The Leader in Me

As Marco Island Kiwanis members close out their recent Car Show and prepare to work with the local Rotary Clubs on the upcoming Sea Food Festival, this interlude is a good time for an update on how some of the earnings impact our community. One of the initiatives supported by Kiwanis is the first-year implementation of the Leader in Me (LiM) Program at Manatee and Tommie Barfield Elementary Schools. According to the LiM website, this “is an evidence-based comprehensive school improvement model developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.” The program grew out of Stephen Covey’s ultra-worldwide successful program, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  

Kiwanis members attending the monthly Terrific Kids awards did notice some new vocabulary in recent responses to student interviews. For example, Manatee students said they were “putting first things first,” Habit 3, and getting homework done before play after arriving home from school. Kiwanians also noticed that students were speaking more directly and more forcefully to the audience.  

Katie Maya, Principal of Tommie Barfield, noted that one morning when the Students’ News Team support person was detained in a meeting and not available for guidance, the children simply took it upon themselves, Habit 1, to get things started: they went to the office to get an adult to accompany them and let them into the TV studio; they assigned responsibilities among themselves, and they got the show on air on time without a glitch. 

Principals Laurie Mearsheimer of Manatee and Katie Maya discussed in an interview how they first heard about the Leader in Me Program. Ms. Maya said that the new Assistant Principal, Ms. Ledbetter, had previously been in a school, Golden Gate Elementary, which had implemented it for some time. Both Principals were aware of the great work that had been done at Highlands Elementary School in Immokalee. That school is now considered a Lighthouse School, a place that has been recognized where high standards are maintained, and where what has been put in place will be sustained over time. Its success, including academic success, has been featured at LiM Conferences that Ms. Mearsheimer and Ms. Maya both attended.  

Their shared understanding of what exactly this program is about concerns putting systems in place where everyone becomes a leader, and where students are provided with opportunities to grow in their knowledge and understanding of Covey’s Seven Habits. It involves a good deal of training for staff, all staff including clerical workers and cafeteria and custodial employees. Staff is first provided with personal development opportunities before they are expected to mentor students and others in their growth. At both schools, all students and staff are on various Action Teams. An example is a mixed group of teachers and other employees charged with supporting Family Leadership and suggesting ideas about how LiM language and behaviors can be used at home as well as in school.  

At Tommie Barfield, this team planned a Family Literacy Night. At Manatee the Media Center is open each Tuesday from 5:30 – 7:30 PM, and at 6 PM there is a mini Habit lesson. At these gatherings, families might consider a Family Mission Statement or watch a musical presentation. Attendance is not large, but Ms. Mearsheimer said, “Seeds are being planted.” 

The impact of LiM is being assessed through ongoing surveys to all stakeholders that consider things like personal aspects of leadership, feelings about safety, how the program is doing, how it should be changed, etc. Students maintain Leadership Notebooks where they set personal goals for academics and other issues. Each student has an “Accountability Buddy” with whom he or she reviews progress. Principal Maya said a focus is on getting the various groups to define what they want, i.e., what program goals should be the focus and how will they be achieved. Principal Mearsheimer said the most rewarding aspects are seeing the Habits being lived out. For example, teachers are more frequently acknowledging the accomplishments of one another in meetings, thereby addressing Habit 4 – Think Win–Win. 

The Seven Habits language that Manatee and Tommie Barfield students are learning may well prove helpful with future job prospects. For example, when Anastasia Leptich, an Executive with the Marco Island Hilton, visited Tommie Barfield as Principal for the Day, she engaged in conversation with students about which one of the Seven Habits is a favorite. Hilton World Wide implemented a Covey-like program many years ago, and leadership in the organization become certified and adopt specific Habits in which to develop expertise. Marriott International in 2011 developed a program for their leadership in collaboration with the Covey Institute that addresses similar principles and language. The intent, similar to the intent at the schools, is that discussion concerning productive habits becomes a part of everyday conversation as children and adults both increasingly understand that this is the way we do business every day.  

Chuck Frontz, Executive Director School Leadership for Collier’s Elementary Schools, shared the good news that the district is the first in Florida to become a Lighthouse District, the pinnacle of Leader in Me success. The overall goals, district-wide, are to enhance school culture, leadership skills, and academic achievement. While students are focused on their WIGS (Wildly Important Goals), with their “Accountability Buddies,” I witnessed something else that demonstrated the success of this first-year implementation at a school the Kiwanis Club is supporting. On Valentine’s Day, when walking out of the office with Principal Maya at Tommie Barfield, we encountered two young students delivering a big box of materials. Ms. Maya asked them to introduce themselves and explain what they were doing. They said they were on a third–grade Action Team, and they wanted to make sure that people “who didn’t have kids” received Valentine’s wishes. It took a few moments to figure out that “didn’t have kids” meant staff other than teachers, but the sense of satisfaction and empowerment on the students’ faces and in their voices were evident. Clearly, Leader in Me is having an impact, and investments in this program are getting returns. 

7 Habits of Highly Effective Kids 

1. Be Proactive (You’re in Charge) 
2. Begin with the End in Mind (Have a Plan) 
3. Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play) 
4. Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win) 
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood (Listen Before You Talk) 
6. Synergize (Together is Better) 
7. Sharpen the Saw (Life Balance Feels Best)