1. Only One Horse Can Win the Derby!
Dr. John Draper
For a copy of this presentation go to

2. Fired up? Ready to take some great ideas back to your district? Excited?
They’re not!

3. Your change either becomes part of the culture . . . or it doesn’t.
Only one horse can win the Derby-–make it yours!

4. Bubba got a cell phone . . .
There’s 100’s of ‘em!

5. “There is a perfectly logical reason for every stupid thing that anyone does, because no one does anything that they think is stupid.” Rebecca Draper-Ass’t Supt Shelby County Schools (Mom)

6. Use this template When you plan change When you meet resistance When change is stalled When you need to build voter support . . .

7. No input— No output! No involvement— No ownership!
No engagement— No commitment!
No input— No output!

8. Successful change must address three factors . . .
Mind—What do you want them to do? Change that is confusing or nebulous falters and loses.
Heart—Why should they do it? Is there a compelling and inspiring reason? What is driven by why!
Environment—How do we deal with the current reality? Change the environment to support the change!

9. Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
Direct the Rider—the thinking part—confusion continues the status quo, clarity promotes desired change
Motivate the Elephant—the emotional part—lack of motivation is a leadership failure, positive emotion promotes the perseverance for desired change
Clear the Path—the environment often harbors obstacles to change, build habits, rally the herd

10. But from a Derby point-of-view . . .
Direct the Rider
Motivate the Horse
Clear the Track

11. We are schizophrenics! Mind/Rider—logical, analytical
Heart/Horse—emotional, powerful
Clocky! The Happiness Hypothesis

12. Think about yourself You have a preferred “change style”
Rider—logical, analyzer, critical, wary, subject to over think, big picture focus
Horse—emotional, loyal, traditional, easy-going, stubborn, defender of status quo, now focus
Which are you?

13. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Clear the Track

15. Direct the Rider Find the Bright Spots Script the Critical Moves
Point to the Destination

16. Direct the Rider . . . Find the Bright Spots
Avoid our tendency to see negative and reach for punishment solution
Superstars, Backbones and Mediocres (Todd Whitaker)
Clone the Superstars!

17. “Bright Spots” is counter-intuitive . . .
Your son brings home a report card with 1 A 4 B’s 1 F What do you talk about?

18. Most time-consuming discipline problem in High Schools??
Tardies!!

19. Direct the Rider . . . Find the Bright Spots
Found teachers who had few or no tardies and asked how they did it!
Then engaged all teachers in a discussion on tardy problem, suggestions, ideas for improvement, lot of listening and recording
Agreed on definition of tardy!

20. Direct the Rider . . . Script the Critical Moves
Use Tardy definition (eliminate decision paralysis)
Put Pre-Assignment on Board
Start class on the bell

21. Direct the Rider . . . Point to the Destination
Disney employee language
Every Child a Graduate
Educator tendency is to over analyze, discuss, review, research and use education-ese language

22. I administered three Reading diagnostics: CWT, Assessment of Comprehension, and Monster Test. Using the CWT, I identified my classes’ average as grade level 1.5 in September. My goal is to increase my students’ word identification to a class average of Upon analyzing the results of the Assessment of Comprehension, I identified my classes’ average as a 41% in September. My goal is to increase my students’ comprehension to a class average of 80%. Using the Monster Test, I identified my classes’ average scores as Semiphonetic/Phonetic. My goal is to increase my students’ phonics and spelling skills to Transitional. 1st Grade Teach for America Teacher

23. Crystal Jones, TFA, Atlanta, 2003, 1st Grade Class
By the end of this year,
you are going to be . . .
Third Graders!

24. Direct the Rider . . . Point to the Destination
First instinct is to use data
Data first is a loser!
Strong beginning, strong ending, let the middle work itself out

25. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Clear the Track

27. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Find the Bright Spots
Script the Critical Moves
Point to the Destination
Motivate the Horse
Find the Feeling
Shrink the Change
Grow your People

28. Most change efforts are killed by a Horse problem!
Analyze—Think—Change
See—Feel—Change

29. Simon Sinek—The Golden Circle

30. Find the Feeling! Every Child a Graduate!

33. Motivate the Horse . . . Find the Feeling
Emotion motivates the horse
How we treat the “one” reflects our love for the
Teacher No-Heart goes for a home visit

34. Motivate the Horse . . . Shrink the Change
Door-to-door Aluminum Siding Salesman
Dave Ramsey, pay smallest debt first!
Great Coaches Master this Art of small, early successes

35. Motivate the Horse . . . Grow Your People!
Homewood High Football game—behind 2 touchdowns
Crystal Jones, TFA, did not call her 1st graders students—they were Scholars!
Develop an identity—“Don’t Mess with Texas” Campaign

36. Don’t Mess With Texas!

37. Motivate the Horse . . . Grow your People
Develop the Growth Mind Set
Set an expectation of short-term failure-The Stockdale Paradox
Molly Howard, Georgia principal of Jefferson County High, grading system of A, B, C, and NY!
(NASSP 2008 Principal of Year)

38. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Clear the Track

40. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Clear the Track
Find the Bright Spots
Script the Critical Moves
Point to the Destination
Motivate the Horse
Find the Feeling
Shrink the Change
Grow your People
Clear the Track
Tweak the Environment
Build Habits
Rally the Herd

41. Clear the Track . . . Tweak the Environment
Big buckets, big plates
Sit in front of the desk!
Simplify the form, KISS it!
Design it so the Right Thing is the Easiest Thing to do (RTET)

42. Clear the Track . . . Build Habits
Action triggers—preload
Six parent phone calls per grading period
Six home visits per semester

43. Clear the Track . . . Rally the Herd
Principal Natalie Elder, Hardy Elementary School, Chattanooga, TN, Opening Day Routine
Right Thing the Regular Thing RTRT
Your job is not to work hard—it is to be efficient with things and effective with people!

44. Direct the Rider Motivate the Horse Clear the Track
Find the Bright Spots
Script the Critical Moves
Point to the Destination
Motivate the Horse
Find the Feeling
Shrink the Change
Grow your People
Clear the Track
Tweak the Environment
Build Habits
Rally the Herd

45. Somebody Said It Couldn’t Be Done!

46. Only One Horse Can Win the Derby!
Dr. John Draper
For a copy of this presentation go to