Schools

24 Mar

Posted at 11:03h in change-agent, Flourishing, Glimpse into Me, Purpose, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership, SOMO Leadership, SuperOrganism, Triple bottom line by

My mom always said "no grass grows under his feet." "A bull in the china shop" was another popular metaphor for Little Louis. What can I say? I like to get going. What I'm learning, though, is that to sustain, I need support. We all need support. I yearn for real we: team. But am I/are we wired for this - or, have we been conditioned with scarce perceptions? These days, while I'm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, I'm also traveling back and forth between here and Northern Valley, NJ -- both places I'm facilitating SOMO leadership, a concept to help learn...

01 Sep

Posted at 20:39h in change-agent, Positive Psychology, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership, SOMO Leadership by

Something Wonderful Is About to Happen (A short video which highlights some of the research we use in SOMO Learning Labs alongside a compelling story as to why SOMO, why now -- why we need Social-eMOtional leaders facilitating change within our social networks, intentionally, lovingly, and immediately.) Would love to know what you think -- please. With love, Louis...

28 Feb

Posted at 17:20h in Glimpse into Me, Moments that matter, Positive Psychology, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership, SOMO Leadership by

“Why do kids shoot guns?” was a question I posed on Facebook yesterday morning after learning of a school shooting in Chardon, Ohio – about 30 miles from where I am now in Cleveland. Here are some of my friends responses and my responses to their responses from a positive psychology lens: 1. “Power.” I’m reading The Narcissism Epidemic right now: Living in the Age of Entitlement. This response is quite plausible when you look around and see how many people live with a mindset that positions themselves over others. This is not just in schools on Main Street, but in big...

17 Sep

Posted at 10:01h in biases, customs, Inspiration, Life Coach, Mindfulness, neuroscience, Positive Psychology, Relationships, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership, spirituality, Traditions, Uncategorized by

Today is the highest of the Jewish holy days: Yom Kippur (I love saying that with my gentile accent!). My Facebook status and Twit feed read: Am realizing we don't have to be Jewish to seek forgiveness today. Traditions are good, even when we borrow them. Atoning is about clearing psychological and emotional space, a task that I take quite seriously with myself and my clients. Who will you risk having a conversation with to ask for forgiveness? Don’t forget forgiving yourself! We are often our worst critics. Last week, the Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah symbolizing the start of a new year...

23 Jun

Posted at 18:40h in Cognitive-behavioral, forgiveness, gratitude, Meaning, Mindfulness, Neurobiology, neuroscience, Positive Psychology, Schools, Thoughts-Action, Uncategorized by

[caption id="attachment_283" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Rocco always has to sniff for just the right spot."][/caption] It’s all about animal instinct. My one-year old dog, Rocco, has been reminding me of this lately. When I hear him bark at a foreign noise in the stairwell – or when he has to pee atop another dog’s urine, as if to signify, “I am here, I am best.” It reminds me of bullies, those who piss on other people. Bullies are animals. Animals are not always bullies (Rocco is sweet, just like his dad). Bullies exist not just on the playgrounds, but in the workplace too....

12 May

Posted at 11:19h in Hope, Inspiration, Life Coach, passion, perserverance, positive emotion, Positive Psychology, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership by

I’ve been working with the Governor’s Committee on Scholastic Achievement to give talks around New York to high school and college students - giving them nuggets of positive psychology that could help change the course of their lives. The best part of these programs is that they not only involve the young adults, many of whom come from tough neighborhoods, but also include their adult mentors at high power organizations like JP Morgan Chase and the Boston Consulting Group. There’s something about the diversity of these groups that is just magical - and there’s something about the power of positive psychology...

28 Nov

Posted at 23:47h in abundance, Action Research, Cognitive-behavioral, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Mindfulness, Positive Intervention, Positive Psychology, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership by

I propose we attempt to set up learning organizations wherever possible to support a more positive evolution. According to Peter M. Senge, Director of the Systems Thinking and Organizational Learning Program at the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Learning Organizations are places where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. Essentially, anywhere there are groups of people that spend chunks of time together can form learning organizations –...

02 Mar

Posted at 14:01h in Positive Psychology, Schools, Social-Emotional Leadership by

Enough is Enough Why does school often feel bad for kids? As a student, I often felt I wasn’t good enough: who I was and what the world expected me to be were at odds. As a result, I felt marginalized and alone at school. I felt voiceless.  Only later did I learn that feelings of “not being good enough (or smart enough, or good looking enough, or whatever enough)” were too common for school children. And then I became a teacher. Finally! On the other side of the desk. A dream I had since as long as I could remember. But there,...

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