Visionary Mindset

Visionary Mindset

Slow is smooth; smooth is fast: A dear friend and former colleague taught me this concept years ago, and I’m constantly reminding myself of it during this time of year.  The problem is that slow is not my favorite speed.  

I live cranked up to 11 and have a reputation for being wound tight enough to make coffee nervous. 😂 BUT, our organization craves long-term high achievement, and in the beginning, that comes from taking baby steps.

Popularized in the military, the phrase "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" reminds me that being methodical, deliberate, patient, and specific in our actions now will allow us to move much faster while maintaining consistency and a culture of excellence in the future.  To provide my students with the opportunity to be high-achieving long-term, we have to go slow enough to ensure that we’re teaching our new friends (and reminding the old ones) that consistency and efficiency are keys to sustaining our culture.

Behind the scenes - model a Visionary Mindset: Several years ago, my friend John taught me that a visionary is someone who can see what could be in the midst of what is.  As we start back tomorrow, I expect we’ll be a touch rusty. 😀 While we may not be ready for primetime, our kids are looking to us for confidence that we can see what could be in them.  They’ll be looking for us both individually and as a large group to paint a picture of what could be in the midst of all the ‘unique’ things we’re hearing and seeing in this moment.  Dream big; paint vividly, and chase excellence with reckless abandon.