Can you imagine writing down the highlights of another successful school year on a sunny day at the end of May? You would probably mention the relationships that you created with your students and the memorable moments you shared together. There is no doubt that you would also mention the academic achievement of your students. The moments you stepped outside of your comfort zone to try something new would also be worthy of reflection. All of these things are worth celebrating and promoting. But why wait until May to write about them? Why wait until they happen to write them down? It sounds weird, but CEO and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos challenges his creative teams to do just that.
Six months before the groundbreaking Amazon fire TV was to be released to the public, the press release was already written. Bezos believes that this practice helps to keep the team to remain focused on the work and have a strong understanding of what success looks like. One of the members of the Executive Team mentioned that “Writing ideas and proposals in complete narratives results in better ideas, more clarity on the ideas and better conversation on the ideas.” As a leader, you are required to be fully in command of the ship, guiding your students to a place they have never been or seen. This practice brings that vision into focus so that you can make necessary adjustments in a timely fashion. Check out this article to find out the Amazon’s rules for writing a press release. Use these rules to craft a press release that guides you and your students to success.
Action Step: Type and print out a Press Release that summarizes the highlights of your school year. Place it in a prominent place so that you can review it every day.
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