 :Do you read Seth Godin's blog? Maybe you should. His posts are almost always short and very thought provoking. His blog is a great addition to your professional learning. Here is his posting for today:  This is where leaders often fall short. We do not give the understanding behind what we are doing, where we are going, and why as leaders or as an organization. And we wonder why we cannot change as an organization. We can cast blame on the others all we want, but in the end, it starts with the leadership and how we choose to work with our people.
Think. Achieve. Succeed. Jeff
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 For one week in June each year, administrators from all across the great state of Texas converge on Austin. We are all here for the same reason, to learn. There are three fantastic associations that host some of the greatest principals in America during this week. Texas School Administrators Legal Digest, Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP), and Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). The learning has been top notch and all of the participants have had plenty of sessions and presenters that are able to push their thinking about schools and what’s best for kids. Want to see what I am talking about? Click the links below:
#SW2017 #TEPSA17 #TXEDLAW As these sessions begin to wind down over the course of this afternoon and tomorrow I challenge you to think about the following:
I think that all of these are questions that we ask ourselves after each professional learning session. If you do not ask yourself these questions… what are you doing this for, I mean really? Just a vacation? Not cool. Those questions are great but here is where I want you to really focus:
Would we accept our students only learning once a year? Heck no! Why do we accept that for ourselves and for our teachers? Think about that. As my friend Jimmy Casas says, we must model the way in all that we do. One place to begin is with learning. Not just our students’ learning, but our learning. The great thing is that we can strive for tomorrow, today. Each day is a new shot at personal excellence. Thanks for sharing your learning and leading the way Jimmy. Think. Achieve. Succeed. Jeff  Here is a question for you? What’s in your “Secret Sauce” to success in life? Have you ever thought about that? If you do, what is your secret? If you have not, perhaps you should so that you know (a) what helps you to be successful or (b) an area of growth to increase your success. I woke early this morning to drive to Dallas so that I could attend a professional learning opportunity. There are some of us that prefer to sleep in our own beds instead of hotels, even if that means leaving the comfort of that bed in the wee hours of the morning to arrive at your destination. Today was one of those days for me. As I was driving from College Station to Dallas I listened to a couple of podcasts. My wife, the brilliant Amanda Mann @amann4edu, introduced me to podcasts a few years ago and, as with all things my wife introduces me to, my life took a turn for the better. Thank you, Amanda. Little did you know that you created a podcast consuming monster…. Or maybe you did!  The world of podcasts is a fantastic place. It is like listening to the radio, but without all the commercials. I love that. If you do not like what you are listening to, you can just go on to the next podcast. You are in control of your own learning and consumption… just what adult learners (and kid learners for that matter) need to be engaged in learning.
I subscribe to some education related podcasts, but most of them are not related to education at all. Instead, they are about risk taking, big thinkers, storytelling, funs stuff, and creativity leaders. These various podcasts help me to think differently about leadership, the principalship, and how to relate to the variety of people I encounter each day. All from one singe device that I carry in my pocket every day. So what is the point you ask? The point is, I believe that we must always find ways to push ourselves in our learning and growth. That is a main ingredient in my secret sauce. If you do not expose yourself to different thinking, ideas, perspectives, life lessons, stories, and points of view you will lose perspective on the world that is outside of yours. As a leader can you afford to do that? Perhaps it is time for you to reevaluate the ingredients of your secret sauce. Think. Achieve. Succeed. Jeff |
Jeff MannA lifelong learner that is committed to asking questions to seek greater understandings. 
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January 2023
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