What Is A Leader?

Last Tuesday morning I started a new program at Greene County High School called rAM Leadership. The purpose is to talk about what it means to be a leader and what leadership qualities we should all be striving to be aware of and work on. The sessions are open to any student or teacher that wants to engage in and continue on their leadership journey.

Here are a few talking points and highlights from that first session that may be applicable to us all:

  1. Leadership is available to every person. Research suggests that 1/3 of leaders are born with leadership traits and qualifies. That means the anyone can learn to be a leader through study, learning, experience and being committed to being a leader. Anyone can be a leader if they are intentional.
  2. The most important person you lead every day is yourself. Make a commitment every day to improving yourself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. If you are leading yourself daily then you will have an opportunity to lead others Ina positive way as well.
  3. It is estimated that we make somewhere in the neighborhood of 35,000 choices per day. Some are more mundane than others but some have a direct impact and correlation on what kind of leader we can become. Other choices define what kind of leader we truly are.
  4. Every person is on a leadership journey. Some are in different places on their journey than others and that’s OK. Don’t compare where you are at to other people. Your journey is your journey and you have special gifts and talents that only you can use. The comparison game robs us of using those special gifts, and in turn, keeps us from helping and leading others.

At the end of each session I will give them two or three things to be mindful of during their week. Here are three things I believe all leaders should be aware of daily.

  1. Be aware of the choices that you make that will impact your growth as a leader and your ability to lead others.
  2. Get Better Every Day. Even if it is only 1% better. Keep moving forward and improving yourself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
  3. Process what you observe from positive and negative leaders. Observe and apply what you learn. The most important step is applying what we learn.

Be Blessed and make a difference in your world.

Interaction by interaction. Moment by moment.

Thanks for reading.

To Year 37!

Todd’s Master’s Degree Completion Cake (2011)

Yes, that cake above was delicious. Red Velvet (my favorite) made by my favorite Certified Pastry Chef, my daughter Nicole. She made that cake 10 years ago but don’t worry it’s long gone. This photo was found by doing a deep Facebook dive. So why are you looking at a cake that we ate 10 years ago?

As I start my 37th year in education today I was reminded of that moment and what has transpired in the last ten years to get to this point. There have been some fantastic moments, tough moments, moments that I failed and moments where I may have made a difference. The moment in 2011 and remembered in a timeline was a special one.

I have been blessed to be a full time Activities and Athletic Director for the past ten years since completing my degree. Completing that degree was the end of a long journey that I started several times, in several different places and could never get it finished because of the coaching responsibilities I always had. I was very proud to have completed that degree program and have been blessed to use it in three different districts since leaving Treynor in 2012.

Thinking back to that moment in time (2011) helped me remember a very important part of My Why. I think it is important for us to remember our why each and every day but we often times get to be so busy that we forget about why we really do what we do. A new school year is a good time to always think about the why and as an educator I have an opportunity to think about it every year as we prepare for the return of students from their summer break. The main part of my why is to help people become the best version of themselves now, help to play a part in preparing them for their future as workers, wives, husbands, mothers and fathers by working to provide them a first class experience.

There was also a photo in that Facebook post of myself (less grey hair), my dad, and my then only grandchild sitting with the cake shown above as we celebrated me finishing my Masters program from the University of South Dakota. (Did I mention how good that cake was.) The second part of my why is to honor my family and others. I want to honor my parents as well as the teachers, coaches, administrators and mentors who invested so much in me through their love, support and encouragement.

In addition, my why includes doing what I do for my family. I do it for my wife, my kids, their spouses, and my grandkids. I not only want to support and provide for them but I want to honor them by working hard, serving and caring for other people and try to model how to go about your business in a professional and respectful manner while helping people be better every day. I have never been perfect in what I do but I’ve always tried to work for people, respect people and give my best each and every day.

If you are educator and you are just starting your year like me please take a moment to remind yourself of your why and then give your best effort every day to honor those who have invested so much in you and then you can turn around and invest in your work to be an example to those who may be watching you. If you are in another line of work take time to revisit your why and let it help to reenergize you today as well.

I am looking forward to Year 37 and look forward to creating and investing in moments. I am encouraging you to do the same. Invest and Inspire someone today. Repeat daily.

Be Blessed!

What I’ve Learned (And Am Still Learning)

59 And Still Cruising Around!

As I celebrate a birthday today and reach the end of my fifth decade I couldn’t help but reflect on what I’ve learned and what I am still learning. Here is a fairly comprehensive but likely not complete list:

  • Every step of the life journey prepares you for the next step. Be mindful of what you can learn each day.
  • Live Gratefully!
  • People First.
  • Listen to what stirs in your heart and soul then have the courage to act and invite being uncomfortable.
  • Family is the biggest blessing of all.
  • Lifetime friends are lifetime friends and they come at different times in your life.
  • A loving and supportive wife is worth more than anything else.
  • Be true to who you are and what your talents are. (play to your strengths)
  • You have to have hobbies and things to help you relax and refresh your mind, body and soul.
  • Show Grace.
  • Mistakes happen. How you respond and grow from them is what matters after the mistake is made.
  • Love is a wonderful thing.
  • When people turn on you it says more about them than it does about you.
  • Don’t stop dreaming. Ever.
  • It’s OK to say “No” for the right reasons.
  • Listening is a skill and not practiced by enough people.
  • Negative people don’t need to have a space in my head or be in my circle. (but I will still try and help them)
  • Offer advice when needed but don’t force an opinion.
  • It’s not about me.
  • Moments happen every day. Embrace and act on them.
  • Problems are opportunities.
  • I have so many friends on social media that I have yet to meet, share a drink, a handshake, a hug and a laugh with.
  • Respect everyone.
  • Every person has a story and has value.
  • Read.
  • I will never know everything but I need to keep learning.
  • Stay cool.
  • My age is a number. My attitude toward that number is more important.
  • I have been blessed.
  • Encouragement and praise help people.
  • Continue to be creative.
  • What is needed is not always convenient for you.
  • Forgive others. (sooner than later)
  • Try it.
  • Own what you need to own.
  • Try to be better every day.
  • It’s not a failure if you learn and grow from it.
  • Relationships first and foremost.
  • Honesty is really the best policy.
  • At the end of the day God is not only good but He is greater than all that is going on around me and He is faithful. And that is enough for me.

Thank You for reading and being a part of my life, my journey and bringing a smile to my day.

Be Blessed!

No More

Every day there are choices to make. Yes, there are some things that we may be told to do by our boss or we do things at work that we just need to do because they are part of what we are required to do but how we do them is where we make some very important choices.

These choices aren’t made or determined by those around you, your family or your boss. They are made by you and you have control over them.

Don’t settle. Don’t settle to do average, good enough or second rate work even if those around you seem to think it’s alright. If this is the case you may need to rethink who you let be around you and possibly influence you. Don’t settle to coast because you are in the final few years before retiring from your chosen profession. (Yes, Todd Gordon I’m looking directly at you. )

Better yet never look upon yourself as average, good enough or second rate. You have been blessed with incredible and unique gifts that you can use to help those around you. You just have to make the choice to use them.

Say No More to average, good enough, and second rate and say hello to Exceptional, Outstanding and First Class! That’s a choice worth making for yourself and those around you.

Made For This Moment is a collection of writings for living day to day on the journey that we are all on. Todd Gordon is the Director of Activities at Greene County Community Schools in Jefferson, IA. He has been in education for 36 years serving as a teacher, coach, and an administrator.

He has been married to his wife Deb for over 37 years and they have three married children and five grandchildren.

Todd wants to help you on your journey any way that he can because he believes that we are all better when we go through life together and with teammates.

You find him on Twitter and Instagram at @toddagordon.

Our Waiter Tipped Us

This is Jarrin. Jarrin was our waiter at Monkeypod Kitchen in Ko Olina, HI and was phenomenal. HIs smile says all you need to know about his personality and ability. As Jarrin took our initial drink orders I noticed a photo in his waiter notebook. When he returned a I asked him if the photo was of his son. His eyes lit up and you could tell he was a proud father as he talked about his son Eli.

Jarrin said he keeps that picture in there to remind himself of why he does what he does when the days get hard. Jarrin then dropped a golden nugget of personal and leadership philosophy when he said “if you had $100 you wouldn’t hesitate to give away $10 but you wouldn’t have to give away the other $90. If someone ruins 10% of your day you don’t have to give them the other 90%.” Wisdom.

Take a moment to think about how many times we let people have more than 10% of a space in your head. Have you ever given up more than 10% of that space to someone you probably shouldn’t have? I have. Let’s join Jarrin in working to make sure people don’t get into our 90%.

How?

  • Keep pictures of who or what inspires you to remind you to keep moving forward.
  • Smile and be positive no matter what.
  • Share your story. Be proud of your story.

Here’s an additional lesson besides Jarrin’s wonderful analogy. Strike up conversations with those you come in contact with. You never know who you might meet, what you might learn and what they may inspire you with.

Thank You Jarrin. Blessings to you and your family. Mahalo.