“Always remember that you are the driver of your bus. It’s the most important of the rules because if you don’t take responsibility for your life and control of your bus then you can’t take it where you want to go. If you’re not the driver, then you’ll always be at the whim of everyone else’s travel plans.”
- Jon Gordon
As leaders, we must take responsibility for our school/district. Great leaders give credit to their team when things are going well, but accept responsibility when things are not.
In our jobs as administrators, it is easy to wake up and make the choice to be positive…but then the school day begins. How do we stay positive in the midst of our busy schedules? First and foremost we should be thankful for the job we have and the difference we get to make each and every day. When a crisis or negative situation occurs, we would be wise to remember Jon Gordon’s advice that, “Every crisis offers an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser; to reach deep within and discover a better you that will create a better outcome.” Our team (staff, students, and community) is watching us and our actions during these difficult times will determine our future success.
As Jon Gordon states in The No Complaining Rule, “It’s a choice we all have. To be positive and free or to be imprisoned by our own negativity. To live in the past or to be hopeful about the future. It’s a choice. And only you can make it…if we are going to discourage negative behavior and complaining, then we must do everything possible to encourage positive behavior and positive communication.”
Again, you are the driver of your bus and “great leaders go first and lead the way.” (Jon Gordon)
One of my favorite Jon Gordon quotes is, “Being positive in a negative situation is not naïve…it’s LEADERSHIP.”
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Look for our "Question for Discussion" on the KASA Discussion Post.