Building S’more Leadership

Posted in Coaching, Community, Disciplined Leadership, Educational Leadership, Global Leadership, Inspirational, Leaders Ready Now, Leadership, Leadership Pipeline, Learning Organization, Strategic Planning, The Disciplined Leader by Dr. Byron L. Ernest on January 22, 2017

Yesterday our Focused Leader Academy (FLA), aspiring teacher leaders, came into our commons area to find tables coevered in butcher paper with crayons (we’ll cover that in another post) and marshmallow manufacturing machines. Also on the tables were marshmallows, liquid chocolate, liquid caramel, strawberry sauce, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, and sugar sprinkles. The title of our agenda for the day was “Building S’more Leadership.” The through line for the day was, of course, marshmallows.

Here Is What The Agenda For Our Day Looked Like

Participants were told upon arriving to make marshmallow creation that depicted their journey as a leader. This was a lot of fun to watch the creation begin. They were essentially building a model of their leadership journey. This gave us a chance to discuss where they were presently as a leader and what gifts and contributions they can bring to the table, as well as think futuristically about his/her personal direction as a leader.

Mike Fleisch Graphic Of Our Discussion

In normal fashion, we circled our chairs and shared out upon completion of the creations. I was struck by the trust and openness we have developed in this community. Here are a couple of their stories that we live tweeted during the sharing:

https://www.periscope.tv/w/a1OJXDFlUkt4cVptcmRXand8MU93eFduUU9lUnFKUcSSjGb_qR4YH2oBtgn7aC2MFWd_Q-3h_A-Pf9pxtlnL

https://www.periscope.tv/w/a1OOqDFlUkt4cVptcmRXand8MWxQS3FSVm9FWlBHYmGFTZqVvCgrO6drSwwV-rdCp0drp54HGo6k3wiBUPWl

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