Counsel Instead of Advice

I didn't become acquainted with the work of Charlie "Tremendous" Jones until yesterday when I realized he was the author of one of my favorite quotes. Since yesterday's post I've taken some time to find out more about this man. He is an incredible person with lots of wisdom.

One bit of wisdom that I learned from him was that rather than asking people for advice about what we should do we should seek counsel instead. He defined counsel as something we do to gather information from different sources. After gathering this counsel we need to make our own decision--with the help of God.

When people ask for our advice Jones recommends that we encourage them to read books that will get them to think and share it.

The Wisdom of Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

"You're the same person today as you'll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read," declared Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. In other words, if we want to grow as an educator we need to meet new people and read. Reading is a great way to meet new people--not only the people in the books but the author, too. I've met many authors by contacting them after reading something they wrote that touched me.

Because people and books can have such an impact on who we become it would behoove us to seek out the best books and quality people. The best books can be fiction as well as nonfiction and self-help books. Biographies and autobiographies are great, too.

Charlie "Tremendous" Jones shared a great idea. He said that instead of giving people business cards which people usually throw away give people a book with your name and contact information inside.

Wise Counsel For Any Leader

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gave some suggestions on leadership that would be wise for any leader to follow:

• Focus on people, not programs
• Be innovative
• Delegate responsibilities so others may grow--counsel and motivate but don't do the work that has been delegated to others
• Dedicate the greatest attention to priorities which will be different at different times
• Do the best you can

Resource:

"¡Oh, sed prudentes!", Liahona, noviembre de 2006, págs. 18-20

The Value of Storytelling

I use to get very impatient with stories in books and presentations saying to myself, "Give me the facts and get to the bottom line." I changed my tune about stories once I realized that the stories is what I remembered best.

What is it about stories that causes us to remember them? They touch our emotions because we can see ourselves in the story wondering what we would do in a similar situation. Our students are no different. Fiction books are a great way to introduce students to stories. Biographies and autobiographies are great, too.

Sharing stories also creates a bond between the storyteller and the listeners. That may be one reason Abraham Lincoln is loved and revered so much--He was a terrific storyteller.

We can improve our storytelling skills by telling stories and learning from the best. Every summer there is the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah that would be great to attend.

Writing Letters

Last night on 60 Minutes Andy Rooney talked about the many letters he had received throughout the years that he kept in a special box. Many of these letters were from his colleagues as well as people in the political arena and entertainment field--very busy people who took time to write a handwritten note.

With all the many new technological ways to communicate--texting, email, Facebook, etc.--who still doesn't like to receive in the mail--amongst all the junk mail--a handwritten letter with a real stamp?

Writing letters is an authentic way to teach students about writing. Students can write all kinds of letters-- to each other, younger students, famous people, the editor of a newspaper, etc. It could be that some of those letters will be kept in someone else's treasured box and/or be a part of history some day.

DWYSYWD

Credibility is the foundation of leadership. People want to believe in their leaders. People who believe in their leaders because those leaders are credible show greater commitment and loyalty to the organization. This leads to more energy and more productivity within the organization.

How does a leader become credible? Do what you say you will do (DWYSYWD)--keep promises. This builds trustworthiness which is a key element of credibility. It's a good idea to underpromise and overdeliver. It's also important to "walk the talk" because people believe what you do more than what you say-- our actions more than our words tell who we really are. It's like the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say." A credible leader is also someone who stands for something and has the courage to stand by her convictions.

It bears repeating--credibility is the foundation of leadership.

The foundation for this post comes from:
Encouraging the Heart by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

"Unexamined Wallpaper"

Richard Elmore coined the phrase "unexamined wallpaper." In other words, certain ways of doing things have become such a part of the school or classroom culture that it is not questioned whether it helps to achieve important goals.

This reminds me of the story of the woman who always cut off part of the roast before putting it in the pan. Someone finally asked her why she did that. She said that she didn't know but her mother had always done it. The mother said she had only done it because her mother had. When the grandmother was asked why she did it she replied that the roast was too big for the pan she had.

An educator must continually ask himself what the ultimate goal is and if what he is doing--even if has become the way of doing things around here--helps to achieve that goal.