John Shearer is the Executive Director at Academy 4, an organization that connects churches to schools and communities through mentoring 4th graders in leadership. The organization was born in 2012 when a group of members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Worth, Texas, wanted to have a more significant impact on public schools, and John joined initially as a board member before taking up his current role. Volunteer mentors at Academy 4 work with 4th graders to open a child's mind to the possibilities and choices of a different future, by building positive relationships.

John joins me today to share the career trajectory that brought him to Academy 4 and why he is so inspired by the commitment shown by the volunteers to help at-risk children to engage with school and to expand their horizons. He discusses the health scare that made him reflect on where he saw his professional future and reassess his career going forward. John also elaborates on why love is such a critical aspect of leadership, especially during this global pandemic, and why we need to make time to check in with each other and engage even when we can't spend time together face-to-face.

"People who think on their feet are smart." - John Shearer

"90% of leaders realize that they are leaders in the fourth grade...and that tells us it's the most critical part of our development as a human." - John Shearer

" There's this perception that kids living in poverty are there because of something that they did, or because they're not enough or they're not complete. I need to get people past that stigma and let them know there's nothing wrong with our kids. There's a lot wrong with their world, a lot wrong with their lives. These kids are precious children of God, and they're worthy of your time." - John Shearer

This week on The Wow Factor:

• The work ethic that his parents instilled in him from a young age and how he started his own business, and how he has passed that entrepreneurial spirit down to his own children
• The injury that put paid to his dream of a professional football career and how he picked himself up and found a new focus
• Where his double major, economics and English, with specialization in technical communication from Texas Tech, took him and how it set him on the path to a career in training and development.
• How John transitioned into the online learning niche and took up opportunities that saw him pivoting to work in business he had never anticipated
• The health scare that made him reflect on his priorities going forwards
• How he was persuaded to join the board of Academy 4
• What Academy 4 does to help at-risk children in the Dallas -Fort Worth and Austin areas and why the fourth grade is so critical in terms of a child's future path
• How Academy Four has reinvented its program to continue to be of value during the COVID-19 pandemic
• How mentoring impacts the adults as much as the children and why it serves to foster a global generosity of spirit for all those involved in the program

John Shearer's Words of Wisdom:

Leadership hinges on love. That means leading with sacrifice, giving people freedom and flexibility where they need it. Leadership is stopping and listening and engaging with people in ways that you may typically feel like you don't have time to do. Everybody is hurting right now, so we need to show more love than ever to the world around us to get through this.

Connect with John Shearer:

• Academy 4 Website
• John Shearer on LinkedIn
• Academy 4 on Facebook
• Academy 4 on Instagram
• Academy 4 on Twitter
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with The WOW Factor:

• I Like Giving: The Transforming Power of a Generous Life by Brad Formsma
• Words of Wisdom Website
• Brad Formsma on LinkedIn
• Brad Formsma on Instagram
• Brad Formsma on Facebook
• Brad Formsma on Twitter