The Smart Thinking Podcast

Episode 318: What to do about a stubborn buffalo? (Leadership & Process)

When people are stubborn it is usually for a good reason. Likely fear of change or of the unknown consequences of taking the "risk." Take a listen as Ted explore how to support good people who seem unwilling to change or move into the direction of the storm they are facing. 
List people who can help you move past a stubborn moment you are facing.
Describe how you can support others who have the wrong gear but right mindset.
List the ways in which you can support others in finding their way.

Episode 317: There Is No Score: 0-0 Mindset (Leadership & Reflection)

Transactional relationships and mindsets create disengagement, sadness, and resentment. Transactional thinking is the opposite of leadership and keeping score needs to stop.
Listen as Ted explores how to shift to a zero-zero mindset and support a positive narrative in your noggin and help you  -  help others grow.
Describe where in your life you are keeping score
List the people in your life that need to be modeled 0-0
Describe how you can lead with a 0-0 mindset
 
 
 
 

Episode 316: Recess is a Right (Leadership & Policy)

Recess might actually be the process to help children learn more, decrease classroom behavioral issues, and increase teacher retention.
Wait, how could that be? In this episode Ted shares research that shows how increasing recess -  decreases all the negative things occurring in school and increases all of the positive things. The answer for improvement has likely been in front of us the entire time (recess). However, we’re going to need to be buffaloes and charge into several storms to create the ideal conditions.

Episode 315: Two Studies, Four Books and Two Records for Fall (Resources)

Listen as Ted shares great resources to help you grow and support others. These resources are building off of themes presented this season on the podcast and will help you support parents, fuel your inner buffalo and frame your mindset.
 
Studies:
The Evolving Needs of Working Parent’s: Kindercare Study
Walton Family Foundation Voices of Gen Z Study: Gallup/Walton Family Foundation
Books:
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay Gibson
The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt
Twelve and A Half, Gary Vaynerchuk
The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie Jaku
Albums:
Coldplay: Moon Music
Leon Bridges: Leon
 

Episode 314: Empower the Parents (Process and Leadership)

How does your system support parents? Too often we are casting blame on the parents and not recognizing the opportunities and responsibilities we have to empower parents.
Take a listen as Ted challenges us to create systems of support and empowerment while the children are on their educational journey. You can't meet unspoken expectations and parenting is an anxiety riddled journey and everyone has questions. That anxiety turns to defensiveness very quickly, so let's make navigating schools less worrisome and help parents support their children in new ways. 

Episode 313: Be a Sage with IMPACT (Process and Leadership)

Are you wise enough to be a Sage? YES! This week join us as we discuss the IMPACT our words can have on others as Ted reviews the people who've impacted him and how we can all grow from those around us. Listen to the very end..... for some really sage advice. 
Here are the 180 degree cards for purchase: https://store.cesa6.org/products/buffalo-note-cards
List the sages in your life
Describe your ability to support others with your collected wisdom
List who needs you to step into their storm with IMPACT?

Episode 312: Celebrate Failure (Process and Leadership)

How well do you celebrate failure? In this episode, Ted discusses how we can all learn from slime mold to get ourselves into a routine of never losing and instead, always learning.
The road to excellence has no destination and is filled with failures. To keep moving forward -  we have to celebrate all the learning! We're never losing -- we're always learning.
Describe where you can apply slime mold strategies.
List where this process would be helpful in increasing risk.
Describe a recent failure that should be celebrated.

Episode 311: Include All Ideas Using "And" (Process and Leadership Tools)

Join Ted as he discusses the importance of having a process that allows for people to contribute instead of simply complaining. The tool and mindset are simple- operate in “AND” mode not “BUT” mode. This episode has a bonus process tool using wisdom and conjunctions to create a great cultural reflection process (this is what happens when Ted has an idea while recording). 
List where this process would benefit the most
Describe your ability to move from “yeah but” to “and”
List the people who would go noticed if you employed processes like this.
Song: Brad & Kate- Flame

Episode 310: They're All Olympians (Process & Tool)

Behind every Olympian is a story. Listen as Ted breaks down how to become fans of all of those you serve. Every child, colleague, friend and loved one has a complicated story and it is always unique. What if we had a way to learn that story?  It would be like when we watch the Olympics and learn the Olympians "whole" story and suddenly we become that persons fan.
Describe your biggest fan
List the people in your life that will need a fan
List who you can interview in order to understand their story
 
 

Episode 309: The Buffaloes That Charged To The Burning Van: WAHBL's (Tools and Reflections)

Welcome to Season 7!
On this episode Ted shares a process to help you preplan for the unexpected. Ted describes the behaviors needed to have an engaged group of leaders and talks about an accident where he observed random buffalo leaders charge into a WAHBL situation. Listen as he discusses the best of the buffaloes -- a 3rd grade teacher who was everything to everyone at this accident scene.
Burning cars, buffaloes, and process!
Describe who in your life is always willing to run to the storm.
List the behaviors of the people who run to the storm.
Describe what you can do different in order to grow your courage to charge.