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Admissions season for the upcoming school year has begun. I’m hearing from a few proactive, on-top-of-it people who are already looking at options for their children.
They’re asking questions about The Little Middle School, and it’s an interesting mix of past and future.
“Do you still have the same teachers you had two years ago when we first visited? Which teachers will you have next year?”
“What kind of diversity will you have?”
Read MoreI remember the realization, years ago, that I wasn’t sure how I was going to make payroll two weeks later.
Sort of. Honestly, it’s happened so many times that it all sort of blends together now. But I do remember the feeling of the raging storm in the pit of my stomach, walking through the world with a tremendous and constant sense of distraction, unable to focus on work, my daily routine, or anything other than the fact that I was a huge failure.
I learned from the experience. I learned how to ask for help. I learned how to look at exactly what is happening in my business right now instead of letting the future be vague and hopeful. I learned how to run a leaner organization and not say yes to everyone I liked and wanted to hire.
Read MoreA teacher had been using a free app or organize his communication with students and parents. It worked perfectly.
Then the app decided to start charging its users, which sent the teacher looking for another solution just like the first app, but free.
From an economics perspective, this doesn’t make a lot of sense. If an app solves a problem for you, shouldn’t the maker of the app be paid, thus making your solution sustainable and something you can count on?
Read MoreAsking for help is one of the hardest things we have to do to overcome a culture of being afraid to look dumb. It is an act of courage and a move toward growth.
Often, the starting point is simply, “I don’t get it” or “I’m stuck.” And because I understand the strength it takes for most of us to reach out and ask for support, I will always engage with these implicit questions as best I can when it is asked of me.
Read More“Where should I put the ice cream?”
This is a real question I received from a teenager who was helping to clean up after a meal.
Questions like this come from fear of getting it wrong. Instead of thinking the problem through for ourselves, we imagine that there’s a “right answer” floating out there in the ether, and we give up and ask someone else when we don’t find it.
In work and life, success comes from the ability to make good decisions consistently. And good decisions come from clear thinking.
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