by Joe & T.J. | May 25, 2023 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Action, Communication, Core Values, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, Education, Energy, Engagement, Excellence, Focus, Fulfillment, Goal Setting, Leadership, Leading Better and Growing Faster, Learning to Lead, Listening, Mental Mapping, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Results, Service Leadership, Systems Thinking, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read In Search of Deeper Learning and Fearless Schools
What you’ll discover in this episode of Leading Better & Growing Faster w/ Joe & T.J.
- We recommend In Search of Deeper Learning for school leaders.
- We also recommend Fearless Schools for school leaders.
- Why in the world is Joe wearing a NASA Jacket?
- There is “deeper learning at the margins and why the periphery is more important than the core.” This is an excellent example of how this book pushes the boundaries.
- The key tenets of a learning culture.
- Evidence of learning. What does it look like in classrooms?
- Trust is imperative for psychological safety.
- Focus on learning at every level within the hierarchy of schooling.
In each episode, Joe and T.J. leave a tip to lead better and grow faster. This month’s reading tip is to read these books with your team! Don’t miss what Joe says about it.
Developing a learning culture requires time and effort, but the dividends are incredible. The chart below features the key characteristics of a learning culture versus a teaching culture. More on how to develop a learning culture can be found in Passionate Leadership.
How does your culture stack up?
The Leading Better & Growing Faster with Joe & T.J. Show
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing to the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
by Joe & T.J. | Mar 13, 2023 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Action, Communication, Core Values, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, Education, Energy, Engagement, Excellence, Focus, Fulfillment, Goal Setting, Leadership, Leading Better and Growing Faster, Learning to Lead, Listening, Mental Mapping, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Results, Service Leadership, Systems Thinking, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read Harvard Business Review’s On Mental Toughness and Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
In this episode, you’ll hear key points made by both T.J. and Joe about two books every school leader should read to mind their mental map to the future.
T.J. immediately underscores that On Mental Toughness has a bonus article with Martin Seligman. Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman is the Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center.
You also don’t want to miss the critical points he makes on mental toughness and the value of perseverance.
Joe shares one of his favorite books because of the power of the success principles featured in it, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. Spend a life pursuing them, and you will grow as a person and a leader.
In each episode, Joe and T.J. leave a tip to lead better and grow faster. This month’s reading tip is to build in time to reflect on what you’ve read. This is easy to do, but so often, we just move on without reflecting on how we might apply the information in the books we read. Knowledge without application serves no one and won’t make you any better than you were before you started reading.
The Leading Better & Growing Faster with Joe & T.J. Show
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing to the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
by Joe & T.J. | Oct 19, 2022 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Creativity, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
School leaders who want to build a strong school brand recognize the importance of learning specific skills to do so effectively. This month Joe and T.J. offer two books that reinforce the 5 ways that school leaders can think like a marketer and tell your school’s story.
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Culture is King–Marketing is about who you are, not what you are
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Great Brands Make a Difference–Marketing is about innovation and leadership
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First Follows Matter–Marketing is about knowing “the others”
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Stand Out Amongst the Crowd–Marketing is about being unique
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Show Up Regularly–Marketing is about being consistent
Joe’s Pick: The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference
Featured Authors: Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval
Joe is a huge fan of Thaler and Koval’s work. The Power of Small is born from the genius that has birthed some of the greatest marketing advertising campaigns that we are familiar with. The simple mention of Aflac and our mind immediately goes to the duck. Enough said, they’ve done their jobs.
What’s special about this book, though, is that it IS NOT a how-to book, but rather a book filled with stories that showcase the right mindset in order to be successful. We can’t ignore the details, the small things, and the discreet chances of success.
T.J.’s Pick: This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See
Featured Authors: Seth Godin
T.J. may be Seth Godin’s biggest fan, and This is Marketing is definitely one of his favorite books. The power in Godin’s work is how he frames marketing. He explains that it’s not just about selling “soap.” Instead, marketing is really about solving a problem. Godin talks about how a leader is someone who is willing to do something that might not work and how that changes the culture forever.
Most importantly, Godin breaks down marketing into five crystal clear steps that you won’t want to miss. He skillfully acknowledges the traps that we all fall into without being offensive or condescending to his readers. He doesn’t just highlight our mistakes but encourages us and provides a great path forward. “Ship the work!” “Ship it!”
Technical Tip for Leaders Who Read
Each month, Joe and T.J. leave listeners with a tip. Both of these books should be read patiently and studied all the while. Joe mentions the art of Sacred Reading and how monks studied the bible to truly understand what they were experiencing. Although these aren’t holy texts, the idea is to fully embrace what you are reading so that you are a different person when you are done.
Enjoy both of these books to lead better and grow faster as school leaders. We always appreciate a like, a follow, a comment, or a share.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
by admin | Sep 15, 2022 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Creativity, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
If You’re Going to Lead then You Must Read
Learning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature two books on a particular topic each month. These are books that we have curated from 100s of titles to help school leaders to lead better and grow faster.
This month we are completely focused on the 5 ways that school leaders can support new teachers. These are five research-based strategies to support and retain your most vulnerable teaching population. This is critical because we are definitely facing a crisis in education. School districts are moving to four-day weeks simply due to lack of staff. In a recent Ed Week article by Madeline Will, she wrote the following,
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“…the researchers estimate that there are more than 36,500 teacher vacancies in the nation. They also estimate that there are more than 163,500 positions filled by teachers who aren’t fully certified or are not certified in the subject area they’re teaching.” Will, M. Ed Week (2022)
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The data are staggering. If you want to dig into the government database and find out specifics in your state, click here.
The Definitive 5 Ways to Support New Teachers
#1. Maintain high standards while providing support for growth
#2. Increase productivity by being present and using praise
#3. Balance risk and autonomy to unlock innovation
#4. Communicate the expectations of the position
#5. Provide meaningful mentorship
These are proven ways that demonstrate support, while maintaining a culture of excellence and high standards. To support these efforts, we feature two great books to help you as a leader.
Joe’s Pick: The Power of Unstoppable Momentum: Key Drivers to Revolutionize Your District
Featured Authors: Michael Fullan & Mark A. Edwards
The Power of Unstoppable Momentum is an incredible book with very specific examples about how to achieve dramatic results in your school.
There are a few features that really stand out for Joe in this book:
- Technology is not the answer. Time and time again research shows that technology is a tool that highly effective teachers master. The tool itself is not the answer.
- Fullan and Edwards provide very specific ways for schools to excel, specifically through coherence, which is the “…the degree to which people at the school and district levels have a common sense of the district’s core priorities and how to achieve them” (Fullan & Edwards, 2017).
- Lastly, they provide clear models and examples on where incredible work is being done. We love when books have these features, which is why we offer examples of success in our books too.
T.J.’s Pick: Retention for A Change: Motivate Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture
Featured Authors: Joseph Jones, Salome Thomas-El, & T.J. Vari
We rarely promote our own work, but this book is written on the topic of teacher retention, and we dedicate two chapters to new teachers. This is the second book in a two-part series designed to attract and retain incredible teachers. Both books, Building a Winning Team and Retention for A Change are built on the effective reading strategy, BDA.
T.J. dives right into explaining how school leaders must embrace their responsibility to build a culture that Motivates, Inspires, and Energizes the staff.
He emphasizes that the book is filled with practical stories that any school leader can implement for great school success.
Lastly, this book is filled with models to guide leaders. Whether it is the BDA, which can be applied in a number of strategic ways, or striving for Habitual Happiness Highpoints, the models guide school leaders.
Technical Tip for Leaders Who Read
Each month, Joe and T.J. leave listeners with a tip. Both of these books should be read with your team. They are not to be read as simple words on a page. Both books are written in a way that allows the school leader, department leader, or team leader to reflect on their own team and practices.
Enjoy both of these books to lead better and grow faster as school leaders. We always appreciate a like, a follow, a comment, or a share.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
by Joe & T.J. | Aug 17, 2022 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Creativity, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
Leaders are Readers
Learning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature two books on a particular topic each month. These are books that we believe can help school leaders to lead better and grow faster.
This month we are completely focused on two mental shifts that school leaders must make for greater success. The first is shifting from a place of fear to operating in a space of courage. The second is shifting from short-term thinking to long-term thinking. As easy as it is to grasp both of these concepts as necessary, shifting the mind from fear to courage and from short-term reaction to long-term planning is incredibly difficult. That’s why we’ve chosen these two books that are designed to shepherd you through making the change necessary to lead better and grow faster.
Joe’s Pick: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Featured Author: Dale Carnegie
First, let’s acknowledge that Dale Carnegie is a beast. His work, How to Win Friends and Influence People is legendary and a must read for anyone who is serious about leading effectively. However, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is also a phenomenal book, filled with incredible advice that applies to school leadership. There are few things that really stand out for Joe in this book:
- Carnegie fills the book with relatable stories from practical people. The stories are real and you’ll find yourself in the people he features.
- He offers advice that you can implement right away. Suggestions like “living in day-tight compartments” make a ton of sense.
- Carnegie also writes about the importance of mental attitudes and how to cultivate the right mindset–to make a mental decision to be happy and live a full life, as an example. He reminds readers of the eight most important words we can ever hear, “our life is what our thoughts make it.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
This book is a must read so you too can live and lead from a seat of courage with tools to help you as the worry and fear creep into your life.
T.J.’s Pick: The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success
Featured Author: Ed Mylett
If you don’t know Ed Mylett, stop reading this post right now and Google his name: Ed Mylett. Ed is an impressive leader who has taken social media by storm over the last few years. He built his fortune in the financial services industry, as what he describes a team-made millionaire. That’s one reason we love his work. It’s not about Ed. Granted, his endeavors have worked out very well for him, but his service and dedication to people are very evident in his shows and books. Here are a few reasons why T.J. chose The Power of One More as his pick this month:
- Mylett humbly describes what “the power of one more” is really about and how he learned to be resilient. His description of his alcoholic, turned sober, father is compelling. Ed attributes much of his success to his father but not always through the good times.
- The book is filled with sage advice, but one great takeaway is how Ed organizes his day and time. The advice is radical although it makes sense. Dividing up your day is very effective and can lead to astronomical productivity.
- Mylett decrees why this work is important to him. His WHY will inspire you to ensure that yours is clear too.
We hope you enjoy this new release as much as we did.
Both of these books are more like manuals. They are not to be read as simple words on a page. They act as a call-to-action for leaders. If you want to change your life and lead for the better, then you must embrace the responsibility of doing what is written in these books and others that we recommend on our ReadThisSeries.
Technical Tip for Leaders Who Read
Each month, Joe and T.J. leave listeners with a tip. This month the books they chose span almost 77 years. Don’t abandon the old. Granted there are incredible discoveries every day that are changing our world, but there are men and women from the past that had incredible insight into human behavior and leadership, like Dale Carnegie. Don’t overlook those works and the genius that lies within their pages. Also, don’t discount new books that seem to cover the same content as many other authors. Mylett admits in his book that much of the content has been written in the past, but that his take is slightly different. We couldn’t agree more. It’s the perspective on the topic and new ideas that offer a different angle for leaders, an angle that just might be the one you need.
Enjoy both of these books to lead better and grow faster as school leaders. We always appreciate a like, a follow, a comment, or a share.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
by Joe & T.J. | Jul 20, 2022 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Creativity, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork
Leaders are Readers
Learning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple of books on a particular topic each month. These are books we enjoy and believe are worth reading.
Our aim is to link great books to our theme for the month. This month we are focused on school leaders recognizing the opportunity within a crisis. We know how incredibly challenging this can be because every issue brings with it the fact that it also dominates everyone’s mental energy, which means that looking for opportunity in the very moment that you’re trying to solve a problem can be daunting. However, the crisis itself may be our only chance to think differently to not only solve the problem at hand but also determine what advantages may arise during the situation that can be applied in the future. Because this type of thinking is necessary during a crisis, we chose these two powerful books this month. Common with John Maxwell books, they offer sage advice coupled with practical skills. Great leaders don’t just read books to gather tips and steps for how to lead but also the style of thinking required to lead better and grow faster. Great leaders are heavy readers and deep thinkers.
Joe’s Pick: Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
Featured Author: John Maxwell
If you’re going to lead effectively, you have to be able to ask great questions. This book presents questions in two different ways. First, it starts with questions that the leader should ask in various situations. Maxwell lists great questions that can get a conversation started even if you don’t know where or how to begin.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to have canned questions to lean on. Asking great questions to get to the root of a problem is hard, and this book offers several gems. Second, the book details many of the questions that Maxwell has been asked as a leader. The insight into his thinking is powerful and will help any leader consider the various ways to navigate difficult situations.
T.J.’s Pick: Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success
Featured Author: John Maxwell
This book confronts success head-on and why some people achieve it and others don’t. The difference between triumph and failure is a question that many people wonder about and Maxwell offers the answer–response to adversity. He starts the book with a compelling concept from J. Wallace Hamilton who argues that people generally train to be successful while they should be training for failure. And, in typical Maxwell fashion, he illustrates his point through great stories, kicking it off with Mary Kay Ash.
If you are going to lead you are going to have problems. It’s inevitable. Effective leaders not only understand that conflict is necessary but they learn how to thrive amid adversity as they seek to make a change. It means that great leaders are willing to fail forward as they make things better. It’s what Seth Godin says about leadership: leaders are the ones who are willing to do something that might not work. This is a book that won’t disappoint, and every school leader should read it.
Technical Tip for Leaders Who Read
We close every Read This Series with a technical tip. This month’s tip is to read the same author’s books in succession. There are very prolific authors with incredible insight into topics and very often there are similar ideas and thoughts presented with just a slight variation on the theme. These subtle differences can offer unique connections from which leaders can benefit in a way that doesn’t happen when you only read one book that the author published. This means that when you commit to one book by an author, you should consider reading two or three in a row.
Enjoy both of these books to lead better and grow faster as school leaders. We always appreciate a like, a follow, a comment, or a share.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
Joe & T.J.
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7 Mindshifts for School Leaders: Finding New Ways to Think About Old Problems. 
