Top Ten Books – 2023
Bill’s Top Ten Books of 2023 “Leaders are Readers” Richard Sheridan Chief Joy Officer CAVEAT: These books are in no particular order of preference. They all have illuminated my thinking, added to my repertoire of strategies, and have helped me focus on what is important and preferable. As a result […]
5 3 1 WHY Resilience Project
“It Is Not the Strongest of the Species that Survives but the Most Adaptable” Charles Darwin Objective The 5 3 1 WHY Resilience project was created to address concerns about student wellness. Students’ current environment includes a post-pandemic effect, increased use of drugs/vaping and alcohol, national suicide crisis, and in-school […]
Student & Principal: Habits of Mind
Reciprocal Learning Student & Principal The following essay is a conversation and comparison of three “Habits of Mind” between a high school student and a high school principal. High School Student My name is Matt Trussell, and I am finishing my junior year in high school. As a high school […]
New Book on Professional Development
Joellen Killion, Bill Sommers, and Ann Delehant share their current thinking, skills, and activities from years of experience. Check it out.
Chris Coffey
Conversations with Chris A dear colleague has passed. Morrie Schwartz in his book, ‘Tuesdays with Morrie,’ says ‘death ends a life, not a relationship.’ My learning has been expanded by learning with Chris. As a co-developer of Stakeholder Centered Coaching with Marshall Goldsmith and Frank Wagner, he was a practitioner […]
Emotional Anorexia
Great administrators and teachers are emotionally intelligent and connect with their students and colleagues. They understand that positive relationships are the bedrock of successful schools. This can be emotionally draining, and if we do not replenish regularly, then it can lead to what presenter, Dr. William Sommers, calls “emotional anorexia.” […]
10 Lessons from Daniel Pink
These notes are a blend of Daniel Pink’s presentation and some of Bill’s comments. Daniel Pink’s new book, The Power of Regrets came out February 1 2022. I have my copy. Get Yours. Best way to make a decision. A focusing question is, ‘what would I tell my best friend […]
4’E’s of Maintenance
By: Dr Cindy Zurchin, Positive Consulting, LLC The New Year brings thoughts of resolutions and ways to improve our lifestyles and create healthy habits. Many of us have experienced our best intentions end up in disappointments. There is no reason we have to pick the date of January 1 to […]
Compliance Cop to Culture Coach
Frederick Herzberg in 1959 studied intrinsic motivators and hygiene factors that inhibit performance in engineers. For many years educators and businesses have been evaluated on number. What are the test scores, what are the sales, what are the profits? How is that working? Now, people are leaving positions, organizations, and […]
On Right-Doing
I listen to the news and read the papers. I keep hearing assertions such as, “I am guilty of no wrong-doing.” Or, “I did nothing illegal, I broke no laws.” In the last few months I’ve seen an epidemic of such claims. And these comments are attributed to various people […]