Last week I posted my Action Research Plan. I want to thank those of you that took time to comment on my proposed study. I look forward to looking over many more of your plans and leaving comments as well.
Now, this week, we had a discussion board that I think started some great conversations amongst our learning community. The questions were: What specific challenges do you foresee in implementing your action research study? How you plan to address those challenges? Both questions lead me to think about the leadership book I read for our first course, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon. This book is great! It's an easy read and while it's not set in a school setting, all the principles can be applied to your school today! I am going to post the leadership book summary below. I hope you enjoy reading it and that it encourages you to read the book itself.
The leadership book I chose to read for this assignment was The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon. The book outlines 10 rules that are designed to help you lead a more meaningful and productive life filled with positive energy. The author chooses to write this book not chapter by chapter explaining what each rules means with examples that the reader cannot relate to, but in the format of a story.
The two main characters of the story are George and Joy. George can be described as a miserable individual, who starts out in the story unhappy with his job, has a strained relationship with his children, and his marriage is heading for divorce. Joy on the other hand is the complete opposite. She loves life and loves her job, which is as a city bus driver. George and Joy encounter each other after George’s car gets put in the repair shop for two weeks and he becomes forced to take the city bus. When George first meets Joy, he is immediately turned off by her happy disposition and positive attitude. He wishes he had never met her. However, that very same day he takes his first ride on the Joy’s bus, his boss tells him that his job performance is not meeting the expectations that were set for him. He is in jeopardy of losing his employment. George realizes then he needs Joy and her “energy bus”. He begins taking the bus every day to work and on those morning rides, Joy and few other energy bus riders begin to lay out the plan that will in the end up changing George’s life. During the two week period, Joy introduces George to 10 rules that are essential for creating and maintaining positive energy. She enlists the help of fellow bus riders that share with George how the rules can be applied and examples of how they have worked for them. The story continues with George utilizing all the rules and seeing great change in all areas. In the end, George is a changed human being and thanks Joy for giving him the ride of his life. He presents her with a sign that lists the 10 Rules so future passengers will know that this is not your ordinary bus, it’s an energy bus!
10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
1. You’re the driver of your bus.
2. Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction.
3. Fuel your ride with positive energy.
4. Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead.
5. Don’t waste your energy on those who don’t get on your bus.
6. Post a sign that says NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED on your bus.
7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.
8. Love your passengers.
9. Drive with purpose.
10. Have fun and enjoy the ride. (2007, p.157)
The Energy Bus is very relevant to educational leadership. It could lend itself to principals who are struggling with staff or to jump start a school year. In the back of the book there is an action plan that all leaders can use in order to fuel their own bus ride. This plan could benefit any school and turn it into a campus where everyone is proud to work there or send their children to school there. It will definitely FUEL your life!
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