Dr. Ivan Joseph Leadership

A little reminiscing... Robert and Arthur and I grew up in the small same town, went to school and camp together. Through marriages and children and relocations, through thick and through thin, some of my best memories are with these old friends. We dont always see each other or connect as often as Id like - but they will always be like brothers to me.

The Pygmalion effect was first discovered in 1968 by researchers Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson when they set out to assess the impact of teacher expectations on student performance. - After assessing the intelligence of students in a California elementary schoolwithout the students knowing that this was the nature of the test they tookthe researchers gave the teachers the names of students who had unusual potential for academic growth and who could be expected to b...loom during the year. The twist was that this group of students was selected entirely at random and not based on test scores. The high-potential kids were just a cross-section of the larger group. - When the researchers returned eight months later and performed the intelligence test again, they found that the students whod been labeled as having significant potential scored much higher on the intelligence test than they did the first time around. - Rosenthal and Jacobson concluded that when teachers had higher expectations for particular students, those students performed better. Why? Because when a teacher believes that a student can succeed, they are more likely to provide feedback, attention, support, and positive reinforcement, all of which lead students to not only perform better but to feel better about their ability. As a result, the student is more likely to believe they can succeed and to keep working at finding a solution to a problem. - Its a reinforced cycle: increased expectations lead to increased performance. See more

Doing set-up check for tomorrow's #ResultsEnginePodcast with @mikeszczesniak // For Entrepreneurial-minded folks - this podcast is for you. Mike connects with the worlds top performers and shares the tactics that can help you get next-level results in life and business. - (Impressively ranked Top 50 in the Entrepreneurship category in 10+ countries!)

The @hfxpublicgardens have become one of my favorite places to walk and visit. The diversity of plants and flowers appeals to the farmer in me.

STORYTIME: (One of my favorites). - On a May morning in 1954, a 25-year-old English medical student named Roger Bannister took a train from London and headed for the University of Oxford. Bannister was one of the fastest middle-distance runners in the world. He was returning to his alma mater to compete on behalf of the Amateur Athletic Association of Englands team against Oxfords track club in a dual meet event. But it wasnt just any old race. Bannister intended to brea...k the speed barrier by running a sub-four-minute mile. Middle-distance runners all over the world, including Bannister, had been attempting to break the record for years and it was widely believed to be impossible. - Despite the wet and windy conditions that day, Bannister arrived and made preparations to run. Leading up to the race, he had been using intervals to improve his foot speed and had developed a plan to use two teammates to pace him for half of the race. When the gun went off, Bannister took off, with future Commonwealth Games gold medalist Chris Chataway pacing him. Then, when Chataway tired, he signaled to Chris Brashera future Olympic gold medalistto take over. As they got within 200 meters of the finish, Bannister poured it on and raced to victory. - After the results were finalized, the stadium fell silent with anticipation. When the times were announced, the crowd went wild. Bannister had achieved what no one thought was possible. He had run 3:59:40. - High-archivers love this storysomeone who does something that no one had ever done. But thats not why I love it. I appreciate this story mostly due to what happened after Bannister broke through the barrier: the four-minute mile became normal. Increasingly, runners broke that time, often without pacers. These days, high schoolers break that time on a regular basis. Why? Mainly because they know they can. Ultimately, Bannister broke the record because he believed that he could. - Believing you can makes all the difference. See more

Have you heard of 'The Pygmalion Effect'? Setting higher expectations leads to higher performing individuals, teams, and organizations. Be intentional, and aim high!

High expectations are the key to everything. - Sam Walton - There is a business philosophy called Kaizen that I really like. The approach is often referred to simply as continuous improvement, and was developed in Japan after World War II. In essence, Kaizen is an organizational philosophy that emphasizes the power of frontline managers and workers to turn problems into opportunities. (Read that again: Turn problems into opportunities). -... Unlike the traditional Western mindset If it aint broke, dont fix it, the thinking behind Kaizen is essentially We need to constantly get better so that we can become and stay the best. If you can adopt a continual-improvement mindset, you will be able to set higher expectations for yourself that keep elevating your performance. See more

A few of my favorite things: Sundays, my Fedora, bbq on the Big Greed Egg. Awaiting guests for a social-distance BBQ on a beautiful weekend eve. - Enjoy all!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, died today of pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. One of the Court's main advocates for advancing women's rights under the law, Ginsburg was famous for breaking gender barriers and delivering searing dissents. Appointed to the Court in 1993, she served more than 27 years, at times as the lone woman on the Court. From the time she entered Harvard Law School in 1956 as one of nine women in a class of 500, Ginsburg was a pioneering advocate for women's rights. As she once observed in an interview: "I was a law school teacher, and that's how I regard my role here with my colleagues [on the Court], who haven't had the experience of growing up female and don't fully appreciate the arbitrary barriers that have been put in women's way." #riprbg

Trip to the grocery store. Four magazines at the check-out. Four powerful Black women. Diverse beauty and stories. A sign of the times.

Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals. - One way to think about grit is to consider what grit isnt. Grit isnt talent. Grit isnt luck. Grit isnt how intensely, for the moment, you want something.... Instead, grit is about having what some researchers call an ultimate concerna goal you care about so much that it organizes and gives meaning to almost everything you do. And grit is holding steadfast to that goal. Even when you fall down. Even when you screw up. Even when progress toward that goal is halting or slow. - Talent and luck matter to success. But talent and luck are no guarantee of grit. And in the very long run, I think grit may matter as least as much, if not more. - Angela Duckworth

Grit is mental toughness and courage. It is the ability to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term and particularly challenging goals. - It is also one of the most critical skills for developing unwavering self-confidence. - As a leader there are steps you can take to encourage GRIT in your team:... 1) Lead with and encourage a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. 2) Praise the process over the outcome. 3) Try something hard and stick with it. - For more on grit see https://drivanjoseph.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-grit/ See more

Sundays are for ________. - For me, this day is for reflection, recharging and planning the week ahead. - As Abraham Lincoln famously said: Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

As many of us have kids starting a new year of school this week, I share with you a #FBF of a grade school photo of me. - (Note the full head of hair).

While some have said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, I prefer to think that we are hugely INFLUENCED by those five people. - While we cannot always completely eliminate toxic people from our lives, we can try to amplify the good ones - the supporters, the inspirations, the cheerleaders. - Choose those five wisely! ... Tag someone in your five. See more

This is so important. - In addition to the individuals you surround yourself with, your belief in yourself is strongly influenced by the groups you belong to. This is the reason that sports teams talk so much about the culture. They want to create an environment where its normal for everyone to behave like a champion, on and off the field. - A good enough culture is the kiss of death for high performance and will undermine your growth. Its nearly impossible to excel in a ...climate that isnt firmly committed to being the best. - Thats why most experienced coaches will tell you that you should never keep a high-performing athlete on your team if they are bad for team culture and cohesion. If you keep them based on their individual performance and ignore the negative effect they have on the team, you invite ongoing difficulties and limit the success of your group. Great coaches make the tough call and get rid of those players, even if theyre incredibly talented. - Culture is too important to ignore. For more on High-Performance Teams and Culture, see recent ramblings: https://drivanjoseph.com/choose-excellence-team-building/ See more

'A Tale of Two Ivans' Such a cool experience to collaborate with my SON on an article: 'A vice-provost, student affairs, and an incoming first-year student sit down to talk about the student experience during a pandemic'. https://www.universityaffairs.ca//the-student-experience-/

What are your 3 truths? This is a favorite question on The School of Greatness with @LewisHowes - and for good reason. - Each answer is powerful and its great to hear the different perspectives each one of us has. - Share this with a friend who inspires you ... @marisapeertherapy @jockowillink @larrykingnow @jesseitzler @thelesbrown @edmylett @nickvujicic @humblethepoet @simonsinek @drivanjoseph @katimorton @deangraziosi @iceman_hof @stephanspeaks @tonygonzalez88 @lisa2motivate @badassboz

I have twelve more days in quarantine. Other than working, and spending time with family, Im planning on learning some new songs. - Any requests?

Is team building a skill? I think so. - Effective team building is a skill, as it requires mental discipline and effort to find the right people and leave the wrong ones behind. Its easy to go with the flow and not be too choosy about your relationships and companions. - Its a lot harder to know what you need and be deliberate and conscious about finding it. This can involve trial and error and making difficult choices, like leaving a job or letting old acquaintances drop a...way. But you can develop the skill of team building if you stay focused on what matters: keep people in your life who are committed to your success and let people who demoralize you go. - This is how you select excellence. #highperformingteams #leadershipdevelopment #selfconfidencecoach See more

Happy Labor/Labour Day to all! Im spending the day with family - planning the weeks ahead, reflecting on the summer just past, and BBQing, of course! @ Halifax, Nova Scotia

While folks are enjoying their Labor Day holiday, lets make sure we pay homage to those who fought for us to enjoy the day with family and friends. - Labor Day was founded after the Pullman Strike of 1894, when President Cleveland was hoping to gain political allyship by honoring railroad workers. However, the story about the involvement of the Black Pullman porters in the labor movement is not always told. - Pullman porters were black men who worked in the train cars atten...ding to their mostly white passengers, performing such tasks as shining shoes, carrying bags, and janitorial services. During this period, this profession was the largest employer of blacks in the nation and constituted a significant portion of the Pullman companys workforce -Theodore R. Johnson - Despite Black porters being a significant part of the Pullmans workforce, they were not allowed to strike and were also denied access to the labor union. - This led Black railroad workers to form their own union, the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, which was the first Black union in America. A. Philip Randolph was the first president of the union, and he was also the brains behind the first March on Washington. The march ended up being called off after President Roosevelt met with Randolph and other Civil Rights leaders. The event was canceled because President Roosevelt signed an order barring racial discrimination in the federal defense industry. - This was a major win for Randolph and other Civil Rights activists, as it allowed many Black people to get employed in industries that they were barred from. It would not have happened if it were not for Black workers fighting for equality in the workforce. See more

Big day for our family! Youngest is off to university. #prouddad

Our early experiences shape what we imagine to be possible. - Indeed, representation matters, because If I can see it, I can be it. Early experiences -- including the hours spent consuming media -- shape what we imagine to be possible for people who look like us, live where we live, or come from where we came from. Simply put, kids determine what they can be based on the examples around them. - Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ2S, sexual orientation, gender... expression, religion, culture, race, disability - #annitalucchesi @ilhanmn milliesimm #mrterrific @barackobama See more

When it comes to personal confidence, we need people close by who will be there for us when we crash and burn. We all lose our way sometimes. We make decisions that dont turn out well. We might even get knocked down and need someone to help us up. - Weve all been in situations with leaders, colleagues and teammates who resist innovation and are poisonous to our dreams. If this happens to you, do everything you can to make a change; otherwise your belief in yourself will drain away. None of us can thrive in a toxic setting.

Some days are particularly good for partnerships. - There will always be ups and downs. But with dedication, shared focus, creative collaboration, and a good dose of faith, partnership beats solo-endeavors every time. - Surround yourself with people who want to lift you up.

Teams matter. Who you surround yourself with matters. No one succeeds alone. - To build your self-confidenceyour unwavering belief in yourselfyou need an encouraging environment where you can try new things, sometimes fail and sometimes succeed, and never worry whether you will be supported. - In your personal life and work, look for a team that values you and will encourage your learning and living. Why? Because the people around us have a big effect on us. Research shows... that we are hugely influenced by the five people we spend the most time with. - Think about your five people. Not your favorite five people (although no doubt theyre pretty awesome), but the people you spend the most time with. Now ask yourself: Do they understand you? Do they support you? Do they recognize your achievements and encourage you when you fail? If one or two of them dont, youve got the wrong team. Ask yourself if you can select better. - Surround yourself with people who want to see you achieve. Who want to see you win. No one succeeds alone. See more

In my mind, we were doing the same thing.

Love this sport! White water canoeing meets so many needs for me: 1) its a big challenge every time - high expectations 2) I am always learning - growth mindset 3) every river is different - keeps me curious. Weekends recharge me.

On this day in 1963 - In his iconic speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King urged America to "make real the promises of democracy." King synthesized portions of his earlier speeches to capture both the necessity for change and the potential for hope in American society. - And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Happy 73rd birthday to my Mom, the Queen. No one loves more fiercely than a Caribbean Mother.