Ask any employee at any level what motivates them the most

or

and 9 out of 10 will choose the second list.

So why do school boards do the opposite?

Many school districts follow the lead of the Dallas Independent School District, which follows the first list with slavish devotion.

What happens when the second list is followed instead?

One program is called early-college high school and it mixes college level courses with the normal courses taught in junior and senior years and is offered to at-risk kids, not the over-achieving elite.

North Carolina is the leader and the results are impressive.

“Last year, half our early-college high schools had zero dropouts, and that’s just unprecedented for North Carolina, where only 62 percent of our high school students graduate after four years,” said Tony Habit, president of the North Carolina New Schools Project, the nonprofit group spearheading the state’s high school reform.

In addition, North Carolina’s early-college high school students are getting slightly better grades in their college courses than their older classmates.

Another proponent of the second list is KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), which runs charter schools in several states.

Started in 1994 as an experiment with 50 fifth graders in Houston’s inner city, KIPP has blossomed into the biggest U.S. charter school operator, with 82 schools for poor and minority children in 19 states.

KIPP now has an 85% college matriculation rate, compared with 40% for low-income students nationwide, according to a 2008 report card KIPP prepared and posted on its Web site. About 90% of KIPP’s 20,000 students are black or Hispanic; 80% qualify for subsidized meals.

The difference between the two lists can be summed up in one work—expectations.

The foundation of expectations is a belief that whatever it is can be accomplished.

We humans tend to strive to meet the expectations of those around us, be they bosses, friends, parents, teachers or school administrators.

Actions more than words tell us what is expected.

List 1 = low expectations and kids live up to them.

List 2 = high expectations and the kids live up to them.

Which list do you want at your work?

Which list do you support for your kids?

Image credit: bjornmeansbear on flickr

Image credit: jajah

Be sure to visit my other WW leader/manger – two halves of the whole

Image credit:Ken Meador

If you have a soapbox you’ll understand the thrill that comes from finding others who have the same one.

My soapbox is corporate culture and those who walk their talk (AKA practice what they preach) and I just read about another guy ensconced on that box.

His name is Ken Meador and his company is $14 million/ 52 employee TWR Lighting Inc.

To start with, he agrees with a passionate belief I’ve pushed for more than two decades—having everyone in the company involved in interviewing candidates.

“It educates people about how to interview. Eventually, they are going to grow up and take over positions, and they need to go through this process for professional reasons. It also gives them a sense of ownership. They know that they are empowered and that their opinion means something.”

Yes!

Authority and responsibility go hand in hand.

“I’m a firm believer in explaining to people what my expectation is. How they do that and how they utilize their resources with other people to achieve that expectation, that’s part of learning and becoming more self-reliant. That’s part of empowering them. When I don’t tell them how to do that, I’m allowing them to work at their own pace and to really think outside the box on their own. That’s what creates really influential employees who learn from their mistakes and move on.”

Yes!

Secrets kill culture; everyone in the company should know the good, the bad and the ugly.

“How you create that culture comes down to beating a steady drum, creating openness and having candor. I’m not afraid to discuss problems with my employees any more than I’m glad to give them the good news.”

Yes!

I’ve preached this ’till I’m blue in the face and some still don’t get it.

“I manage a lot by walking around…That familiarity helps level the playing field…Anything that will help build camaraderie and an openness so that they know my door is always open for them and, even as president, they can come talk directly to me if they so desire.”

Yes!

Finally, a public declaration of both business and cultural mission with one line that really stands out.

“How we accomplish our mission is as important as the mission itself.”

Now the big question—does all this culture and empowering stuff pay off?

Seems like it—revenues increased $4.5 million between 2004 and 2006 among other things.

Want to hear more direct from the horses mouth? Ken shared some of his thoughts on TWR and business over at Leadership Turn today and agreed to share more of his MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) in the future here as his time permits, so stay tuned.

What does your corporate culture soapbox look like?