04/09/2025
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ.
๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.
"An investment in knowledge pays the best dividends."โBenjamin Franklin
This week, I had the joy of speaking to a group of third graders at their annual STAAR Campโpart pep rally, part boot camp, part think tank. For those of you not in the great state of Texas, the STAAR is the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readinessโand it can be stressful on everyone: students, teachers, and parents.
I brought along my passion for facilitating workshops and created a tabletop activity called the All-STAAR Basketball Game, where teams defended or challenged the statement: "Minecraft is the best video game."
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ. It was about teaching critical thinking, civil discourse, structured writing, and yesโcourage. I witnessed young minds come alive as they organized their thoughts, defended their ideas, and celebrated each other's perspectives.
These kids arenโt just preparing for a test; theyโre practicing skills that many adults still struggle with in the workplace.
Great citizenship and great leadership donโt happen in a vacuumโthey're cultivated through experiences that challenge, inspire, and support growth at every level. Whether youโre leading a classroom, a department, or a city, the same principles apply: purpose, role and goal clarity, engagement, teamwork, follow-through, and reward and recognition.
๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ! After the students presented their arguments, something beautiful (and very human) happened: They kept debating who was right.
It opened the door for an impromptu leadership and life lessonโone about the power of perspective and preferences. I reminded them that while some decisions in life have clear right or wrong answers, many othersโlike favorite gamesโdonโt. What matters more is how we treat each other when we disagree.
We talked about respect, preference, and unityโhow even in a game with two sides, they were still one class, one team.
These kids arenโt just preparing for a test; theyโre practicing skills many adults still wrestle with: differing perspectives, clear communication, empathy, and collaborative thinking.
Leadership doesnโt begin in the boardroom. It begins in moments like this.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ.
๐งญ ๐จ'๐ ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐พ-๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ผ๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ. ๐งญ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐!
๐งญ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐งญ
๐ Call: 346-291-0216
๐ง Email: [email protected]