Signs Continued

About a week and half ago, I wrote a post that began by mentioning that when you are consciously aware of something you start to notice it everywhere (click here to read the post).  Since writing that post and receiving tons of great feedback from colleagues and my PLN on twitter, it is almost eerie how many additional signs pop up that I hadn’t noticed even when I was aware that I had begun noticing.

(If that last sentence didn’t make sense, read it again slowly, insert the correct commas, try to think the way I was thinking… I don’t know, it made sense to me)

Anyway, this blog has been about sharing experiences and realizations that I have come across during my semester of shifting the way I think about and treat my professional duties.  This past week I read The Radical Leap by Steve Farber.  It is probably the best book I have ever read.  It touched me deeply because it spoke right to me, and was overwhelmingly relevant to my current situation in which I am going out on a limb to try something new that I firmly believe is the correct way to go about my craft.  It is a book about “extreme leadership,” but because I was looking for the signs, it spoke right to my profession and right to the educational system. 

Another sign popped up just today as my colleague Jim Bibler related a quote that he just read in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers to our methods of assessing students in school.  Now, I’ve read Outliers, and it too is one of my all-time favorites.  But, I read it three years ago and wasn’t looking for the signs of correlation to education at the time.  I’d imagine that if I read it again I’d be re-energized the same way I was when I read The Radical Leap.  I wonder if many of the books that I’ve read would yield the same result? 

This is precisely why I hope other teachers read my blog.  I hope that teachers not only take away shared experiences, ideas, and motivation to reflect, but an awareness of the signs that they see everyday, yet have no idea they are seeing.  

Side note:  Anyone who has read The Radical Leap would be disappointed if I failed to mention the connection of “the signs.”  In the book, a character named Smitty tells the author about being aware of the signs around you, and challenges him to look deeper into things to find the true meaning. 

Back to the post.  So today I picked up the next book on my reading list from the local library.  Linchpin, by Seth Godin, was recommended to me by a good friend, and I was so excited to dive into it that as my wife and I drove home, I had her read the synopsis to me. 

Think about the theme of this blog post, then read the synopsis of Linchpin that I have copied below….

In bestsellers such as Purple Cow and Tribes, Seth Godin taught readers how to make remarkable products and spread powerful ideas. But this book is different. It's about you - your choices, your future, and your potential to make a huge difference in whatever field you choose.

There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.

Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. Like the small piece of hardware that keeps a wheel from falling off its axle, they may not be famous but they're indispensable. And in today's world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom.

Have you ever found a shortcut that others missed? Seen a new way to resolve a conflict? Made a connection with someone others couldn't reach? Even once? Then you have what it takes to become indispensable, by overcoming the resistance that holds people back. Linchpin will show you how to join the likes of...

*Keith Johnson, who scours flea markets across the country to fill Anthropologie stores with unique pieces.

*Marissa Mayer, who keeps Google focused on the things that really matter.

*Jason Zimdars, a graphic designer who got his dream job at 37signals without a résumé.

*David, who works at Dean and Deluca coffeeshop in New York. He sees every customer interaction as a chance to give a gift and is cherished in return.

As Godin writes, "Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."

… Another sign!  The mindset that I have adopted allows me to implement new methods into my classroom and is strengthened by these signs on a daily basis. I’ve only read the synopsis, and I absolutely cannot wait to read this book!

Take care,

Coach Mo