Change Starts Here

Amidst and after the pandemic, there is more pressure on teachers to produce more outputs than inputs; people call for more responsibility and standardization in teaching and learning. This pressure trauma is showcasing itself and putting immense pressure on teachers to perform effectively, leading to burnout, quitting, and losing great people in the field. According to a Wall Street Journal report, at least 300,000 public-school teachers and other staff have left the field between February 2020 and May 2022.

With this unfortunate turn of events, how can we collectively take an active leadership role, get more people to show up for a vision rather than just a job, and accomplish the vision for our children?

In this week's podcast, the host of Change Starts Here, Dustin Odham, had a heartfelt chat with Betsy Wierda, a FranklinCovey coach, consultant, and executive coach, on how to help staff members detect their gifts and talents, how everyone can be a stakeholder, and how we can help our kids achieve regardless of the demographics or socioeconomic background.

Odham and Wierda also discussed other aspects, such as:

• Her experience in the education world

• The challenges districts are experiencing all across the country in terms of developing great leaders

• The four essential roles of leadership

"The thing that brings me the most joy is that I get to bring joy and hope to our schools," Wierda said. "We want to help people detect their gifts and talent and connect these gifts to meaningful work within the organization so that they feel valued and connected to meaningful work bigger than themselves."

Odham asks Wierda about the four most important roles in leadership. Wierda asserts:

1. Trust: Leaders inspire trust in others through competency and character.

2. Results-driven: Leaders create a vision and constantly communicate this vision with stakeholders.

3. Coaching potential: To develop those that can take over when the current leaders are gone.

4. Strategy execution: Leaders should be able to reflect and give meaningful feedback.

"I believe that one person can make a difference, and each person matters; don't give up; we can learn and execute these four roles," Wierda added.

Betsy Wierda is an educator and coach. She has spent 15 years as a principal and 14 years as an Exceptional Education Teacher. She has served as a Director of Professional Development, a Standards and Literacy Coach, an Adjunct Professor, an Excel Teacher at the University of North Florida, a Professional Development Cadre Member, and an Administrator in both St. Johns and Duval Counties in Northeast Florida. She is currently a coach and consultant, working among the best and brightest educators in the nation.

Being an educator is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs, and nobody knows that better than Olympia Della Flora. On this episode of Change Starts Here, host Dustin Oldham spoke with Della Flora about her experience as an educator, from teacher to principal to superintendent. They also discuss how you can best help students, including what to remember when in the classroom.

Currently a superintendent for Marion City Schools in Ohio, Della Flora grew up with an elementary school mother and a bus-driving father. She never intended to get into education, but after getting her Bachelor's degree in Biology, she pursued a Master's in Education. Her experience has taught her to build relationships with students to learn as much as possible about each one.

“I think it’s sometimes difficult for teachers because they have their schedules, and, you know, they need to get through their lessons, they have their curriculum, that they need to hit certain benchmarks,” says Della Flora, “and sometimes we get caught up in that, and we forget that we have little people that are sitting in our classrooms every single day.”

One of her strategies is taking pieces of a student's life, creating a story out of it, and asking her faculty, “What does this mean? What does this mean for you as a teacher? What would you do with this student?” She also asks, “What do you know about this student? Have you talked to this student’s family? What do you know about this student’s background?” These efforts ensure a safe environment and understanding of faculty in the classrooms and everywhere else on campus.

A primary takeaway from Della Flora is that the more you know about a student, the better you will know how to address them in the classroom. "If you know your kids, and you know their triggers and how they learn best, it's going to help you be a better teacher."

Mental stress and burnout are becoming increasingly common issues, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, loss of motivation, and decreased job satisfaction. This can result from prolonged and intense work demands, lack of control, and an imbalance between work and personal life. It's essential to recognize the signs and take steps to manage and prevent burnout for overall well-being.

But how do you contain this stress level and prevent burnout from your everyday life and work activities we have to carry out?

On today's solo episode of the Change Starts Here Podcast, the host Dustin Odham speaks alone on the power of silence and the effects of burnout and mental stress.

He discussed:

1. Why he experienced burnout and how it caused him to take unplanned recovery time.

2. Burnout is difficult to avoid, especially for someone with a tight schedule.

3. How there truly is power in silence after all.

"When I was in that period of my life, my approach to everything would be to grind it out. Put my head down, work hard, and survive. Go as fast as you can, as long as you can, and at some point shut down," said Dustin Odham

Burnout can also be shutting down physically, emotionally, and mentally. It can result from a demanding workload, lack of control, poor work-life balance, and unrealistic expectations. It can lead to feelings of cynicism, detachment, and a decrease in personal and professional satisfaction.

“There is power in silence! Do you have the awareness to enter it daily and the courage to stay there? That's what I'm fighting to do." said Odham

Silence can help with burnout by providing a break from stimuli, reducing stress, and allowing for self-reflection and relaxation. It can also improve focus, boost creativity, and foster a sense of inner peace, which can help counteract the adverse effects of burnout.

Dustin Odham, a managing director at FranklinCovey, is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. He has been with FranklinCovey for ten years.

When we make decisions in life, oftentimes they are decided by our inner thoughts. But not everyone has inner thoughts despite how common it is. Experts say some 30 to 50 percent of people have an inner monologue with themselves. In having this inner monologue, it helps some people figure out a lot of things and decisions they make in life because thoughts are very powerful. But figuring out things can be a challenge.

Is everything figureoutable?

According to entrepreneur and author Marie Forleo, the answer is yes. Forleao discussed the concept of what figureoutable is on the newest episode of “Change Starts Here,” with host Dustin Odham. The two talked about their experiences with challenging thoughts of the mind, and her book, “Everything is Figureoutable.”

Odham and Forleo further discussed her book and …

• Making personal time for yourself to unwind from inner thoughts and meditate
• The excuses people make when they can’t or won’t do a certain tasks
• How Forleo overcame the thought process of being unable to figuring things out

Forleo discussed witnessing her mother doing a task that she never knew she had the skills to do, and said her mother left her with wise words, “everything is figureoutable.”

“From that moment on that tiny little phrase like washed over my body and I'm not kidding you, it has been the driving force of every major obstacle, or minor obstacle, in my life still to this day,” said Forleo. “It is something that, like helped me, get through toxic abusive relationships when I was in my younger days, it helped me you know get every job I’ve ever had, it’s helped me at every stage of my business, it’s helped me save relationships, it's helped me get out ... Like everything you can possibly imagine, this phrase has helped me do and anyone I've had the opportunity to teach this phrase to has been like, “It saved me — it gets me back in the zone.”

Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur, writer, best-selling author, and philanthropist. She is also the CEO of her namesake company, Marie Forleo International.

The health of the human brain is of utmost importance considering it is responsible for how we move, the ways in which we give and interpret information, our memories, our moods and behavior and so much more. It is also why when the brain is dealing with disorders that affect normal activities it can be a detriment to how someone functions. One of those disorders is ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, which is normally discovered in children who exhibit signs that they are unable to stay focused and control their impulses, and several other symptoms, according to the CDC.

ADHD affects about six million children between the ages of three and 17 years old, says the CDC, and educating children with ADHD comes with a different approach that requires some consideration to that.

To discuss the nature of ADHD, how it affects children and adults, and the ways it affects how children are taught, entrepreneur, CEO, author and speaker, Dr. Daniel Amen, spoke to Dustin Odham about the realities of ADHD on the newest episode of “Change Starts Here.”

Odham and Amen further talked about …

1. Defining ADHD and how it affects the brain

2. The primary symptoms of ADHD and how its identified

3. How ADHD can impact someone’s life if the disorder is left untreated

Citing a Harvard study which found that when the disorder was overlooked in people they had higher instances of substance abuse, Dr. Amen said that untreated ADHD has very negative effects.

“When left untreated it has serious consequences,” he said. “Fifty-two percent of people with untreated ADD abuse substances, there’s a higher incidence of divorce, bankruptcy, incarceration, job loss, school failure, and that’s just not okay … it can devastate people's lives,” said Dr. Amen.

Dr. Daniel Amen is an entrepreneur, CEO, best-selling author and speaker. He is the founder of Amen Clinics and is a nationally well-known physician and psychiatrist. He’s treated over 20,000 people with ADHD throughout his career and is a graduate of Oral Roberts University.

The world of business and workplaces continues to change, and no one knows that better than Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, along with being a New York Times bestselling author and host of the 5 Questions podcast. Dustin Oldham, host of Change Starts Here, spoke with Schawbel about workplace challenges in schools, such as staff retention and what to do about it.

A self-described “advisor and a champion” of workers, Schawbel has worked with many businesses and loves the idea of branding, which works for anyone with a mind to create any kind of business, company, or organization. “The reason why everyone needs to care about branding, whether it’s a company brand, personal brand, product brand, is because it is a huge competitive advantage,” said Schawbel. “Because…the companies that are most likely to hold on and maintain are the ones that have built trust in the form of a brand.”

On the subject of teacher retention in schools, Schawbel pointed out that, in the last few years, teachers have had to deal with burnout, low pay, and delayed retirement in. “The value proposition of being a teacher…is diminishing,” said Schawbel, which means that the “talent pipeline” is diminishing (which also affects the medical field, especially with nurses). This also helps explain why younger generations are less and less interested in becoming teachers.

On top of changing conditions, Schawbel says employers need to listen to their employees. “Figure out what they want, figure out what their struggles are, and try and resolve as many as you can the best you can.” He added, “We have a lack of listening in corporate culture and school culture and I do think that there is not going to be a way around of not paying enough anymore.”

Key Points:

-Schools can retain staff by listening and solving their struggles.

-Talent pool for teachers is low because they demand more from schools.

-Things can only change if conditions and payment are improved for teachers.

Host of Change Starts Here, Dustin Odham, encourages us all to take the much needed and deserved time to reflect and recharge over the next few weeks. We will see you back here in the new year!

One topic that frequently comes up on Change Starts Here concerns educator burnout and the residual effect of people choosing not to enter the education profession.

According to a November 2022 Gallop poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions, with more than four out of every ten teachers noting they feel burned out “always” or “often” at work.

That leads to a question: What ideal school would make people want to stay, love their job, and then attract new people to the profession?

Change Starts Here’s Dustin Odham introduces a new series, Breaking it Down, where he tackles specific educational issues, and education burnout was top-of-mind. To make a lively debate possible, Odham needed a partner, and he got himself a terrific one in Bentley Kapten. Kapten is a Client Partner with FranklinCovey, who focuses much of his educational efforts in the boroughs of NYC, specifically Brooklyn and the Bronx.

On this series kickoff, Odham and Kapten discuss:

• The criteria that define Kapten’s ideal school
• From a student’s lens, what sets a particular school apart from others
• What do great teachers do to build a deep connection with their students

“Primarily, my background is Pre-K to 8,” Kapten said. “One powerful thing that always helped every single year was home visits. The home visit was so powerful because we not only got a better aspect of our student, but we got a better aspect of our student as a member of a family.”

In addition to his role with FranklinCovey, Bentley Kapten is an educator specializing in the math curriculum, where he developed key relationships with the New York City Department of Education. Kapten is also a Foster America Fellow with a Master of Arts in Teaching & Education from the Relay Graduate School of Education.

2022 is a year for reflection, and at Change Starts Here, host Dustin Odham wanted to devote a special episode to reflect on all of the great advice from the many guests that appeared on the podcast over that past year.

Throughout this episode, Odham captures moments from ten inspiring interviews from 2022, including author and Assistant Principal Joshua Stamper, Revolutionary Principal’s Amen Rahh, Principal and Speaker Linda Cliatt-Wayman, Author and Speaker Jill M. Siler, and Student Motivational Speaker David Edward Garcia.

Odham and his guests discuss:

• The best advice they’ve received from other people that they share with others
• The advice that comes from the heart that they believe will change other people’s lives
• How the role of leadership matters in education

“Today, we’ve dug back in our archives of our interviews, and you all know the last four questions we ask,” Odham said. “That question we ask is, what’s a piece of leadership or change advice you’ve come across or been exposed to recently, or it’s on your heart, and you must share with others, so we’ve captured about ten of those interviews, and I hope you find them encouraging. They’re some of my favorites, and I find them encouraging.”

Dustin Odham, Managing Director for FranklinCovey's Education Division, is an educational leader, consultant, mentor, and advocate. Odham hosts FranklinCovey's Change Starts Here podcast, which brings together education experts' perspectives on making a positive change to school communities and environments.