Steven Covey on Personal Leadership at #iste11

These are my notes from Steven Covey‘s keynote address at the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia on June 28, 2011. Steven presented over a videoconference connection. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

Leadership is a choice, not a position
– I define leadership differently than most people

Today I want to discuss leading your life, and being a leader for students

To be successful in today’s economy, you need a strong skill set, tool set, and mindset
– if you miss one of these, you feel pain
– without these we become obsolete and irrelevant
– not enough attention is being given today to MINDSET

Biggest changes in your life will come from changing your mindset, not your skill or tool sets
– who we are are is made up of many kinds of mindsets or paradigms
– these are temporary and change with our surroundings

I’ve spend almost my entire career identifying the mindsets we want to be long lasting

reactive people see themselves as products of their environment or genes
– blaming circumstances and outside factors, rather than taking responsibility for choices

people with proactive mindsets control the weather of their minds
– don’t let their past hold their future hostage
– realize the best ways to realize their future is create it

Story about a teacher in California who read the book, “The Leader in Me”
– stories of how teachers around the world are transforming their schools and school cultures

By focusing your mindset on things you CAN control, rather than things outside your control, you’ll make a bigger

you are the creative force of your own mind

habit 2: BEgin with the end in mind (Vision)
– especially applies to personal leadership

Personal model: Live life in crescendo

technology is a means, not an end
– some educators make technology an end, however (acquiring a SmartBoard, new software, new gadgets)
– that

Technology is meant to bless, not to impress

remember relationships are much more important than things

habit 3: put first things first (discipline)

– stay focused on what matters most

Principles drive the consequences of behavior

2 suggestions for helping prepare students for new jobs not yet invented

1- empower students with effective mindsets / paradigms
– skill and tool set improvements will just result in incremental changes
– lasting changes go with mindset changes

Principles will remain constant into the 31st century

In our effort to leave no child behind, we have limited our vision of what teachers are and and do
– if we reduce education to a test score, we will never help students reach their potential

Reducing children to a test score is the worst form of identity theft we could commit in schools

Quotation and Mother

“This is what I want for my son. At home, he is so much more… [than a test score]”

I STOPPED TAKING NOTES AT THIS POINT IN THE KEYNOTE. THERE ARE GREAT IDEAS HERE TO BE SURE. THIS WASN’T THE KIND OF KEYNOTE I EXPECTED OR WANTED AT AN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE, HOWEVER.

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