Today, Luca and I were on our way to Max and Leo’s to pick up a Pizza to bring home to watch the Clemson vs. Duke football game: Luca, nearly 12.5 years old, said, “Dad, I like how happy you are now, and I love how much time we spend together.”  He is a kind, authentic kid.  Now weighing in at 120 lbs., at 12 years old, he is the same weight that I was when I wrestled at 119…in 10th grade.  A football player himself now, with his helmet and pads – I am starting to see how, in adulthood, he is fixing to become his father’s best friend.  We sat in the living room with the pizza kicked on the TV and then started talking about the most significant news this weekend…Coach Prime!

Neon Deion is more entertaining now than he was as a player – and I never thought this would be possible.  If you have time, catch up on some clips of him talking to his players and, more importantly, to the news media about his players.  Also known as PrimeTime, this cat captivates people with his energy level, realness, and ability to articulate his thoughts. He does it his way.  He’s funny.  He’s blunt.  Not only is he unafraid of the media that tends to engulf these guys in negativity, but he challenges them, seemingly using them to his advantage.  I can’t wait until Colorado plays next week.  Everyone will be watching now.  Thank you, Mr. Sanders!

Today, I got a message from a higher-up at the Federation for Children with Special Needs.  We’ve been going back and forth about some programming that will be instrumental for our team.  Amidst the back and forth, I got one message that read, “Remember, you are awesome, you matter, you have your vision and mission clear, and it’ll be a great year.”  Later she said, “Being in the spotlight and leading can be lonely.  But you are not alone.  And you are different.  And that bothers and scares people.  Stay cool, brave, and tuned to what is just.”  Wow.  I am having quite a day between this and what my son said to me. A Labor Day full of laughs, love, and not a single regret – except one missed video call with another of life’s lanterns.  But there’s tomorrow.

Superintendents, in general, take beatings from people.  Not physically.  More in writing, philosophy, and emotions, but in some cases, people looking to give us a dose of psychological abuse, fear, intimidation, and all the things that can make the world a mean, dark, nasty, lifeless place.  Think about it, though – maybe we Superintendents deserve this treatment.  Why?  A case can be made that, along with the public school system in America, we are all struggling to either get ahead, keep up, or repair broken systems, broken buildings, or broken spirits.  There isn’t a place in the country where all kids of all ages and abilities thrive. 

I’ve thought for a long time, and still do that in leadership, we have to do something different.  I remember talking to one of my professors about this at UMASS.  His name is Jim Nehring.  Jim was of the mindset that no single person can have such an impact on a system that he, she, or they are the axis on which it spins into fruit-bearing orbit.  I didn’t believe him – but seriously…look around.  Even in the districts characterized by high income, the ones leading the pack in the education system still let kids down.  They have their issues, too. 

But then there is Coach Prime.  PrimeTime.  Neon Deion.  He’s out there doing it his way, making a splash.  A three-touchdown underdog on the road against TCU.  Everyone called it an upset.  But I don’t think I heard him say it was an upset.  To Coach, it was expected.  I can set my watch to this, someone out there reading this is going to say there goes Mike comparing himself to Deion Sanders.  I am not comparing myself to Deion Sanders.  I just love his spirit and the tone he set by breathing life into the people around him.  He’s a Trust & Inspire Leader.  We need more Deion in our lives, on our teams.

By teams, I am not just writing about our work missions and goals.  Not just to make money, win more, or get higher test scores.  Listen to Coach Prime talk.  See the looks on the faces around him.  What if this energy, this life, this breath was in your life?  In your home, with your family?  With your kids, with your neighbors?  We gotta do it differently.  What if your boss, your spouse, your significant other, your friends, your kids, and even people who you don’t know were exuding this positivity, this life, these beliefs – giving them to you?  Wouldn’t that be great?