Dr. Brad Johnson

Biography

Dr. Johnson has combined his own experiences and expertise with interviews from 30 top leadership experts from around the world to create the keys to effective leadership. Leadership concepts from business, military, sports, and educational experts have been combined to create the 15 Keys to Maximizing Your Leadership Potential. Concepts such as developing your strengths, developing those you lead, resiliency, finding your voice, creating a positive culture, and much more are examined and strategies are offered to begin maximizing your potential today!

Dr. Johnson has combined his own experiences and expertise with interviews from 30 top leadership experts from around the world to create the keys to effective leadership. Leadership concepts from business, military, sports, and educational experts have been combined to create the 15 Keys to Maximizing Your Leadership Potential. The experts included Arthur Carmazzi, John Baldoni, Coach Bobby Bowden, Chester Elton, Captain Mike Abrasoff, Sally Helgesen, Dianna Booher, Jim Kouzes, Dan Domenech, Marshall Goldsmith and many more!

Concepts such as determining your leadership style, developing your leadership talents into strengths, developing the strengths of those you lead, handling crises, challenging the status Quo (conflict can be positive), finding your voice, and much more are examined and strategies are offered to maximize your leadership potential regardless of your role!

Most administrators lead form a transactional style of leadership, which is the least effective for both leader and follower. We hire for strengths but then manage for weaknesses. We have performance reviews, but never aspirational conversations. Change how you lead you team and your school culture will dramatically improve. Based upon Dr. Johnson's book, From School Administrator to School Leader: 15 Keys to Maximizing Your Leadership Potential (Routledge).

(For Administrators)

Schools are influenced more by culture than by rules and policies. However, it is leadership that influences culture. Every school has a mission statement, although few know what it actually says. However, everyone knows the culture of the school within a few minutes and it effects everything from the janitor to test scores.

Dr. Johnson presents strategies to create a positive and dynamic culture. Every leader in a school can influence the culture of a school. Some of the topics addressed are empowering your faculty, the 50-25-25 rule, aspirational conversations rather than performance reviews, servant vs transactional leadership, and much more. This topic also includes developing EQ to recognize, for example, if the janitor is happy then everyone is happy! Some of the key traits to creating a positive culture include accountability, consistency in goals and actions, as well as sharing and engaging others on your vision.

Overwhelming research suggests that we have shortchanged a generation of students by creating a sedentary learning environment in our schools. What is the result? Stagnated tests scores, increased behavioral issues, and an epidemic rise in ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, and even obesity.
Do you have students who are bored, disruptive or off task? It is rarely related to the content, the teacher, or even classroom management, but it is because they lack core and functional strength. Interestingly, core and functional training actually develop the frontal lobe of the brain responsible for focus and attention. It’s not your teachers or your curriculum; it is the sedentary students who can’t focus. In fact, doesn’t it seem as if every child has ADD if they sit still in a desk all day! Only 1 in 12 students have the core strength and balance of students from the 1980’s. Physical activity, especially core strength develops the executive functioning center of the frontal lobe. This area controls organization, multi-tasking, regulates emotions and helps increase focus.

 Learn how to incorporate more physical activity into STEM classes, teambuilding strategies, and how to integrate technology with movement. Want to help your students excel in academics, improve focus/behavior and get healthy? Let them learn on their feet, not their seat!
 

(For Students)

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."~Teddy Roosevelt One of the goals of public education is to prepare “productive citizens.” While this sounds like an admirable pursuit for any mission statement, exactly what is a productive citizen? This is someone who gives back to society and takes an active role in improving the community. Today, individuals in our society are taught that achieving “success” is more important than how that success is achieved. That obtaining an outcome is more important than how you got there and the principles to which you adhere.

The topics discussed include: reading your moral compass, understanding others (empathy), preventing bullying, self awareness, how to model behavior, and influence others.

Finally, this session focuses on being accountable to yourself and to others. The keys to becoming a leader rather than a follower.

Teachers are told that students come first, and for teachers this is true. However, for administrators, the teacher comes first. The teacher is the most valuable resource of an administrator. Even in business, effective leaders understand that employees come first and when properly motivated, encouraged, and engaged, then they will put the customer first.

Dr. Johnson presents strategies to create a positive and dynamic culture. Every leader in a school can influence the culture of a school. Some of the topics addressed are empowering your faculty, the 50-25-25 rule, selfless vs transactional leadership, and learn how to leave the But’s behind when observing classrooms and to engage in Aspirational Conversations, which show your faculty that you value them and how best to improve the school.

Finally, learn how to improve teacher job satisfaction through the effective use of their talents, building a championship team (horizontal and vertical) and how to challenge the status quo, or handle conflict, which can be productive in the team setting. Research also suggests that when teachers feel like they are valued they are 6 times more engaged and productive than teachers who don’t feel like they are valued by their administrators. 6 times more productive!

Studies have identified the lack of management as one of the biggest problems in public schools over the past three decades. In fact one of the major determining factors in the success of a teacher is not subject knowledge but rather the ability to manage a classroom. Bottom line, whether or not students learn depends upon the teacher's ability to establish the classroom, engage students, and involve parents. This presentation provides insightful techniques that establish core operational and interpersonal skills for the effective teacher. (Dr. Brad Johnson provides an alternate version of this speech for administrators.)

This speaking topic is about a growth mindset from the traditional education template. Until the age of four, most children function at a genius level, but by age 18, only 10% function at this level. What happens during those years? Formal education! We focus on student weaknesses, conformity, and compliance. We say we value innovation and change, but in reality, we reward compliance and conformity. Mainly by focusing on the weaknesses of our students to meet a standard on a test.

However, students are exponentially more successful when their strengths are identified and developed. In essence, our strengths give us value/worth and when students experience success because of their strengths, then they are willing to take risks and try new things or harder things. This World Class Classroom focuses on the essential R’s of education (Respect, Relationships, Relevance, and Responsibility) as well as helping students identify and develop their (Strengths + Passions = Purpose). These concepts and strategies help with student engagement, behavior, and achievement. Students can’t become anything they want, but with a development of their strengths, they can become World Class Students; the best they can be!