3 Es:  Education, Experience, Execution “Knowledge is Important AND Insufficient” Education.  Learning is important.  The more basic information we have stored in our brains and […]

FOMO & NOJO v. GOJO & MOJO Fear of Missing Out v. Positive Spirit of Engagement OMG!  Did I miss something? Being connected is healthy […]

Unleashing Potential (UP) in Schools & Communities by William Sommers & Jorge Sciupac   “If you always do what you always did, you will always […]

School Leadership & Navy SEALs by Bill Sommers & Gary Denham   These notes are from a learning conversation between Bill Sommers, a high school […]

William Sommers Jorge Sciupac How about a new acronym for GAPS.  GAPS: Good Alternatives Produce Success. There is a great deal of talk about gaps […]

In education it seems that whatever we do, it is never enough.  Schools have taken on so many social issues trying to help kids.  I […]

The Killer “B”s Bullies & Bystanders While viewing an interview with Jodi Picoult this Sunday June 5, 2022, she was talking about bullying in schools.  […]

Educators have asked me, ‘how does someone turnaround schools?’  My answer is, “put on Iron Underwear.  You will get eaten from all sides.”  Then, my […]

Sign Up for Stakeholder Centered Coaching for Educational Leaders. Not for the faint of heart Ernest Shackleton ran this ad when looking for members for […]

Stakeholder Centered Coaching For Educators Time is the one of the most important non-renewable resources.  When coaching leaders, ‘I don’t have time’ is the most […]

Six Skills that Prepare Students for Work and Life in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Patrick Cook-Deegan Founder and CEO Wayfinder in Bend, Oregon May 4, […]

WHY & Blue Corn What does Blue Corn have to do with your personal “WHY”? Laura Robinson William Sommers While looking for a visual to […]

Organizations are going through constant and unrelenting change. Does anyone think the landscape will change anytime soon?  I don’t. Charles Duhigg (2012) refers to ‘cues’ […]

9 Questions to Ask Yourself and Others for 2022 These are questions that have been asked in books, workshops, and spiritual talks. What do you […]

When taking a psychology course in college, the instructor gave us a final.  He wrote a question, WHY?  We all had our blue books (those […]

“The Answer to How is YES” Peter Block   This post is inspired by Dan Dominguez of WHY.OS Institute.  Recently I was certified in the […]

I AM MY WHY Like it or not, here are my AHAs. To quote Popeye: I am what I am Why or why not? That […]

Lessons from THE EAGLES I attended my last two Eagles concerts this year (2021) remembering the many previous concerts. One concert in Austin, TX, Don […]

The last post on New Rules, Michael Ayers provided a pathway from data to understanding and wisdom.  See https://learningomnivores.com/rules/data-is-everywhere/ There is a lot of noise […]

The spelling of FeedForward is correct. Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Coaching (SCC) is a proven coaching model widely used and accepted by the business world. Marshall […]

Data, Information, and Beyond What gives me pleasure in learning something is that I can teach it. Nothing will ever please me, not even what […]

“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” Peter Drucker How will the culture of your school or business change as a result of COVID? That is the […]

Exploring the Metaphor of Power in Organizational Life A Story Congratulations! You, Liam, have been appointed the new Chair of the Science department in your […]

Conflict Happens Repertoire Creates Options Agility Accelerates Action Every time I read Susan David’s newsletter called “Emotional Agility,” I think about my time as a […]

Things Have Changed – Get Over It Bob Dylan sang “Things Have Changed” and the Eagles sang “Get Over It.” Both are true when it […]

As educational leaders, at all levels, evaluating people and their talents is an ongoing responsibility. Leaders will want to have multiple strategies in their skillset.  […]

Words Matter. Among the current words that concern me are “social distance.” I do not know where this started. It is wrong. I think what […]

Learning Leads to Performance “Not Learning is bad Not Wanting to Learn is Worse” African Proverb On May 3rd, 2021, Eduardo Briceño facilitated a Learning […]

“If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less.” –Eric Shinseki Resist change at your peril. I remember saying, “I’m not […]

“Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all [they] has”. H. Jackson Brown These are very difficult times. Health issues, individual financial problems, and […]

Skunk Costs, Creative Thoughts, and FeedForward What does ‘sunk cost’ mean? Sunk costs refer to money that has already been spent and which cannot be […]

My goal for this rule is to advocate to prepare all kids to be successful for an uncertain future. I believe we need to get better […]

“Execution beats luck Consistency beats intensity Curiosity beats smart Kind beats clever Together beats alone” Shane Parrish   This is the third in the series […]

“Humility is really important because it keeps you fresh and new” Steven Tyler Humility is the second requirement Marshall Goldsmith recommends in order to decide […]

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” Gordon A. Eadie This will be the first of a three-part series on answering […]

This rule is inspired by a friend and colleague, Frank Wagner, Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching expert and former professor at UCLA.  When Frank was […]

I attended a workshop in the 90s where Bob Hallett introduced me to Lawrence Miller’s work.  I knew it then and know it now that […]

This rule was inspired  by Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations and author of two books, Joy, Inc. and Chief Joy Officer.  His article is […]

Instead of the the Tyranny of “OR,” How about the Possibility of “AND.” Have you noticed that thinking in binary choices is sometimes a trap […]

I am always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to help students learn.  I am always on the lookout for new and innovative […]

“Life is change, growth is optional, choose wisely.” Karen Kaiser Clark. In the 90s, in a workshop, Angeles Arrien said, “Words are rumors, Watch their […]

OK, coronavirus happened.  I don’t like it either.  As my colleague, Jane Stevenson once asked me, “how long are you going to be mad?”  I […]

I first encountered the term VUCA when reading Bob Johansen’s book (2007) Get There Early. As I tried to understand the concept of a world […]

The bad news:  Coronavirus.  One possible positive side effect: time to think, reflect, and create. Watching the news is a drain on my energy and […]

Last weekend I attended my granddaughter’s birthday party.  She is four years old.  Perry and Shanti, her parents, organized the party to be held at […]

Definition   Noob definition, a newbie, especially a person who is new to an online community and whose online participation and interactions display a lack of skill […]

As I reflect on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools, where test scores seem to overshadow building good citizens, companies where making money supersedes the […]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, etc. have all passed for this year. They are days of celebration in most cultures and families. […]

Most school leaders, including me, say, “yes, I want feedback on how I am doing.”  Of course, what most of us want is positive validation […]

In 2017 I posted an article called “Emotional Anorexia.”  https://learningomnivores.com/emotional-anorexia/  In schools, adults do not get a lot of positive feedback. Leaders get even less. […]

October 21, 2019 I have to ask again during the fog and diversion in our world.  Get some focus people.  Goethe said, “the things that […]

Henry Ford was quoted as saying, “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” Sometimes students start believing they are […]

Arrogance and Ignorance have consequences. I am reminded of a story that appeared in the book Leadership and Self Deception: Getting out of the Box […]

As you choose, ‘Beware of the Consequences.’ As leaders, we are constantly managing people. those who report to us, those who you report to and […]

Many studies and articles promoting trust as a social lubricant in organizations creates innovative ideas and positive solutions to problems. This is extremely important in […]

On August 13, 2019, I, with a few friends and colleagues, attended a day of learning at Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor, MI with eighty […]

New Rule: Choose Who You Want To Be The Learning Omnivores were pleased and honored to host Meg Wheatley for a day of learning Friday, […]

Choose a different wave Every time I spend time at my timeshare in Kauai, I watch surfers. Being across the street from the ocean I […]

New Rule: Leaders: You go first Simon Sinek (2014) wrote a book titled, Leaders Eat Last. The premise of the book was that leaders take […]

New Rule: Be a Values Vigilante I am suggesting that maybe our values are under attack and the long-term consequences will keep getting worse. Everyone […]

New Rule: Talk Don’t Text First, self-disclosure. I am old, at least older, with over forty years in education. I entered the tech world many […]

Find the Invisible Child I am adding an excerpt from the work of Matt Kaufman at the end of this rule. I don’t know Matt […]

New Rule: Ask “HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?’ Thank you to Reverend Patrick T. O’Neill for this story. Skip Olsen and I reprinted this story in […]

Learn from a 5th-grade dropout. This rule was inspired by Dr. Rick Rigby’s talk on the Wisest Man He Ever Met, A third-grade dropout. I […]

Create a New Animal School There is an old story about an Animal School which I will include at the end of the new rule. […]

Goldilocks Theory of Parenting Helicopters, Snowplows, Tiger Moms and Goldilocks Lots of news is being shared since the information broke about parents paying to get […]

Ernest Hemingway is credited with the quote, “never mistake motion for action.” I agree. Here are my top five reasons for being busy and keeping […]

New Rule: Beware of  Cats in the Dog House A Theory to Consider Many of us started teaching in the 60s (some even in the […]

New Rule: Be a BOSS not a SSOB A good BOSS is Benevolent, Open, Sensitive, and Smart.  A bad Boss spelled backward, is a double […]

New Rule: Give ‘em “L” #3: 3Cs of Learning My premise is, if the culture isn’t right for learning, the school environment will not support […]

New Rule: Give ‘em “L” #2: 7Cs of Learning Cultures Want to close the GAP?  Want to help create a culture focused more on learning and […]

New Rule: Give ‘em’ “L”               #1 I will be writing at least three “Give ‘em’ “L” rules.  These thoughts […]

New Rule:  Be a Cultural Custodian I often hear that there are not enough teachers.  Bullfeathers.  There are more than enough teachers.  The issue is […]

New Rule:  Get a New School Bored When asking students the traditional question, ‘what did you do in school today?’ the usual response is “nothing.” […]

New Rule: Do it for Oscar As I reflect on over forty years in education, “it has always been the kids and staff that gets […]

New Rule:  PLCs – NOT Las Vegas Shirley Hord coined the term PLC (Professional Learning Community) and published articles at SEDL. PLCs have been a […]

New Rule:  Do Succession Planning not (Suck)session abdication “Leadership is influence: Nothing More, Nothing Less,” said John Maxwell.  I believe this is true.  To quote […]

New Rule: Choose Your VUCA I first found the term ‘VUCA’ in a book titled, Get There Early (2007), by Bob Johansen. He foreshadowed the […]

New Rule: Bo Peep Was Wrong – Be a Good Shepherd Instead The Bo Beep style of management has to be eliminated for a more […]

New Rule:  When the Horse is Dead, Have Sense Enough to Dismount Years ago I found the following story which I attached to the end […]

New Rule: Be a Wet Baby I tire of hearing people inside and outside of education say, ‘oh so much change, I can’t take any […]

New Rule: Pull Don’t Push Question: Is it easier to push a wagon from behind with a load or pull a wagon from the front?  […]

New Rule:  Start Fighting Alligators What does it take to fight the alligators in the swamp or in life?  The following story was told by […]

New Rule:  Stop Pretending We Don’t Know In 1991, Carl Glickman wrote an article called, “Pretending Not to Know What We Already Know.”  As I […]

New Rule:  Be a Peach, Not a Coconut William Sommers, PhD There has been a tremendous amount of books and research about leadership.  Theory X, […]

New Rule: Use Duct Tape or WD-40 “There is too much change to deal with” is the expression I hear a lot in schools and […]

New Rule:  NO Substitute for Brains “There is no substitute for brains.”  Marney Wamsley As an assistant principal, Marney was my third principal.  My first […]

We have been around a long time, both over 40 years in education, and worked in many parts of the country. One of us, mostly […]

New Rule – Stand Up or Shut Up John McCain’s death has prompted a thought for the nation AND educators. His masterful response to a woman […]