"Can't Start A Fire Without A Spark"

50. Get Fired Up!

“Inspire them, and they will learn.”

When you create a “place where everyone wants to be,” you create a leadership culture. You increase the output of people with integrity. You increase the connectivity and allow people to be important because they are important. Exponential leadership changes the culture of your organization into a positive environment if you understand the abundance mentality. There is enough leadership for everyone!

So what do you do now? Get Fired Up! about you and your future. Change your leadership style (if you need to), and make “it” happen. The main thing you need to do is recognize you are a leader and accept your role. Lead by example. Don’t blame anyone. If you are not Fired Up! about your future, find someone that is and start hanging out with them!

Happy people are compelled to go above and beyond what unhappy people will do. Enthusiasm and happiness are infectious. Unhappiness and complacency are contagious, too. One smile can make a difference.  One undesirable attitude can also influence people. We have choices. Remarkable events take place with the power to choose.  

Climate and culture have a profound impact on teaching and learning. The learning environment is a key factor in creating the “whole child” and eventually the “whole person.” Part of our leadership model includes servant + transformational = resultant leadership. We promote a model where everyone has opportunities. Inside and outside our classrooms we are in the “no box” era of creative learning. The future is in our schools. We must promote these opportunities and break down walls. It has been our mission to create “life-long learners and leaders.” When was the last time someone inspired you? Work hard, be successful, have fun.

The subsequent essay was written by one of my friends and colleagues when he was about seventy-two years old. It is captivating for a number of reasons. When he read this to some of our students, the response was pure silence and inspiration. When something happens that will forever change history, paradigm shifts occur. When climate and culture shift to an optimistic future, people are compelled to reach higher. If the culture is not cultivated, it can swing in the opposite direction. There are no shortcuts.

“November 4, 2008

Hello. My name is Ronald Braithwaite and I am an instructional aide here at Belhaven Middle School.

Almost a month has passed now since I arrived at the polling place to vote for Barack Obama. It was the National Presidential Election Day and a few minutes before 7 am - the scheduled opening; I was the first person in line.

Around my waist, hidden under my jacket I wore a plastic sheath that contained photographs of many of my deceased relatives. When I was motioned to come forward to vote I was so keyed up I could hardly control myself. I nervously signed and processed-in as tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. Within the voting machine - curtain drawn - I did what I came to do - cast my vote for the very first African-American to be president of the United States of America, and this moment too, shared symbolically with my deceased relatives, and many more who had not survived to see this day. It was a moment of ultimate pride - a rush of extreme elation.

Before this day had ended the results were in; Barack Obama had won by an overwhelming margin. He was the new president-elect. Well now, I thought, I can tell my grandchildren, “You too, can be president someday. You can be anything you want to be!”… all with complete sincerity.

Fifty-seven years ago my high school counselor steered me away from a career as an architect; not for blacks I was told. The pain of oppression, humiliation and rejection shall no longer be a black parents greatest fear, as they hope and do their best to protect, to shield their children going out into the world.

So Obama will be our new President come January 20^th, 2009. On a platform of “change” he was elected by a huge majority - Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, Native Americans - and he will be president to all…for all.  And most significantly, Obama’s election has also grossed world-wide approval and acceptance, which will help ease foreign relations.

 Our Constitution’s promise of equal rights for all may now be redeemed - as many nations of the world have seen the U.S. as hypocritical in its discriminatory treatment of African-Americans and others. Americans and the wide-world seemingly welcome a kept promise. And so, too, with Obama there can be pride, hope, and change.”

Here is a recording of Mr. Braithwaite reading his essay: https://www.schooltube.com/video/a1c2d93d52f37c8f0e38/One%20Man's%20Historic%20Journey

Things to think about:

If it’s not going to be you, then who will it be?