“How to Murder Your Mediocrity” with Guy Kawasaki

This month’s Superintendent Collaborative meeting was remarkable! Our guest speaker, Guy Kawasaki, chief evangelist at Canva and creator of Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People Podcast, shared his ten steps to being remarkable as a school leader.

Guy’s new book Think Remarkable dives into this topic on an even deeper level, and all members of the Superintendent Collaborative will be getting a free copy in the mail!

Guy brought an electric energy to the conversation and laid out ten steps to being remarkable (and anything but mediocre). 

1. Sweat the small stuff

The smallest details can cause friction and slow you down in your work, but smoothing them out can help you stand out in your role. Guy discussed the simple act of strengthening your email presence through your name, signature, and subject lines.

2. Adopt a growth mindset

Those with fixed mindsets don’t take risks. When you adopt a growth mindset, you’ll find a never-ending desire for learning.

3. Embrace vulnerability

When growing, failure is a part of the experience. Being open to challenges and bracing for the bumps in the road along the way will contribute to your growth.

4. Make yourself indispensable

Show up every day, do the work, and go beyond what’s expected. “Work-life balance is overrated when you find something you truly love,” says Guy. 

5. Do good shit

Do what’s not only meaningful for yourself and your work but what’s also significant. This is where you do the work that makes a true difference for your school and community.

6. Get beyond Eureka

You have to get past the idea and to the implementation stage. The shift from concept to action is crucial.

7. Face it until you make it

Face your fears. For this point, Guy brought up the often-daunting task of public speaking — something that all superintendents have to face. He said, “Speak more and paddle out into the uncomfortable until you start enjoying it.”

8. Take the high road

Sometimes, this is easier said than done. But truly remarkable people know when to shift their focus to the bigger picture and put their energy into what makes an impact.

9. Fulfill your success oblige

Success is not solely a result of individual effort but also the support and luck from others, which leads to a moral obligation to assist others. As opposed to "noblesse oblige," which can have elitist undertones, “success oblige” emphasizes the importance of leaving doors open or even widening them for others as a way to build a legacy and fulfill one's moral duty.

10. Make your decisions right

Take your best shot at a decision, knowing it could be wrong. There are always unforeseen or mistaken circumstances. Rather than focusing only on making the right decision, remarkable people make their decisions right—which means they take whatever decision they made and then work to make it right.

Next, the group opened some questions for Guy:

Q: I’m curious about common themes that have surfaced around navigating complexity, chaos, crazy, etc.

A: “Keep the focus on what you’re trying to achieve. Stay single-minded in purpose,” said Guy. “Default to yes. When you say no, it’s a show-stopper and there’s no place to go from there. There’s nothing worse than missing an opportunity."

Q: What do you think will make the future of education remarkable?

A: To this, Guy was quick and confident to answer, “Artificial intelligence and large language models will transform the future of education.” He discussed the power of ChatGPT and how it can open a whole new world for educators when welcomed into their processes.

Q: If you are a superintendent and transitioning between jobs what is your advice to stay remarkable?

A: Guy offered advice about going out into the community and using empathy to look forward and make a difference. He also added, “People tend to think that you have to ask big, macro questions. Remarkable accomplishments start with very simple questions. Great things happen because you ask those simple questions.”

Q: What is your advice on mentorship?

A: “Mentorship comes from a love of people and wanting to make the world a better place,” said Guy. He urged the Collaborative to mentor when they can. It’s not only good for the mentee, but also the mentor.

For a deeper dive into these concepts, Guy shared a free online course available here.

Courtesy of Finalsite, all Superintendent Collaborative members can also expect his book, Think Remarkable, in the mail soon.

A massive thanks to Guy Kawasaki on this inspiring session!

Don’t forget to sign up for The Superintendent Collaborative Summit!

Join us in Scottsdale from December 4-6 for an in-person gathering to immerse yourself in a safe atmosphere amongst peers to engage in dynamic discussions, share best practices, overcome difficult obstacles in real-time, and forge meaningful connections.

Space is limited to 50 members and is filling up fast. Sign up today!