SamTastic Weekly Tip: 10/19/26 - Be a Goldfish, Sam.
This week’s Tip: “Be a goldfish, Sam.”
Leading a school requires a wide variety of skills. One of the hardest is staying positive and proactive when others are uncooperative and negative.
Leadership is a set of actions and interactions that take a person or group to a destination they might not reach on their own. One hurdle is setting aside irritation when others are disrespectful and difficult to engage. Not taking this personally is important skill to master. Ted Lasso, the Apple TV character who coaches a soccer team, is worth emulating:
“You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? Got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”
Your TimeTrack is designed to keep you centered on the important things. TimeTrack charts and graphs detailing your work with each individual gives you a running record of positive movement forward. It keeps you centered on what you can do by detailing what you’ve already accomplished. Staying centered and focused by electing to be a goldfish when others are uncooperative moves everyone forward and can remove a significant source of stress and distraction. “Be a goldfish, Sam.”
Best for a SamTastic week,
Mark
Mark Shellinger, Director
National SAM Innovation Project
PS: Two remarkable SAM practitioners, Marianne Dixon and Dawn DiNatale, are doing a breakout session at the 20th Annual National SAM Conference using Ted Lasso’s people-centered leadership approach and the principles of the SAM process. Registered conference attendees will receive an invitation to make their breakout session selections online mid-November.
Reminder: Registering for the conference was your first step. The deadline is approaching for purchase orders or payment. If you have not provided a purchase order number, or made payment another way, please make sure to do so by November 1. If this hasn’t happened by November 15 we may need to cancel your registration. Let us know if you have an issue and we will do our best to work with you.
Travel information is due November 15. If we don’t have your travel information by December 1 we will have to suspend your registration. Send travel information to Travel@SamsConnect.com
75% of the seats have been taken for the 20th Annual National SAM Conference.
· Here’s the link to register: https://bit.ly/4zVNzdD
· Here’s a link to the pre-conference all-day session descriptions: https://bit.ly/4A3zMSD
· Here’s a link to the agenda: https://bit.ly/4il4gJe
· To submit a proposal to be a breakout sessions presenter: https://bit.ly/3TyCVcu
· If you haven’t been to a National SAM Conference yet, view this short video: https://bit.ly/4cxGEw7
Jenn David Lang’s The Main Idea is available to active SAM team members at no charge. This online service provides comprehensive book summaries, professional development (PD) plans, and leadership workshops. Click here to be added to the weekly mailing list: https://forms.gle/ACrmUUPqtxFsYrCr7
Kim Marshall’s, The Marshall Memo is available to active SAM team members at no charge. This weekly digital publication summarizes the most important articles in K-12 education. Click here to be added to the weekly mailing list: https://forms.gle/8XBPjgJKSsjTg6167
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