I was recently reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss and there was a section with Olympian Gabrielle Reece in which she talked about the value of going first.

This book is FULL of things to make you think and reflect, but this is the one that has stuck with me for over two weeks now. So, I thought I would use my newsletter this week to share the simple idea and what it has meant to me since then. In the ‘Best Thing I Watched This Week Section’, I will link to a quick video of Gabby Reece discussing this concept herself as well.

Going first costs absolutely nothing.

Be the first to say hello.
Be the first to say I am sorry.
Be the first to make eye contact.
Be the first to notice someone carrying something heavy and rush to open the door for them.
Be the first to notice a shift in body language in someone you care about and inquire about what is going on.
Be the first to tell someone else your true feelings.
Be the first to share with others what your true ambitions are.

I love how Tre Wee expresses this same thought:

Today, you’ll see people you’ll never see again. Or you might meet your future best friend for the first time. Life is dynamic. What you do in each moment has the power to alter the course of your life. Take a moment to contemplate on how crazy that is.

In line with Tre’s words above, going first has opened many doors for me. It has opened doors for you as well. Think about the level of going first that literally any relationship needs to begin and advance in level of seriousness. I could use 500 words to describe how my wife and I took turns ‘Going First’ in order to get our relationship to the level in which it currently resides.

We all know how to go first when it comes to things that we really want. The massive shift in your life will occur when you simply begin to GO FIRST as a predisposition to how you behave instead of only when it’s convenient for you.

What I have found by going first is that I feel better about myself. I feel more confident and more connected to my surroundings. I am more aware. These are all great side effects’ by themselves, but it has also led to these two even more important takeaways for me.

First, it has helped to get me out of my own head and has reduced my own anxiety. The simple act of consistently and intentionally trying to go out of your way to do right by others takes your focus away from your own problems and somehow places things into perspective.

The second takeaway has been an increase in gratitude. Again, I think gratitude flows more naturally when you are less focused on yourself and more focused on others. By intentionally going first, I have no choice but to have a better sense of my place in the world and how grateful I should be for where I am at.

Start going first.

THE BEST THING I READ/WATCHED THIS WEEK

GOING FIRST by Gabby Reece

60 seconds sound bite on this . . . sums up the process incredibly succinctly. Worth the listen.

TWO PEOPLE/ORGANIZATIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Two people who have been instrumental in helping me keep my sanity this summer that I would not have guessed in June are Todd Dugan and Dan Cox – fellow Illinois superintendents. Great men working hard to do what is best for their districts. Give them a follow. 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME

ON DEMAND – Manage Your Time or Time Will Manage You Book Study

ON DEMAND – Communications – MicroCredential Certification through Illinois Principals Association

SPEAKING-CONSULTING-CONFERENCES

November 20th – IASA Joint Annual Conference

December 7th – AIMS – Keynote

December 14th – RSAC Featured Speaker

MORE OF MY MUSINGS

Pushing Boundaries Podcast Episode 78 – We Spray to All Fields on This One

Dr. Efrain Martinez and I chat around ‘The Journey’ of Leadership

A Keynote turned into a Podcast from IEI Spring Summit in Colorado

EdMentum – What’cha Reading

Writing

Illinois ASCD Quarterly Journal – Hard Stop on Learning Loss

I fear that districts and schools may be rushing into solving a problem that we are not entirely sure exists at this point.

This is why I am so bothered by the term “learning loss”. First, an examination of the data shows that it is factually inaccurate. Very few students regressed during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This means that learning did occur. Now, to be transparent, learning may not have occurred at the levels we are accustomed to seeing—but learning was not lost. If anything, perhaps it was delayed.

Ed Week – The Best Use of the Last Five Minutes of Class

The bottom line, however, is that it simply is not ALWAYS possible. The most skilled teacher with the best plan occasionally ends up with the structured part of class ending a few minutes early. In those moments, there are a couple of things that typically happen—some good and some bad. Great teachers take the time to build relationships or extend the concept of the day through conversation. Others let the class be self-directed and hope that chaos does not ensue.

This is where the ONE SIMPLE THING comes into play.

Ed Week – Mistakes Districts Made During the Pandemic

My reason for saying all of this is that I think that the biggest mistake made by many district leaders was acting with hubris, certainty, false assuredness or arrogance. The bottom line is that for 99 percent of educational leaders in our country, this was the first pandemic we ever had the opportunity to lead through. Additionally, the rules of engagement changed many times over—and then changed once more—and then once again. It was impossible to be certain of almost any decision.

Illinois Association of School Boards Journal – Money Talk: Three Core Principles to Drive the District Forward

“Having money isn’t everything, NOT having it is.” — Kanye West

I am not positive, but I am pretty sure that I will be the first person to ever quote Kanye West when writing for the Illinois School Board Journal. But, in my experience, there is no comment or quotation that is truer when it comes to executive- and governance-level leadership of school districts.

As the quote indicates, having money will not necessarily make you a successful school district or a successful school board. On the flipside, however, not having the money necessary to do the work, or having had the money and mismanaged it, is almost always the key to being unsuccessful.

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter.

It would mean the world to me if you could share it with one person each week. We all get one chance to live a life of passion and purpose. Help me maximize my one at-bat.