painful Moments and Pettiness

Quirky People

Rejection and Retaliation

Setbacks, Scars, and Stress

Turmoil and Tyrants

Uncertainty

Volatile People

Wounds and Weariness

Youthful Inexperience

Zits

If you made it through the list, how many of these bad things have found their way into your life?  If you said all of them, consider yourself lucky because that means you are living your life to its fullest. You have been stretched by these items, and they have brought you to where you are today. Give thanks in these things for they are responsible for making you the excellent person you are today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Let's Get United Behind the Vote

Beside this being the most annoying election season I have ever experienced in my life, I must tell you that I have never been more determined on who I am voting for. I have never been more excited to go to the booth and cast my ballot. In fact, every four years my desire to vote grows stronger because of my love for this country, and my hope for what our country could become for my own personal kids. 

YOU MAY BE SHOCKED, BUT

I am not voting for Hillary, and I'm not voting for Trump. Nope, I'm not voting for Johnson or even Stein. I am not even voting against corruption or bigotry. I'm voting for something bigger and a whole lot more important than that. 

I am voting for my children and for this amazing country. I am voting in hopes that in 2017 we will have elected officials that will drop the partisan brinksmanship and actually put the "United" back into the United States of America. I am tired of hacks killing the future of our children with their divisive bias, rhetoric and slander. I am sick of our children's future being squandered by mountains of debt accompanied by no plans to protect our country for the future. 

THAT'S WHY I'M VOTING

Will it change anything?  I don't know, but I do know one thing. If I don't vote or choose to believe that my vote is worthless, then nothing will change. We live in the greatest land on the planet, and I know one thing. "We, the people" still own this country and until our God-given right to vote is taken away, we will continue to be "We, the people". 

LET'S GET UNITED FOLKS

If we want to be a united country again, there are 2 things every American must do. First on Election Day, go vote, and let your voice be heard. Second, remember that on the day after Election Day, our mission is simple. Unite as a nation around our new president even if you can't stand him or her, and let's work together as a nation to fight the trend of becoming the Divided People of America. 

We are better than that, and our children deserve to inherit one nation under God that is truly indivisible with liberty and justice for all. That will only happen if we remember that we're not republicans, democrats, or whatever party you associate with. We are Amercans plain and simple, and when we embrace our nationality, we will truly realize the reason that we must vote. 

Let's Teach Kids Tenacity in #NoExcuseNovember

October is over, and November is here.  For men, No Shave November is here, and for school No Excuse November is here.

The purpose for No Excuse November is to challenge students, parents, and teachers to crush all the excuses that prevent us from growing in our work and in our learning.  For example the biggest excuses made by most people are "I don't have time" or "I can't do that".  That's simply not true.  We have the time if we make it, and we can do anything we commit our minds to.

Let's face it.  Excuses do nothing more than allow us to remain in our current state.  They keep us in our present state and serve as a barrier to finding our inner excellence. As parents and educators, we must challenge kids to stop making the following excuses when it comes to learning:

• I'm not a good reader.
• Math is not my thing.
• I can't write.
• I don't have time to study.

None of these excuses are true.  Students can be good readers, excellent mathematicians, fantastic writers, and studious learners if we teach them to avoid the trap of making excuses.  When excuses are no longer allowed, learning increases, students learn the value of hard work and perseverance, and No Excuse November will be a powerful tool that leads kids to success.  I hope you will challenge your student to adopt the No Excuse November movement.

WHAT EXCUSES WILL YOU CONFRONT THIS MONTH?