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

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?

Context of the book Flat tire- forced to take the bus (not happy about the situation) 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 Negativity was getting in the way of a lot of things

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 Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want (complaining, etc.) 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) Feed the positive dog

Rule #4 Invite people on your bus and share the vision for the road ahead “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’s 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?

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 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”

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

Most important skill for anyone who wants to harness the power of positive energy! Ability to put yourself in someone else’s place Empathetic people are superb at recognizing and meeting the needs of clients, customers, and subordinates. They seem approachable They listen They praise others for their successes They try to see the other person’s “movie” Remember the words of Todd Whitaker– Treat everyone as if they are good (even if you know they aren’t always)

Mimic the Masters Make others laugh Make your positive energy contagious Video clips: Lucille Ball, Snow

Jim Sorenson- “Fierce Conversations” Can you be nice with positive energy and still have those fierce conversations? Absolutely We can and should have fierce conversations at times Our careers, our schools, our districts succeed or fail gradually and then suddenly, one conversation at a time The conversation IS the relationship (we build emotional capital through deposits or withdrawals all day long) All conversations are with myself and sometimes they involve other people.

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!!