Make the Wheels Turn

     One of the things we hear a lot about these days is "Reinventing the Wheel."  Many of us think we have a great idea, and then when trying to bring it to life, find out that someone else has already had the idea, and may have failed at brining it to fruition.  Further research may show how others were successful at achieving their goal, and then we become upset since we could have simply emulated their processes, rather than wasting time trying to "reinvent the wheel."

     But once the wheel has been invented, it simply remains another "thing" unless it's put into action.  A wheel must be allowed to roll in order for it to fulfill its purpose.  That's probably where the expression "roll with it" came from.

     There's also another series of phrases out there that give us cause to reflect - one is designed to console us when bad things happen (for lack of a better expression, "'Stuff' happens") and another that turns the phrase around to empower business executives ("I make 'stuff' happen").   Such a pairing can be applied to "wheels" as well - from John Lennon's lyric, "I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round," and to our Marketing Matter of the day.

     If we've been placed in a position to lead our schools, we not only have to make the wheel (create quality programs for our schools), we have to make the wheels turn.  Share ideas.  The eCommunity on this Web site was created specifically for this purpose.  By working together, the collective intelligence created is greater that what we can achieve independently.  Click here to register and start sharing.  Visit often.

     But we can share ideas with those around us.  Include an idea for improvement, a link to a Web site you've found to be helpful, or a lead on a new book you've discovered in your emails to individuals.  Rather than sharing the information of business (which your recipients could ignore), it could make your emails become something that people look forward to, since they're not "business as usual."

     And today, "business as usual" gets ignored...and business that's ignored goes away.  Your school needs to be remarkable.

     (For more about "remarkability," check out Purple Cow by Seth Godin.  Click here to get a used copy - that'll save you some $$ over new...and that's information to make your wheels turn.  But be sure you don't go on information overload - then you're just spinning your wheels.)

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2008 (Original Publication Date: 20080421)

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