Self-Action Leadership Training for EDUCATORS

For generations, educators desiring to teach LEADERSHIP,  CHARACTER, and LIFE-SKILL EDUCATION have faced the dilemma of lacking a comprehensive, cogent resource.

The purpose of this article is to introduce a new SELF-LEADERSHIP TEXTBOOK that provides a seminal solution to this dilemma.

This groundbreaking resource provides teachers, coaches, principals, superintendents, and any other educators with a goldmine of information whereby they can further prepare their students for real life and empower their future success beyond mere academic instruction.  

This new resource is called, SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP: The Key to Personal Professional, & Global Freedom, and it is changing the way educators think about leadership, character, and life-skill instruction and education generally speaking.

In the earliest days of our Republic, students' primary textbook was The Holy Bible.  The reason for this was not merely that books in general were hard to come by.  It was also because our Pilgrim Mothers and Fathers were by-and-large humble, God-fearing individuals who sought not only the knowledge to do things right in their trade, but also the courage and conviction to do the right things in their communities, homes, and personal lives as well.

Over the decades and centuries that followed, education in America became increasingly secular.  This trend was not all bad.  It did, however, carry a negative by-product—the gradual diminishment, and in some cases eradication, of principle-based leadership, character, and life-skills education.  This did not have to be the case; it was not inevitable; but nonetheless, it is what has happened.

How can educators remedy this problem, especially in light of the tremendous pressure they already face from external stakeholders (viz. State accountability measures) to "teach to the test" and meet a variety of other demands?  The answer to this question is simple, but not easy.  It will require educators to engage in deep introspection and invest an indomitable willingness to evolve and exercise transformational leadership and creativity within the confines of their own spheres of influence.  

C.S. Lewis, that venerable Christian author, once pointed out that authentic progress in any arena, including the resolution of past mistakes, can only be achieved in one way.

"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. We have all seen this when doing arithmetic. When I have started a sum the wrong way, the sooner I admit this and go back and start again, the faster I shall get on. There is nothing progressive about being pig headed and refusing to admit a mistake. … Going back is the quickest way on." [1]

Please do not misunderstand.  I am NOT suggesting we bring back The Holy Bible as the primary text in our nation's public schools.  I believe our Founding Fathers exercised great wisdom when they established a separation of Church and State in the public schools and governing bodies of our nation.  I am, however, stating what many educators all over the country already know to be true: that we often fail our children by providing a pedagogy entirely bereft of that special variety of instruction designed to prepare our youth with essential life-skills, empower them to become principle-centered leaders, and most importantly, promote and educate the conscience.

For any and all educators who seek a high-quality, non-denominational, secular, textbook that teaches leadership, character, good citizenship, and life-skills, look no further.  The guide you seek after has now been written and published.  It is called, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

Click HERE to see the Self-Action Leadership textbook and read an extended SAMPLE on NOOK

Self-Action Leadership not only outlines a rich academically textured theory and model replete with wisdom from around the world and throughout the ages, it also comes garnished and seasoned with penetrating real-life anecdotes from the lives of successful leaders and educators who have "walked the talk" in their own classrooms, schools, and individual lives.

From my own classroom to elementary, middle, and high schools in the State of Georgia, teachers' and principals' own stories of success are richly highlighted in Book the Fourth—the fourth of five books within the text.

The other four sections of the book include Book the First, which heralds the importance of patriotism and attending to the civic duties that each individual holds to one's community, state, and nation.  Books the Second and Third (sections two & three) outline the Self-Action Leadership—or SAL—Theory and Model.  Finally, Book the Last (section five) provides additional insight into how to successfully implement the SAL Theory and Model into one's individual life—and then model and teach it to others.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

After all the talk about the importance of inculcating leadership, character, and life-skill education into the minds and hearts of our children, a uniformed, comprehensive, self-leadership TEXTBOOK has finally been written to walk this talk.

If you are an educator, all you have to do now is get the book, read it, and then begin to formulate your own creative plans regarding how you can most effectively utilize the book as a resource in your own classroom or school.

In the meantime, listen to what other educators are already saying about this groundbreaking contribution to leadership and character education in America:

Dr. David Anthony in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin

“Reading this book may be the most worthwhile thing you do this year. I hope the message of Self-Action Leadership makes its way into the minds and hearts of students, parents, and business professionals everywhere. Its presence in the literature is a service to our Country."   

David G. Anthony, Ed.D.

CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas and former Superintendent of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District – Houston, TX  – one of the Top 25 Largest School Districts in America

Click HERE to read Dr. Anthony's Afterword to Self-Action Leadership

"Any student would benefit from the principles of Self-Action Leadership that Jordan Jensen teaches. Unfortunately, too many young people today don't learn these principles in their homes. If they don't pick them up somewhere, they are at a disadvantage in life." 

Joseph N. Jensen, M.A. (Ed.D. pending)
Principal, Orem Junior High School, Orem, Utah

To read about the remarkable progress Principal Jensen has made with his own staff and students by implicitly applying SAL-oriented principles, click HERE.

“As a high school English teacher who also facilitates a Student Leadership class, I was thrilled to learn about this insightful guide to self-leadership that can be used as a resource in classes just like mine. Thank you Jordan! As an educator, it is encouraging to know there are people out there like Dr. Jensen who are working hard to support administrators, teachers, parents, and students alike. I am confident the message of Self-Action Leadership will help to provide the guidance our youth so desperately need to become effective self-leaders and productive members of society.” 

Shannon Lindholm
High School Teacher, Magnolia, Texas  

"Dr. Jensen, through his experience teaching, brings to light the importance of teaching leadership and character inside the classroom. Teachers will feel empowered to impact youth outside of prescribed curriculum through an understanding of Self-Action Leadership."

James Fraser
High School Teacher; Conroe, Texas

To buy a copy of Self-Action Leadership, click HERE.

Click HERE to view Dr. Jordan Jensen's Complete 1-hour Self-Action Leadership Seminar for FREE

Click HERE to view Dr. Jordan Jensen's groundbreaking speech entitled, A Twenty-First Century Vision of Education in America.

To sign up for our Self-Action Leadership Blog, add your e-mail address in the white "Follow By Email" box on the right hand side of this webpage.

Dr. Jordan Jensen
Master Facilitator

The opportunity is now here to bring explicit SAL training to YOUR classroom or school.  This opportunity includes the possibility of revolutionizing, or at least evolutionizing, your student body into pathways of holistic personal growth and progress that will produce quantum leaps in the long-term success of your bottom line—the extent to which your students become happy, healthy, contributing civic-minded members of society.

SAL Training is the training of the future.  It is training for the organizational soul.  It is the silver bullet to long-term success.

To read about one leader, Joe Jensen's, successful, implicit use of SAL principles and practices in leading his team to extraordinary, even outlying, results, click HERE.

If you are a Superintendent, Principal, Teacher, or Coach and are thinking about brining SAL training to your classroom, school, or district, where do you start?

Simple... just call us at 832-618-5451, or e-mail us at jordan.jensen@freedomfocused.com, and we will provide you with a free consultation to discover which SAL training would be right for you.

SAL trainings are deliverable in five different time frames.  Additional consulting services and a variety of related soft skills training options are also available upon request.

2-hour     ~   Introduction to SAL*

Half-day  ~  Abridged SAL training*

Full-day  ~   Abridged SAL training*

Two-day  ~  Abridged SAL training*   

Four-day  ~  Full SAL training* 

*All SAL trainings include a copy of Dr. Jensen's new book: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom, seen below...

Notes:

[1] Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. Pages 28-29.

Note: This article is one of SIX articles in a special series dedicated to different AUDIENCES that Freedom Focused specifically targets with Self-Action Leadership training. We invite leaders and managers of these different audiences to click on links below to read the articles pertaining to your field or constituency.

Click HERE to access article for  BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS (Leaders, Managers, & Workers)

Click HERE to access article for  EDUCATORS  (Administrators, Teachers, & Staff)

Click HERE to access article for  STUDENTS & INDIVIDUALS

Click HERE to access article for PARENTS & FAMILIES

Click HERE to access article for ELECTED OFFICIALS, LEADERS, & ROLE MODELS

Click HERE to access article for PERSONS dealing with MENTAL ILLNESS

Self-Action Leadership  ~  The Book

SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any classroom, school, or district. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.


Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Back Cover of Self-Action Leadership, the Book

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation.  As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures.  We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.  Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.

Cleaning Up America One Quiet, Noble Act at a Time: A Self-Action Leadership Example from the Floors of Costco

Yesterday, my wife, son, and I went to Costco for lunch (Costco makes my favorite pizza!). After finishing my food, I sat staring off into the distance when I noticed a little boy drop his drink on the floor. In the worst possible timing, his father swung his foot around right as the cup hit the ground, causing the drink’s contents to not just spill, but to spray all over the smooth, concrete floor.

Sadly, the father’s response was not proactive, but reactionary, whereby he forthwith began to scold his son’s careless action that led to the embarrassing mess that now lay before them. Hanging his head in shame, the young boy covered his face with his hands as his father—who made no moves to clean up the mess—continued to stealthily communicate his disapproval of his son's carelessness.

Enter Jordan. No, not me; I remained a passive side-observer of the unfolding scene. The Jordan I speak of was a teenage Costco employee, complete with Costco name tag, uniform, apron, and food preparation hair net.

Armed with a roll of paper towels, Jordan leapt proactively to the scene and began cleaning up the mess. And boy did he clean up the mess! By the time he was done, there was not the slightest drop or streak of liquid remaining. All the while, the father of the little boy continued to stand idly by reactively watching Jordan work.

As Jordan was mopping up the last few drops of spilled drink, an elderly man walked by with pizza in one hand and his paper cup in the other. Losing his balance slightly, the man squeezed the top of his full cup, causing the upper contents of his drink to spill all over the floor, making another mess to cover half again the space of the sizable spill Jordan had just finished fixing.

Undaunted, Jordan unflinchingly turned his full attention and energy toward the second mess with the same passion, enthusiasm, focus, and dedication as he had the first spill. As I sat watching all this (I could have helped myself, but was busy holding my toddler son on my lap), I became so impressed with Jordan, that after he had finished his work, I called him over to where I was sitting. After commending him for his fine cleaning job, I asked him if I could take his picture and include it in a blog I planned to write and publish about his simple, yet heroic actions. I also asked him for his e-mail address so I could send him a copy of my article after it was published.

Very professionally, he explained I could not take his picture because he was representing Costco in an official uniform, and would have to get permission from his supervisors to do so. Not wanting to embarrass him (I think he was already a bit weirded out by my unorthodox requests), I did not press the issue any further. I was, however, further impressed by his humble reply to my offer. He simply said: “It’s okay; I don’t do what I do for credit or attention. I am just doing my job.” Then he modestly added, “Thanks, though.”

While I am probably publishing this at Jordan’s chagrin, and while I do not have a picture of this fine young man to accompany the piece as I would have liked, I could not keep from doing what I could to honor the simple, yet spectacular, actions of this extraordinary, ordinary [1] young self-action leader. Thank you, Jordan, for your example of what SAL means in the most common of circumstances, and for proceeding honorably in your work without seeking for any credit or public adulation for your good works.

In a sense, it is sad that such a simple act of "doing one's job" came across to me as being so unusual--even spectacular. It is a sign of how relatively rare such actions often are in this world. It often seems a diminishing few individuals exhibit the kind of stellar Self-Action Leadership that Jordan did during his shift at Costco yesterday.

I remember a few years ago spilling something on the floor of an In-N-Out fast food restaurant. Maybe it is just my OCD, but it is unthinkable for me to make such a blunder without taking responsibility for my mistake. Grabbing a handful of napkins, I proceeded to clean up the mess I had made. An older gentlemen, who, unbeknownst to me, had noticed my actions, remarked to me with a wistful sense of sadness, "Wow, it is rare these days to see someone actually clean up after themselves." His comment made me feel sad.

Costco needs more employees like Jordan. Schools and organizations everywhere need more Costco Jordans. Conroe needs more Costco Jordans. Texas needs more Costco Jordans. The other 49 States in America needs more Costco Jordans. The World needs more Costco Jordans. And just to be clear, I’m not talking about myself, but this young Costco employee, although this Jordan—imperfect though I am—does try to be the best self-action leader I can be. And at day’s end, that is all I ask of me—and it is all I ask of YOU.

From the floors of Costco to Costco's executive suites in Seattle, we need more self-action leaders. From the trenches of Iraq and Afghanistan to the plush offices of Generals and Admirals in Washington, we need more self-action leaders. From the high rises of Manhattan to the back alleys of Brooklyn, we need more self-action leaders. From children on the playground to principles and professors in classrooms and administrative offices, we need more self-action leaders. From the local voting booth to Governor's mansions, Capitol Hill, the Oval Office—and everywhere in between—we need more self-action leaders, and we need them badly.

Learn a lesson from and be inspired by Jordan, the young man who, on his hands and knees, and without fanfare or tips, cleaned up a floor in Costco that needed cleaning, and did it with the same energy and professionalism that I'll bet Costco's CEO -- W. Craig Jelinek -- expects of himself and his entire executive team in Issaquah, Washington.

Invest this same kind of energy and quality in their work--no matter what that work might be--and to perform it as if you were composing some masterful piece of literature, creating some genius piece of art, or designing some state-of-the art physical structure. Jordan is a young man who is destined for greater things. Here is truly a young man who has embraced the challenge laid down for all humanity by the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote potery. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.’"

About the Author 

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

Dr. Jordan Jensen is the Founder & CEO of Freedom Focused and the author of the groundbreaking new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  He has trained business professionals in 47 U.S. States and Territories, 5 Provinces of Canada, and 9 Counties of Great Britain on a wide variety of soft-skill topics including leadership, self-leadership, management, time management, goal setting, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a variety of communication skills. To learn more about Dr. Jensen and how his company, Freedom Focused, can assist you in achieving your organizational potential, visit www.freedomfocused.com

To buy Jordan's new book, click HERE.

[1] Rice, C. (2010). Extraordinary, Ordinary People.

SAL Case Study: The Joe Jensen Story

Read About a Real Educator 

Who is Making a REAL Difference

Politicians, pundits, and other persons of power love to talk about public education in America and point out its many pressing problems.  Sadly, for many, their main concerns with the "system" often involve structural inequality, lack of money, standardization, unionization, and a litany of other issues that have little to do with the heart of the matter--which involves helping the students themselves become good citizens that productively contribute to society.

Make no mistake, structural inequality, lack of resources, and other issues can present real challenges.  They are, however, not primary issues; they are secondary issues.  The root of most educational problems in America virtually always lies in a lack of knowledge, competence, character, and caring on the part of the educators themselves.

Even the most lavishly funded and structurally equitable schools will never realize their full potential if their leaders and teachers lack character--and an understanding of the fundamental principles that lead to long-term student success. 

Conversely, even the poorest funded and most structurally inequitable schools can achieve remarkable things if the teachers and administrators that lead them possess character & competence and really care about their students. 

Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas

In the words of Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas, and former Superintendent of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (among of 25 largest in the USA) in Houston, TX:

"I look at results that answer the question: how do we best serve kids? The simple goal of education is to make people better. We need to make adults better, and we must make students better. That’s the only goal I’ve ever really had."

Educators like Dr. Anthony are, in my experience, not a dime-a-dozen, and when you find them, they are worth their weight in gold.  I recently came across an article about just such an educator.  His name is Joe Jensen -- soon to be Dr. Joe Jensen -- the Principal of Orem Junior High School in Orem, Utah.

Principal Joe Jensen, who, aside from making big
waves in the world of education,  is also a husband,
the father of six, and an avid athlete who has
finished the elite Leadville 100 mountain
biking race an impressive 7-times.

Joe is one of the finest self-action leaders I have ever met.  His personal capacity, competence, and integrity as a leader and educator have initiated quantum changes at his school.  Even more impressive, his unprecedented accomplishments come at a Title 1 school.    

Freedom Focused exists to develop and promote leaders like Joe Jensen in the field of education and beyond.  If I have anything to say about it, his inspiring story will eventually touch all corners of this nation, which so desperately needs educators like Joe at the helm of our nation's public schools and districts.  I invite you to read his inspiring story and share with your personal network.

Click HERE to READ the Joe Jensen Story.

Next Blog Post: Tuesday, February 17, 2015  ~  The Unabridged Case Study of Felicia Cockrell