I’ve always yearned for the principles of Extreme Leadership to find their way into the world of education, and–little by little–it’s starting to happen.
I’ve written before on this blog about elementary school principal, David Pinter–and he continues to be a deep source of inspiration, to be sure.
Recently, I’ve also come to know Jim Wipke, who is the principal of Crestview Middle School in the St. Louis area. Jim and his team have been applying The Radical Leap, The Radical Edge, and–more recently–Greater Than Yourself to the way the teachers, administrators and students work together and with each other.
Jim was kind enough to capture some of his initial thoughts on why GTY is so important to educators and students today.
Here’s Principal Wipke:
“To me, that message of Greater Than Yourself (GTY) fits so well to the field of education. The best of the best teachers want this for their students. They want to share their knowledge and give so much of themselves to their students that when the year is over, their students are not only prepared for the next school year, but are better prepared for life.
“Is this not also so true for coaches? The best coaches obviously love the sport they coach, but relish the opportunity to make their players and teams better than any team they were ever a part of, and they totally give of themselves to get this done. As we educators know, money is not our reward. Our reward is the experience of giving ourselves to our students. I’ve been an educator for 16 years, so you can trust me when I say that when a student (or a player you have coached) says thank you for making a difference in my life…well, that’s much more of a treasure than a paycheck at the end of the month.
“I also feel that Greater Than Yourself has key concepts that carry over into other areas in education besides student/teacher relationships. How about student/student relationships? So much is already being done through character education programs, but here’s an opportunity to help students understand the value of helping fellow students. And how about teacher/teacher and teacher/administrator relationships? The days of teaching in isolation are long gone, and we are now in an era of education where Professional Learning Communities are valued, where we look at individual strengths and put teacher-teams together based on these strengths, and then we encourage them to collaborate.
“Greater Than Yourself heightens the respect for this collaboration and promotes true investment in each other to catapult team members to becoming greater than they ever imagined. Our keeping an open mind to the application of Steve Farber’s work to the field of education can truly change our schools and the communities in which we work.
“I highly recommend Greater Than Yourself for educators. Not only will it serve as a great refresher for the teacher-to-student relationships, but it will serve as a huge motivator for teachers to help their colleagues become greater than they could have ever dreamed.
“As for me, I have a GTY project of my own. She is an educator who wants to become an administrator/principal. She is in the final rounds for an administrative position in a neighboring school district. Regardless of whether or not she lands this position, I know she will be a great administrator sooner or later. And if I have done my job well, she will go on to be a better principal than I.”
Now, here’s the epilogue:
Jim has just been asked to step up as the Principal of Eureka High School.
And his GTY project? What about her and that position she was shooting for?
Yeah…you know the answer.
She got it.
Steve,
Thanks for sharing this inspiring story. I couldn’t agree more with Jim when he says that Greater Than Yourself a perfect resource for educators.
It is an important reminder as to why we entered the profession. Imagine what powerful places of learning and collaboration our schools could be if they applied these powerful GYT principles!
I will continue to spread the word!
Steve,
Thanks for sharing this inspiring story. I couldn’t agree more with Jim when he says that Greater Than Yourself a perfect resource for educators.
It is an important reminder as to why we entered the profession. Imagine what powerful places of learning and collaboration our schools could be if they applied these powerful GYT principles!
I will continue to spread the word!
Yes, thanks so much for sharing this with us Steve and Jim. I have worked with Jim Wipke for over 5 years now and I cannot tell you how inspiring he is to work for. He is being modest when he says he only has one GTY. In my opinion, he took myself and 3 of my other colleagues on as well and now we are all seeing that he has been doing this all along, even before he discovered GTY. Keep “paying it forward” ladies and gentlemen…You are truly changing the world.
Jill Scheulen
Asst. Principal, CMS
Yes, thanks so much for sharing this with us Steve and Jim. I have worked with Jim Wipke for over 5 years now and I cannot tell you how inspiring he is to work for. He is being modest when he says he only has one GTY. In my opinion, he took myself and 3 of my other colleagues on as well and now we are all seeing that he has been doing this all along, even before he discovered GTY. Keep “paying it forward” ladies and gentlemen…You are truly changing the world.
Jill Scheulen
Asst. Principal, CMS
Jim is a personal friend of mine and I can assure you that Jim applies the GTY concepts to coaching(coach to player, coach to coach, and player to player). Jim and I have coached soccer for six years together, and he continues to learn (and teach me) how to become a better coach. He is the best I have seen. As coaches, our greatest lessons can come from our players, in how they react to each other and the game itself. Jim recommended Radical Leap, Radical Edge, and GTY to me, and I have read all three. Our team definitely has LOVE, ENERGY, AUDACITY, and PROOF that this stuff works!
I too am using these leadership concepts as Director of Wholesale Planning at Brown Shoe company. I have two GTY projects. Remember the GTY concept benefits both parties involved. The most powerful phrase out Steve’s three books in my opinion is, “Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.”
Jim is a personal friend of mine and I can assure you that Jim applies the GTY concepts to coaching(coach to player, coach to coach, and player to player). Jim and I have coached soccer for six years together, and he continues to learn (and teach me) how to become a better coach. He is the best I have seen. As coaches, our greatest lessons can come from our players, in how they react to each other and the game itself. Jim recommended Radical Leap, Radical Edge, and GTY to me, and I have read all three. Our team definitely has LOVE, ENERGY, AUDACITY, and PROOF that this stuff works!
I too am using these leadership concepts as Director of Wholesale Planning at Brown Shoe company. I have two GTY projects. Remember the GTY concept benefits both parties involved. The most powerful phrase out Steve’s three books in my opinion is, “Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.”