How Schools are Inspiring Greatness…One Child at a Time

Today is our last day of school—hooray!  My family travels to Denton, Texas to hear my niece’s Valedictory address for Guyer High School’s commencement ceremonies.

So, I’d like to focus on leadership skills taught in today’s classroom. Let’s start by turning the clock back 25 years when Dr. Stephen R. Covey wrote, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic.  (Note that my last blog post was “Got Character?”) Covey’s book went on to be named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the 20th Century.  It’s still taught in boardrooms, government, and academia.  Ten years after the book’s release, Dr. Covey was approached about teaching those principles in the classroom…even starting with elementary students. He felt it could be done…

In 2008, he published results of this movement. As Covey explains, “Parents around the world see the change and know that the traditional three R’s — reading, writing, and arithmetic — are necessary, but not enough. Their children need to become far more responsible, creative, and tolerant of differences. They need to increase their ability to think for themselves, take initiative, get along with others, and solve problems.”

The Leader in Me is the story of the extraordinary schools around the world who are preparing the next generation to meet the great challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.  Click here to continue

Got Character?

Weeks 21 & 22 of the NIV Leadership Bible focus on the importance of character in leadership.

Leaders cultivate character by acquiring wisdom and understanding. To get it, leaders must diligently “search” for the wisdom that is buried within God’s Word like treasure covered by layers of earth and rock. Take a moment to read the verses above (from Proverbs 2:1-5) and note the quality of effort talked about there.

As God fills our minds with wisdom, our character will develop so that we’ll possess the ability to consistently make right choices—choices that are just, fair, and moral.

Speaking of choices, Benjamin Franklin once said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”

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