Category: Thought Leaders

Clarity and simplicity are NOT one and the same. The consequential problems we deal with, as leaders, are rarely simple. Thus, clarity is elusive. Rarely, if ever, are the solutions to our complex problem(s) clear.

While we strive for simplicity and clarity, wise leaders understand that both are illusory.

A similar dynamic tension exists between curiosity and knowledge. BOTH are necessary in our efforts to gain better grasp of the problem(s), and the potential solution(s). While curiosity + knowledge bring us deeper understanding, they almost always are accompanied by the unveiling of previously unbeknownst circumstances, motives, variables, history, etc.

Beast mode LEARNING is the requirement for effective leadership.

Whenever we hear someone (especially in leadership) say something like …”The solution is simple and clear”… that is our cue to begin backing slowly toward the exit. They are either delusional, or they’re trying to sell us something (that will likely NOT solve the complex problem we’re dealing with).

learn >> Learn >> LEARN!

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

Our impact as leaders — in our families, in our communities, in our workplaces — is the downstream effect of our influence.

Our influence as leaders is the downstream effect of the TRUST others have in us.

The TRUST others have in us as leaders is the downstream effect of what they conclude from their interactions with us.

What others conclude from their interactions with us is the downstream effect of decisions we make (either consciously or otherwise) about what we believe, why we believe it, and how we communicate it.

Evidently we should be paying purposeful attention to what we are doing upstream.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

Ready or not, summer flew by too fast and another school year is upon us. Each new year starts with new challenges, new roles, and new responsibilities. People who serve in education have various life experiences and paths they have taken, however, they all have a reason or “why” for continuing in this profession.

I was recently provided the opportunity to attend the Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN) summer conference in College Station. It was wonderful to get to go to Aggieland (Whoop!) and hear about all the amazing opportunities that CEN is bringing to rural Texas, including my own district. The partnership between CEN and the Agriculture world speaks to my heart, having an animal science degree and an education degree, my worlds are finally colliding! At the CEN conference, I found a new sense of my “why” and the opportunity to reinvigorate my call to action to support my district as we continue to grow in the CEN network. Even better, my own children are going to get to have a different educational experience than I did, which is part of the root of my personal “why.”

The last few years have been some of the most difficult years in education, from a global pandemic to government constraints to safety challenges. Just when you think it is going to get better, another challenge (or better yet, opportunity) arises. Your “why” is unique to you. It is your call to action at the end of each day, driving you to do better and continue to serve. As we enter into a new school year and prepare to face all the unknown challenges that lay ahead, we must continue to lean on our “why”. What is your “why”? If you know your “why”, take time to revisit it before the school year. At times, we look in the mirror and think “Why do I do this? I could be doing something so much easier!”. We are all in this profession for a reason, serving the youth of Texas. Make sure that you protect your “why” and your call to action. By holding your “why” close to your heart as you navigate this school year, the challenges and opportunities that arise will have a purpose to motivate you to do better and continue in this profession, serving the youth of Texas. May the 22-23 school year be your best year yet!

We ALL have values, whether we know it or not. Some of us simply adopt the values we were raised with, giving little thought to them. Others of us spend a great deal of time and thought examining our values, then carefully articulating them for clarity (both for ourselves and others).

Then…………Uncertainty enters the picture, like the villain in a western movie. Uncertainty tends to unsettle us, to disrupt our flow, to generate doubt.

Uncertainty does NOT alter our values. Rather, Uncertainty exposes our values.

If we don’t like what we see in ourselves when Uncertainty storms in, it might be time to reassess what we believe, and why we believe it.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

Leaders are like prospectors. Some seem focused on looking for gold. Others, however, seem busily intent on digging up dirt, detritus, and dung.

Both kinds are mining in the same medium. The difference is in the leader’s perspective.

De-energizing leaders look for (and almost always find) the following:

• Mistakes and misses
• Shortcomings
• Scapegoats
• Self-aggrandizements

Energizing leaders look for (and almost always find) the following:

• Praise-worthy effort
• What’s working
• Opportunities for improvement
• Collective discernment/analysis
• Results-oriented thinking and behavior

Two questions to consider:

Which kind of leader would I prefer to work for/with?

Which kind of leader do I choose to be?

It is a choice, you know.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

I recently read Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby (2020).

In this book Manby frames his experiences as a chief executive officer of several large organizations against the pillars of love as articulated in 1 Corinthians 13 of the Bible.

 My top takeaways:

• Think first and always of LOVE as a action verb – not as a noun or an emotion.
• Reframe personal and organizational goals as either BEgoals or DO goals – with the BE goals being preeminent.
• BEgoals are timeless; DO goals are context dependent and malleable.
• Protecting the dignity of others should be paramount.
• Praise lacking specifics is perceived as bogus and hollow, killing our credibility.
• Making others consistently feel bad does NOT make them better.
• Customer experience is the direct downstream effect of employee enthusiasm – starting with leadership.
• Effective and Efficient are goals that can work against one another, or they complement each other in symbiotic conjunction, depending on the culture we choose to shape.
• The gift of time – the leader’s time – is a powerful incentivizer.
• Insisting on getting at the truth keeps the best people and creates the best decisions.
• Forgiving heals both the giver and the recipient.
• The seven timeless principles of LOVE that can be leveraged in leadership: PATIENCE, KINDNESS, TRUSTING, UNSELFISH, TRUTHFUL, FORGIVING, and DEDICATED.

My favorite quotes:

“Profits are a product of doing the right thing—over and over again.” (p. 31)

“Do or do not. There is no try. —YODA In Star Wars.” (p. 35)

“The truth is this: interrupting is a sign of distrust.” (p. 83)

“Listening well is critical because it demonstrates trust and builds a team’s sense of camaraderie and cohesion.” (p. 84)

“Let others make the decisions for which they are responsible.” (p. 95)

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. —MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. ” (p. 196)

“And the more we focus on do goals, the greater the risk that we will betray our be goals.” (p. 215)

Manby makes a compelling case that effective leaders – the best leaders – not only can lead from a standpoint of LOVE, they should do so.

This book is a worthy read.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

I love knives, and I have a collection of pocket knives that I’m a bit proud of.  I received a gift card for Christmas, and knowing that I would be leaving Roscoe Collegiate ISD at the end of January, I decided to purchase a new pocket knife that would commemorate my time in the district.  I wanted something unique, so I decided on a Deejo knife sporting a black blade with a lighthouse etched on it.  There were many different items that I could choose from to have etched on the blade, but the lighthouse reflected best my time at Roscoe.  The purpose of the light house is to provide sailors a means to navigate as well as a warning about potential dangers.

My last five years with Roscoe Collegiate ISD afforded me the opportunity to see first-hand the power and purpose of being an educational lighthouse to others.  As a demonstration site, RCISD was charged with showing others the innovations that the district had implemented.  After conducting over 50 tours and hosting nearly 200 people, it became obvious to me that “seeing was believing.”  In fact, one university official stated that he had heard about Roscoe, but he had to see it for himself to believe.  That person became one of the district’s strongest advocates.  We were also fortunate enough to host our local state congressman and senator, our U.S. congressman, and two Texas education commissioners.  However, the most important people that we hosted were the teachers and administrators from other school districts.  They were the explorers looking for a vision, a means, and a model to follow in order to provide the best possible education for children back home.

In my new role with Collegiate Edu-Nation, I have had the opportunity to hear school administrators talk about their visits to Roscoe.  They say things like, “we had a hard time picturing what innovation would look like in our district, but seeing Roscoe helped us imagine what we could do back home,” and “we visited other districts, but they weren’t like us; when we visited Roscoe, all of the pieces fell into place.”  Roscoe Collegiate has long been the model for rural school innovation, but that is a task that is now being shared by others.  Just as a sailor will see many light houses as he travels up and down the coast, educators will soon be able to see models of rural innovation around the state.  It has been exciting to watch Cumby Collegiate, Hamlin Collegiate, Throckmorton Collegiate, Floydada Collegiate, and Sunray Collegiate ISD’s begin to light the way for others to follow.  Shine brightly so that others will see what is possible for rural students across the state and nation!

We are apportioned only so many days on Earth. For some, that window of life is tragically short. For others, it can approach 100 years.

Regardless of how long we live, there is a finite amount of Life Energy allocated to us each day.

We get to determine how to spend that Life Energy.

Below are some continua we can use to help frame those choices:

Harmony <<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>> Disharmony

Calm <<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>> Instigate

Love <<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hate

Service <<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>> Selfishness

Contribute <<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>> Consume

Learn <<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>> Ignore

Positivity <<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>> Negativity

We don’t control the amount of Life Energy, just the way we choose to direct it.

Note to self: Modifications can be made minute-by-minute.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com

A lifetime is too short to learn the craft of leadership.

As we grow ourselves into more impactful Servant Leaders, there exists some powerful accelerants to the process:

• Clarity – be absolutely clear about the direction we are heading, about the outcomes we seek. The paths toward that vision will be nuanced, ambiguous, and many. The Direction, however, should never be.
• Trust – engage in constant trust development, between and among stakeholders (both internal and external). Trust is the currency that is most honored in human interactions, and it comes from transparent alignment of what others see out of us compared with what others hear from us.
• Learning – growing individually and collectively is absolutely necessary. Our work is not done in isolation, neither can our learning be. Learning is a dance of constant push and pull. If we are not Lead Learners, and if we do not invite others to Learn along with us…………………………we have a problem.
• Engagement – others feel valued by us mostly as result of the way we interact with them. Listening instead of lecturing, Asking instead of telling, Observing instead of directing all send powerful signals that let others know we need their thinking, we cherish their authentic involvement, we covet their engagement.

Leadership is about influence, and it’s a two-way street.

Let’s move the Leadership improvement needle a little today. For ourselves, and for those with whom we engage.

GO!

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com.

For your consideration:
Cynicism = Don’t know + don’t care + not believing it
Curiosity = Don’t know much about it + interested in knowing more
Skepticism = Know a little already + convince me + gonna ask critical questions
Skeptiosity = Curiosity + Skepticism

Cynicism blocks learning.
Curiosity invites learning.
Skepticism calibrates learning.
Skeptiosity accelerates learning.

SKEPTIOSITY RULES!

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to www.nelsonwcoulter.com.