Book—The Future Begins with Z: 9 Strategies to Lead Generation Z as they Disrupt the Workplace

Just when schools grew accustomed to the Millennials on staff, a new generation has emerged: Generation Z, your youngest team members. They bring a wealth of value—but too often, older administrators cannot get past how different they are. Three out of four managers say they are the toughest generation to lead on a team. But what if your biggest challenge could become your greatest solution? What if you could turn your frustration into fascination with these young staff and faculty? This session is about how to engage them, retain them and prepare them for leadership. Tim explains the “Peter Pan Paradox” then explores some best practices and innovative ideas for getting the most out of these young staff.

Book: A New Kind of Diversity

“Mind the Gap” is a common phrase when boarding trains for transportation. But there is a huge gap that many workplaces struggle to close: it’s the generation gap. Boomer and Xer managers differ from Gen Z team members. Today’s workplace has four to five generations working together and too often, we collide instead of collaborate. Older generations struggle to connect with younger ones, and vice versa. Too often we stereotype, taking mental shortcuts with young or old teammates.This event explores the characteristics of each generation at work today and how to leverage each of their strengths to be your competitive advantage. Based on Tim’s book on the subject, the session offers practical strategies to bring out the best in each generation.

(Available for both educational and business settings)

Book—The 8 Paradoxes of Great Leadership

Since the pandemic, a new kind of employee has emerged. They are savvy, educated, socially aware and bring higher expectations of leaders than a generation ago. In many states, there is a teacher shortage, as education feels like a job that’s too emotionally expensive. Burnout has been normalized. Employees need administrators and leaders to practice social and emotional intelligence which differentiates them from average leaders. They balance paradoxical traits that enable them to connect with people: they’re both confident and humble, stubborn and open-minded, visible and invisible. This popular session reveals eight paradoxes top leaders leverage on their teams, including case studies and action steps to practice them.

The world’s most successful organizations are constantly adapting to change. And the best ones lead that change. The same is true with educational institutions. Much like a sailor harnesses contrary winds to take the ship to the desired destination, effective administrators, faculty and staff capitalize on current realities. They flex and plan so they can leverage today’s disadvantages and make them an advantage. This session unpacks five vital secrets to effective change and the principles to guide the process. It will ignite discussion your team can use repeatedly in order to be ready for the shifting cultural headwinds we face each year.

As Artificial Intelligence plays a larger role in the workplace, emotional intelligence is the greatest skill set that administrators, staff and faculty can build on a school campus. In fact, when it comes to your success, your EQ is more important than your IQ. Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management are ingredients no smart technology can duplicate. This session not only illustrates the importance of cultivating a high EQ but also offers strategies to do so. It’s loaded with practical ideas to deepen your team’s interpersonal skills with students, parents and each other.

Book—Marching Off the Map

When Alexander the Great assembled three armies and began his campaign, he marched his soldiers off the current, familiar maps and into new, uncharted territory. They had to draw new maps as they marched. This is our reality today. Leaders, faculty and entire schools cannot merely repeat what they’ve always done. Success must be about more than fulfilling a current job description. We must upgrade our pedagogy and our leadership styles. Effective leaders discover what’s new while also holding on to timeless values. They are timely and timeless. This session sets up discussion on how to hold fast to your values and you march into new territory, prepare for the future and set the pace for your district or university.

Over the last half a century, five different leadership styles became popular. Today, new team members enter with more education and a desire to be heard and not just seen. They want a “seat at the table” and they wan to be heard at that table. This session offers a leadership approach that embraces these new dynamics while giving actionable steps along the way. Just like Dorothy led a team to the Emerald City and utilized their strengths along the way, this new approach to team leadership enables leaders to avoid manipulation or intimidation and move toward collaborative exploration to problem-solving on your campus. The session illustrates how to lead your people while beside them, not beyond them.

Staff and faculty don’t want to be managed, they want to be led well. And they don’t want to merely be informed, they want to be inspired. Even when they don’t know what to call it, they are hungry for life-giving leaders. This session teaches the disciplines of a leader who empowers team members to own the school’s mission while cultivating a healthy team culture. In an innovative facilitation-style format, using images, conversations and experiences, this session inspires and equips leaders to lead in a life-giving manner.

It’s been said a thousand times: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. But, how do faculty and staff help to create this culture they want? In this session, Tim likens your school’s story to a movie that involves a good script, good acting and a good soundtrack. Your culture plays the role of a soundtrack. The session offers actionable strategies to cultivate a healthy, magnetic culture (without blowing out the budget). Attendees will learn the habits and attitudes that enable administrators—and their teams—to flourish. The session facilitates discussion on the four elements that make a positive culture stick.

Living in a world of smart technology has its advantages. One of the disadvantages is that staff, faculty and students (especially those from Gen Z and Gen Alpha) have become accustomed to an instant access, on-demand lifestyle. Research reveals that resilience and resourcefulness have dropped. This event reveals what’s happening in our culture and the steps administrators, department heads, and faculty can take to cultivate grit and help everyone stay on course, finish the task, delay gratification and go the extra-mile. Packed with easy-to-remember diagrams, helpful images and practical steps, the session provides a game plan to deepen grit levels in everyone: principals, faculty, staff and students.