Greetings,
I have been reading "The Innovators Mindset" by George Couros.  There are four parts to his book:

Part I: What is innovation?
Part II: Laying the groundwork for a culture of innovation
Part III: How does this happen?
Part IV: Defining where you are, were you need to go, and how to get there.

It's easy to get caught up in education "buzzwords" and truly not know what the meaning or the "why" behind it.  George Couros has a different approach in his book, focusing on the why, the what, and the how.  After reading his book, my thinking has shifted and I feel that I have some tools to help me continue to improve my own leadership.

In case you are wondering, on page 19 of his book, George defines innovation as:  "a way of thinking  (concepts, processes, and potential outcomes) that creates something new and better. Innovation can come from either "invention" (something totally new) or "iteration" (a change of something that already exists), but if it does not meet the idea of "new and better", it is not innovative."

To reinforce his point, George references the commercial Be More Dog.  In the commercial, there is a line "look at the world today; It's amazing!"  George related this to the opportunities that are at our fingertips to connect and create with people around the globe and how we should be focusing on what we can do vs. what we can't do!

As I think about leadership at all levels in all positions, and how we move forward towards our mission and vision, we must be thinking about how we can make the most of learning and create meaningful change to provide better opportunities for all of our students.  Spending our energy on empowering each other and focusing on what we CAN do will be key in determining how we get there.

I'm so excited that we were able to book George Couros for our Summer Institute May 31st and June 1st.  If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you follow him on twitter and sign up for his newsletter!