Tag: Innovation
Innovation is the engine of progress — in schools, in business, in culture. This tag explores creative thinking, breakthrough strategies, and the systems that make new ideas possible. Sharp reflections and practical insights help you push boundaries, rethink assumptions, and build futures that move beyond the status quo.
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AI, This is the line in the sand.
The headlines say AI is coming for your career, but they’re missing the entire plot. If you define expertise purely by what can be automated, you’ve already lost. There is a sharp line where the machine completely fails—and it’s exactly where your competitive advantage begins.
How Artificial Intelligence Will Replace Schools
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming every aspect of our lives, from health care to entertainment. But what about education? Will AI replace schools and teachers in the near future? The answer is not so simple. AI has the potential to enhance and personalize learning for students, by providing adaptive feedback, customized curricula, and interactive simulations.…
Ditch That Textbook, A Failed Hoax
Look, it sounded great back in 2005 and 2010 to ditch that textbook. Folks made good money off of the idea and there are good reasons for it. Heck, I’m guilty of helping many teachers on my campuses move beyond textbooks and into embracing digital platforms – moves that resulted in increases in student engagement…
Infinite Pie
There are those who see competition. Then there are those who see collaboration. The first believe that there’s a pie, and it’s a race to grab one’s own share of it before it’s all gone. The latter believe that when we work together, we create more pie. Which are you? The takers of a finite…
Environment Feeds The Change
Before March 2020, when we sought to create change, we would consider tweaking the environment to create the change. Environment feeds the change. But now, the environment is the change. Instead of envisioning a change and then tweaking the environment, we are in a place where the environment has changed and now we are adapting…
9 Change Resistors That You Must Manage Successfully
Like gravity, old ruts constantly pull us into their path. Also like gravity, only a bigger mass can free us from their pull. Question is, how do we create a bigger mass? Another question is, what are the masses that create ruts? Let’s start there – masses that act like gravity and resist change. Here…
Don’t Be Afraid of Endings
The funny thing about endings is that they are natural. Yet we seem to constantly fight the inevitability of an ending. However, when we embrace the idea that endings are necessary part of the process – the process of growing, the process of getting better, the process of life – then we readily accept the…
Sit Still and Be Inspired
Sometimes I’ll sit still and simply wait to be inspired. The rest of the time I put in so many repetitions, that 1 out of 1000 is “inspired”. Being inspired is different than work that is inspired. What do you do to find your best work?
Opportunities Right Now
At this moment the change has set in. A new normal has reached its stride. This is the moment where innovators have grasped a vision of what could be. The opportunities right now are immense. Can you see them? Can you create them? I believe you can. The first step is simply knowing that the…
I Found a Blank Check and Cashed It!
I found a blank check at my door and decided to write a random number on it. $43,800. Then I deposited it in my account. I figured that would be a good amount. I’ll let you know how it goes and if the money stays around.
Unanticipated Change
Change is like a rushing river. Unanticipated change often triggers the amygdala. When the amygdala is activated, the long-term vision has a tendency to shrink. When we react, when there’s chaos, or when we scramble, it’s likely that well-intended plans have unintended consequences for our long game. It’s an easy time to get swept away…
Novus, New Not Successful
The Latin root of innovation is novus. It’s the same root for novelty or new. It doesn’t have a relationship to success. That’s because most innovations and new ideas fail. Successful then, is not a function of innovation. Its roots are altogether different.
Perfect, Good, Great
“Perfect is the enemy of good.” – Voltaire “Good is the enemy of great.” – Jim Collins Respectfully, Voltaire, I have to disagree. Perfect is the enemy of action. Perfect is the friend of delay. Something else is the enemy of good. But what is the enemy of good? We don’t need to ask this…
Indifference and Opposition
Innovation can be fueled by motivated people and can also serve to motivate people. Innovation is more than a mere plan or idea – it’s an esprit de corps. You, the school leader can make or break innovation. Positional leaders can take active or inactive roles in thwarting innovation either through indifference or opposition. You’re…
School Improvement Plan or Compliance Plan?
Or is it a school improvement plan? Look, a one-page essay is hard for many students to write. A one-page poem is hard for most adults to write. And a one-page improvement plan is hard to find in most schools. That’s because most schools don’t have improvement plans. They have compliance plans. Compliance plans are…
Maneuverability and Mandates
How do you maintain maneuverability among all the mandates? I was sailing last night, and we almost hit a channel marker. It was just 20 yards in front of us, but we couldn’t see it until the last second. Luckily, the boat was nimble enough, and we evaded a horrible wreck. The momentum of the…
Fall and Initiative Fatigue
What can leaves teach us about initiative fatigue? Fall is upon us (well, not yet here in Houston). Leaves are going through their annual changes, and in some places in the Northern hemisphere, they’ve already fallen. The dying leaves are a necessary part of growth. Old leaves die and make room for new growth in…
A Yes Culture
While it’s good to be able to say no to good ideas to leave room for great ideas, it’s better to say yes. And to say yes again. Repeat yes until the right yes catches on. Then say no. Yes to innovation. No to pendulums. Yes to ideas. No to pendulums. Yes to creativity, risk-taking,…
What If Schools…
What if schools served students who wanted to go there for a specific purpose. That is, instead of generalized curriculum and programs the school served specialized services. And not just curricula but in all aspects such as: Time Location Attendance Staffing Electives Early College Business Opportunities Community Projects What if schools were specialized? A school…
Do You Schedule Major Resets?
A major reset is one of three ingredients in the recipe for continuous innovation. The other two are Go, No-Go Dates and A/B Testing. Without all three ingredients, change is perceived as haphazard and disruptive. With these three ingredients, change is systematic and strategic. It’s an expected part of what you do. So, again, I…
Excellence
Don’t shoot for perfect. Also, don’t ever be satisfied with the quality. Always. Press. Status. Quo. It’s about the pursuit of excellence.
Be Bold This Year
Maybe the shortest blog post, yet. Simply, be bold this year. Listen here >>
Fear and Creativity
In previous posts, I’ve shared thoughts on fear of criticism and the tension of creativity that rests on the fringe of conflict. Best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert also shared thoughts on fear and creativity. You may recognize her from the book, Eat, Pray, Love. She shared her insights on creativity in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond…
Paradox of Medium Rare
First, two quick definitions: Medium – something in a middle position. Rare – not found in large numbers, consequently valuable. There enormous pressure in schools for parents to thrust their children into the middle. The middle of a peer group, the flow of the curriculum, the standard college-bound timeline, and many other mediums. There’s also…
Minimum Viable Time
There are all sorts of psychological reasons for perfectionism. There are also many negative results, one of which is time. It’s easy to find many reasons to take the maximum time to accomplish and to do. Instead, what if schools, and school leadership, operated with the concept of minimum viable time? And we’re not speaking…
Lives of Quiet Desperation
Whether you move or stand still, a choice still is made. The way you lead is a choice. The way you relate is a choice. The choice to go or not to go is a choice. Start and stop. This or that. A choice must always be made. It’s not the disruptions in life that…
Are You Ready to Create?
Learning happens by listening, watching, attending, wondering, reflecting, and many other internalizing behaviors. Learning also happens through externalizing behaviors such as creating. Find your outlet as a professional. Find your canvas. And extend your professional learning beyond your daily circle. Are you ready to create? Be sure to tag me in your creations on Twitter…
Plan Your Half-time
Roadblocks are not unforeseen obstacles but planned pauses that provide opportunities for reflection and strategizing. In personal growth, business, and career development, these moments allow for adjustments and re-evaluation. Successful individuals use these breaks to regroup, troubleshoot, and prepare for the next phase, fostering resilience and adaptability.
School Brands that Excel
What do these high schools have in common? Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia) Baccalaureate School for Global Education (New York) BASIS Peoria (Arizona) International Academy of Macomb (Michigan) Meridian School (Texas) BASIS Flagstaff (Arizona) BASIS Tuscon North (Arizona) BASIS Oro Valley (Arizona) BASIS Chandler (Arizona) BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona) Many of them…