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The Energy Bus By Jon Gordon

My Background

Many years as a teacher and coach MS principal HS assistant principal Director of student services Superintendent of schools- Anamosa, IA Consultant and state coordinator of SAMs in Iowa

Dedicate session to Chris Kircher

Who’s Here?

Principals? SAMS? Central office administrators? Higher Education? Others?

Why does this topic interest you?

Bus as the Topic

School buses– direct connection to each of our schools

How many of you rode a school bus as a child? As an adult in a school district?

Funny stories of buses- my experience Noises/energy in a bus– focus of this breakout

Positive Energy- Where it’s at!

Positive people and positive teams produce positive results, and the essential ingredient is positive energy.

How do me accomplish and maintain that in each of our schools during difficult times ( budget issues, increased accountability, more mental health issues, issues of safety, etc.)

SAM teams– The Right Work!

Context of the book

Flat tire- forced to take the bus (not happy about the situation)

Negativity was getting in the way of a lot of things Driver of the bus– “this is no ordinary bus, this is

MY bus and you’re going to enjoy the ride” Everything happens for a reason- even flat tires. You

can choose to look at those events as a curse or a gift

Everyone has Challenges

Bus driver– “everyone who gets on this bus has problems and challenges in their life”

10 rules for the “ride of your life” Rule #1: You’re the driver of your bus!

Take the wheel and change direction if need be

Rule #2

Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction– clear and compelling vision (People want to jump on our bus) Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want

(complaining, build on the strengths of others) On the bus– “we’re winners, not whiners” E+P= O (Events +Perception= Outcome)

Rule #3

Fuel your ride with positive energy Positive energy is necessary to take you where you

want to go Every day we have the choice between positive

energy and negative energy (Story of the two dogs inside)- p. 49 One good shot (golf)- instead of focusing on all that

went wrong Feed the positive dog & that is the one that will grow

Rule #4

Invite people on your bus and share the vision for the road ahead- clear and compelling vision!

“I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light that I have”– Abraham Lincoln

Rule #5

Don’t wasted your energy on those who don’t get on your bus Don’t try to make them get on You can’t drive anyone else’s bus

The goal is not to better than anyone else but to be better than you were yesterday

Rule #6

Post a sign that says “No energy vampires allowed on your bus” Your positive energy and vision must be greater than

anyone and everyone’s negativity Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s

doubt. Positive energy is like muscle. The more you use it

the stronger it gets.

Partner Discussion

Who are the energy vampires in your setting? How do you handle them? How do you change the energy?

Rule #7

Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride. CEO (Chief Energy Officer) A life touches a life that touches a life Schools and their effect on others every single day-

sometimes we forget about our influence Develop other CEOs People are always buying you and “your energy”

Rule #8

Love your passengers- make time for them, listen to them, recognize them, serve then, bring out the best in them Focus on bringing out the best in each person Help them discover the value (the gold) inside

themselves When you bring out the best in others you can’t help

bringing the best in yourself

Rule #9

Drive with purpose What is your larger and greater purpose? Schools– various “jobs”- food service, custodians,

etc. Each has a link to a greater purpose (my experience with job shadows)

When we drive with purpose, we don’t get bored or tired and our engines don’t burn out.

Rule #10

Have fun and enjoy the ride “The goal in life is live young, have fun, and arrive at

your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face”.

As Paul & Willow said this morning, “Keep your Day”

So, Where do We Go From Here?

Think of what our schools would be like if we all operated using the 10 rules of the Energy Bus Angry parents, community members Kids not learning as fast as we want them to Administrators leading with vision, purpose, and as

CEOs CHIEF ENERGY OFFICERS

Quotes

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves”-- Sir James Barry

  “We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of

others” –- Helen Keller  “As I grow older I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch

what they do”-- Thomas Jefferson  “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”-- Helen

Keller

Summary of 10 Rules You’re the driver of your bus Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction Fuel your ride with positive energy Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead. Don’t waste your energy on those who don’t get on your bus Post a sign that says NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED on your bus Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the

ride Love your passengers Drive with purpose Have fun and enjoy the Ride

Thank you

Go forth as the driver of YOUR BUS!! Don’t ever forget who is the driver of the bus