As we returned to school this month
from a well-deserved winter holiday, I am continuously reminded of the many
reasons why our school is such a special place: BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU! It is
because of Barnwell’s exceptional staff, who lead with love for children, and
whose engines are driven by that love, that our school is such a unique and
rewarding place. It is also that same love that is on display every day in your
classrooms, and that I was so keenly reminded of while reading chapters 23
through 27 in The Energy Bus.
In chapters 23-27, Joy the Bus Driver continues to nourish
George’s mind and soul with important life lessons for successful outcomes and
enriching relationships. Joy allows other pupils on the bus, mainly Jack and
Danny, to share their experience and eventual positive outcomes as a result of
Joy’s teachings. The lessons that George learns through Joy, Jack, and Danny in
chapters 23-27 resonated with me. It was these lessons in particular that
allowed me to harken back to my days as an aspiring educational leader as
fulltime doctoral student while still serving as a fulltime teacher. I recall
then wondering where in the world to find the keys to unlock the secrets of
success. (My search will never conclude…)
Within these chapters, Joy and her
loyal pupils teach George that E-Motion is your energy in motion, and the
energy flowing within you determines your emotional state. They remind him that
when you are feeling good, and exuding positive energy, everyone around you feels
good. This idea lends itself to the notion that the gifts we give the world are
not on our resume, rather they are the joy, happiness, enthusiasm, gratitude,
passion, and excitement within us. They teach George that it is time for him to
become a changed leader by leading with his heart. They continue that George
needs to transform his approach by opening his heart and by leading with
contagious enthusiasm. They remind George that each person’s heart is their
power-center, which broadcasts their emotions and energy every moment of every
day.
George learns the importance of
becoming his team’s Chief Energy Officer. That means for him to become the
power-source for his team to share positive powerful contagious energy and heartfelt
communication. They teach George about Emotional Intelligence, and that heartfelt
leadership means tapping the power of your heart when leading and
communicating. George learns that research supports emotional intelligence is
responsible for as much as 80% of adult success.
Finally, Joy, Jack, and Danny teach
George the next phase in his leadership is for him to become The Love Magnet
for his team. Joy informs George that love is the answer for team success.
Enthusiasm is important but love is the answer to tap the power of your heart, and
to lead with contagious positive energy. In order to do this, Joy explains,
George must first love his passengers. By loving his team and becoming his
team’s love magnet, George will find his team’s productivity, success, and
loyalty to each other rise dramatically. Joy states the more love you put forth
the more comes back to you. The best way to become The Love Magnet is to help
your passengers tap into their best attributes and flourish, and to discover their
inner gold beneath the dust on the surface. As Joy teaches, letting people
share their gifts and strengths is real love, which in turn brings out the best
in you.
Joy concludes her lesson as
George steps off the bus with the 3 keys to being the Chief Energy Officer: Enthusiasm,
Love, and Gold.
In reflecting on these essential
lessons George begins to process in chapters 23-27 of The Energy Bus, I was reminded of my own Chief Energy Officer and
Love Magnet as I began my journey in educational leadership. Her love, positive
energy, enthusiasm, and her inner gold still glimmer in my life even as we
concluded our regular work together 6 years ago. Her name is Dr. R. I had the
privilege of taking my two favorite doctoral courses at USC under her tutelage.
Dr. R is a retired high school principal, area superintendent, and interim
school board member with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In her retirement from these
important posts, she became a professor teaching aspiring educational leaders
the power of love and enthusiasm. In reflecting on her approach, I am convinced
she must have taken Joy’s bus to work
every day! Dr. R’s message as a teacher and as a leader always revolved around
love and enthusiasm. All of the educational minutia, complex policies, and
procedural logistics we were learning in her courses were secondary. Her
primary edict was love. She often reminded us of the power of love, and that
without genuine love for our students, staffs, communities, and for their
infinite potentials, the minutia was irrelevant. Of course she also taught us
about those vital intellectual and logistical frameworks necessary to successfully
navigate the minutia. But she modeled for us weekly that by starting with love
and enthusiasm, the other components would eventually fall into place as they were
supposed to. This approach started midway through my first course with her. Her
husband of 40+ years became terminally ill. We all encouraged her to take time
away from teaching, give herself the space she needed to focus on his care. She
wouldn’t hear any of it! She insisted on seeing the journey through with us,
her passengers. She insisted that was what was best for her and her family. This was her formula which allowed her to
become one of the most successful urban educational leaders of her era, during
some of the most challenging times in education, and onto a prestigious
professorship in her retirement. But knowing her, I’ll bet her proudest titles
are Chief Energy Officer and The Love Magnet...
-Norman
