Ed Jackson, Ed.D.

Three Simple Ways to Engage & Empower Your Students Since the return from COVID learning, educators are challenged by increased student disengagement. As John Hattie pointed out, “no manner of school reform will be successful until we first face and resolve the engagement problem.” In our research at Meaning-Centered Leadership, we identified several keys to engagement and empowerment. Educators must be careful to have a keen focus on how they engage and empower their students. At M-CL we suggest the…

“It is believed that the ability of leaders to connect at the human interface will continue to significantly influence talent retention, in the future.”

Schools across America are returning to the classroom in varying degrees. Some schools still offer a hybrid for students who chose to learn online, while some are moving to return fully to the classroom. In either case, one thing is certain, teacher shortages are real. The rise in demand and lack of enrollment in teacher preparation programs signals tough times ahead. Especially for in-demand areas like Special Education and English Learner Education. One immediate thing educational leaders can do to…

Six months before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King shared his message with a group of junior high school students in Philidelphia. He started by asking the students what their blueprint for life was. He stressed the notion that the students were building a blueprint for their lives and they needed a proper foundation. He suggested that the number one thing on the blueprint should be an undeniable belief in your self-worth and dignity. He summarized: “…always feel that…

The Wellbeing Project has recently published a report that highlights the way individual wellbeing impacts welldoing. In the section of the report titled: Evidence Based Theory of Change, they describe the impact of individual wellbeing at the organizational level. Interestingly, they report many of the same things called for in Meaning-Centered Leadership.  The MCL approach begins with Engagement born of trusting relationships, care and concern, and open communication with active listening. Similarly, the wellbeing project report describes how the participants…

Engagement is the first essential component of Meaning-Centered Leadership. Our research indicated that followers want a leader who creates an environment where trusting relationships can take place. Neuroscience researchers have uncovered something surprisingly simple, “If you treat me well, my brain will synthesize OT (oxytocin) and this will motivate me to reciprocate.” It turns out the Golden Rule is supported by this simple biological fact. Caring and empathy will help your organization develop a culture that increases OT for its…

At Meaning-Centered Leadership we understand that meaning has the power to transform our experiences. Teachers all across the country will begin online instruction in the coming days and weeks. They too can realize the impact of meaning on their instruction by using the 3 E’s framework.  Engagement: The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) provides an excellent framework to incorporate in lesson planning. They describe the need for having welcoming rituals. These rituals allow the teacher to create…

From ancient philosophers to modern day psychologists having a sense of personal meaning has long been identified as a prerequisite to survival. Socrates claimed that we are beings in search of meaning. More recently, a leader of the positive psychology movement, Martin Seligman, explained that the meaningful life focuses on the strengths of an individual and how they use their strengths to impact more than just their own life, but also the lives of others. Perhaps Viktor Frankl described the…

A nationally representative research study reported some startling findings about Americans’ beliefs about the current state of leadership. Researchers at Christopher Newport University in Virginia conducted a nationwide sampling, and they discovered that less than one third of the respondents believe that leadership in the United States is effective. That score drops even further in the areas of religion, education, national politics, and the environment. In those areas, less than a quarter of the respondents expressed that leaders were effective…

President Trump recently warned that the recession related to the COIVD-19 shutdown will result in “suicides by the thousands.” He clearly referenced the economic collapse as the potential fulcrum to drive this mass self-annihilation. Previous research has shown a link between recessions and suicide rate. However, this research is inconclusive and several studies have indicated that the link between economic recession and suicide may be incidental to other factors.  As income shrinks the money available for mental health services also…

Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy teaches, “…there are three main avenues on which one arrives at meaning in life.” He goes on to explain that work, love, and the opportunity to rise above personal tragedy can lead one to meaning.  Triumph over tragedy was the topic of Jocko podcast 201. In this episode, Jocko Willink talks with Ryan Manion, co-author of The Knock at the Door: Three Gold Star Families Bonded by Grief and Purpose.  In their discussion, Jocko reads from the…

According to Gallup CEO and Chairman Jim Clifton, “The very practice of management no longer works. The old ways: annual reviews, forced rankings, outdated competencies, no longer achieve the intended results.” This opening statement from the Gallup Report, The State of the American Workplace, points out that only one third of the more than 100 Million American workers are engaged in their work.  Clifton suggests, “If American companies were simply to double the number of engaged workers from one-third to…

In a June 2019 study, ADP research reported the results of a global survey on workplace engagement. The results were in line with Gallup research that reports similar high disengagement scores. ADP surveyed 19,000 workers around the globe and found only 16% of employees report being fully engaged. Even worse, the United States was one of four countries that experienced a decrease in engagement during the last 3 years.  At Meaning-Centered Leadership, our goal is to support healthier workplaces. When…

On May 25th, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to a joint session of congress. That speech declared a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for America’s space exploration program,  a declaration of intent to put a man on the moon. On July 20th, 1969 that dream was realized when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon.  On the Space Coast of Florida, events to commemorate the Apollo program took the forefront this month. Pub crawls, parades,…

In the Gallup Report, The State of America’s Schools: The Path to Winning Again in Education, the authors describe the impact of emotional engagement, well-being via a positive strength based school environment, and hope for the future as keys to school success. Meaning-Centered Leadership offers a paradigm that presents opportunities to address all three of these crucial areas. The three E’s framework of Engagement, Empowerment, and Expertise describe how leaders can create meaning to maximize their effectiveness.  The first E,…

“Listening can help leaders expand their understanding and make a positive impact on culture.” According to Cyndi Sax of the Association for Talent Development, listening can have a profound impact on your performance. In a recent blog post, she identified the impact of listening: “Listening provides you with access to a diversity of ideas and potential solutions you could not have generated on your own. Listening expands perspectives and enables an organization to proactively address potential issues rather than simply…

All of the leaders in my study mentioned the importance of developing trust as a precursor to developing relationships. Not surprisingly, the followers polled in this research identified trust as the number one element of how leaders develop relationships.