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It is not a secret that job satisfaction in this country is not where it should be. A 2014 Conference Board report says that the majority of Americans (52.3%) are unhappy at work. What makes our workers happiest? The CB report says that “interest in work” provides satisfaction to 59% of the workplace. Even more fulfilling was “people at work,” which 60.6% said they liked. Similarly, an expansive study by Boston Consulting Group found that the No. 1 factor for employee happiness on the job is getting appreciated for work. The question for me is this: If interpersonal relationships and the expression of appreciation are so important to employees, why aren’t leaders spending more time doing it?

coaching, leadershipNaphtali HoffJune 26, 2015leaders, leadership, feedback, communicationComment

It Needn't be Lonely at the Top

Loneliness is, in a relative sense, measured in the eyes of the beholder. Some argue that the loneliest professionals in the world are those who toil in isolation, with limited opportunity for interpersonal communication. Yet there are others who weigh loneliness not by the frequency or infrequency of their interactions with others but rather with the quality of such exchanges.

leadership, coachingNaphtali HoffJune 23, 2015leadership, loneliness, connection, leaders Comments

7 steps toward a successful presentation

We have all attended great presentations that left us wanting more. And then there were the ones that gave us the itch to get up or log out. Oftentimes, the difference between the two talks has nothing to do with the presenter’s experience or content knowledge. Rather, it came down to knowing their audiences and finding ways to connect with them early and often.

Naphtali HoffJune 12, 2015leadership, presentation, business Comments

Redefining Smart

The kids who grow up thinking that they are smart are oftentimes the ones whose talents and gifts are rewarded by schools and teachers. By rewarded I mean that they are most capable of navigating effectively through the school system and demonstrating mastery of content in the way that it is presented to and then asked of them. In contrast, “weaker” students are often hampered by a lack of confluence between their abilities and the instruction that they receive, as well as what they are allowed to do in order to demonstrate their abilities and knowledge.

Naphtali HoffJune 2, 2015 Comments

Linking Education Silos

I recently delivered a talk at an advancement conference on the topic of identifying and communicating a school’s unique qualities and mission. During the presentation, an issue emerged that sits at the forefront of the minds of many of the professionals who were in attendance.

Naphtali HoffMay 27, 2015Comment

Why Johnny Can’t (or Won’t) Behave

We’ve all met Johnny. He’s the kid who simply won’t behave in class. He can’t seem to sit still and pay attention. He doesn’t want to follow our rules or conform to our expectations. He won’t keep his hands to himself and respect others’ things. It almost seems like he comes to school each day with a willful intent to disrupt and make our lives miserable.

Naphtali HoffMay 27, 2015classroom management, teaching, education, instructionComment

Blazing your own path to success

Did you ever look around in amazement at people around you who have achieved extraordinary things, yet don’t appear to be all that extraordinary?

These are people who have greatly succeeded in business, in politics, in the arts, in sports, or in some other space, but in many respects seem pretty much on par with you (or even inferior) in terms of core abilities and talents. How is it, you wonder, that they “made it” in such a robust manner while you continue to middle along in relative obscurity, earning a pedestrian income and feeling somewhat unfulfilled?

Naphtali HoffMay 13, 2015leadership, success, fulfillment Comment

Keeping your classroom moving

Of the three primary learning modalities — visual, auditory, and kinesthetic — kinesthetic learning is the least frequently utilized in most elementary and secondary classrooms, by a wide margin. Students tend to get most of their information by listening to a teacher speak to them or by seeing and reading it in print or digital form. Learning that involves some form of meaningful movement comes in a distant third.

Naphtali HoffApril 24, 2015 Comment

Quell the fear factor

A handful of community leaders approached me about halfway through my first year as school leader. Some teachers — particularly the tenured vets — were concerned with certain aspects of my leadership style and were starting to vent to board members and other people of influence. After hearing these people out, I asked them what most people in a similar situation would want to know. “Why aren’t they coming to me with this?” I was told that they were afraid of losing their jobs.

Naphtali HoffApril 15, 2015 Comments

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