Optimized Decision-Making: Session 3/3

Hello, everyone. Welcome. I'm Blakely Nielsen, the Director of Marketing at Parallel. I am so thrilled that you are here for the final session of Corey's Leadership Series. If you've joined us for sessions 1 and 2, Clarity of Purpose and Enhanced Communication, welcome back. And if this is your first time with us, you're in for a treat with today's session on optimized decision-making.

Before we get—

begin, I'd like to extend a special thank you to all of our district partners who are here with us today. Your commitment to growth and excellence and leadership inspires us. As Stephen Covey wisely said, the key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. This perfectly captures why decision-making skills are so critical for educational leaders. In today's complex educational landscape, effective decision-making isn't just helpful, it's essential. As district leaders, your choices impact student outcomes, resource allocation, staff morale, and district culture. And that's why we're excited to have Corey here with us today to share her CEO framework for optimized decision-making. At Parallel, we believe in true integration, not just staffing. We work alongside you to ensure access to top-tier providers like SLPs, school psychologists, special education teachers, and school social workers. Our commitment extends to creating spaces like this for meaningful professional development and connection. And don't forget, today's live attendees will be automatically entered to order— to Corey's book club giveaway featuring leadership essentials like Thinking Fast and Slow, a personal favorite of mine. Please put any questions in the Q&A throughout the session. Following the main presentation, we'll transition into a breakout room for open conversation that won't be recorded. I highly encourage everyone to stay for this discussion portion. It's where some of the best insights and connections happen. So let's get started, be inspired, and continue making a difference together. Now, I'm excited to introduce Corey Gollum. Hi, Corey. Corey brings over 41 years of experience, educational experience, and a passion for empowering leaders, especially in special education environments. So with that, I'll turn it all over to Corey.

Well, hold on. Let me get going here. Blake, thank you so much for the introduction. As always, I appreciate supporting others through this journey. It always makes me feel a little bit awkward when people talk about my background because it's just what I do. It's just my life. And I love it. It's my passion. It's something I've done for so long that every second of every day, I'm thinking, how can I optimize? How can I get clarity? How can I have better communication? So for me, this is an everyday thing, and I've done it thousands of different times, and it really helps because when you can see that I have the capability of helping you, it makes some of the things I share come to life easier for you. So just to emphasize through this disclaimer that I'm an educator, not a lawyer. I'm not sharing legal advice, but materials for educational and informational purposes. And for you, I'd love to make this feel like a fresh experience so that I can share some of that And you can take away things that will immediately be able to help you. So if you've ever read James Clear's Atomic Habits, which I happen to have right there, I don't know if you can see. Oh, you can't see because it just blocks me. Okay, well, I have that book. It's about changing your habits daily, like just 1% better every day. And then those things add up as you make your changing your habits. So I don't want you to get overwhelmed. We're going to tackle this one step at a time. And one of the ideas that James Clear says that's kind of stuck with me is that he wants to make it as easy as possible so that it'll pay off in the long run. So you set goals to win the game, but you create systems to continue playing in the game. It's a powerful statement. And one of the things that I've learned over the past 40 years that I've been working and helping my team excel and becoming the best version of leaders that they strive to be is that creating systems that include finding true clarity with your why, in your communication skills and optimization all come from a simple framework. And making this as easy as possible, and that's what I want to do today. So I'm going to share more about that in the framework so you'll see what it's going to look like. And these are the key takeaways of what we've talked about. So we're now in the final session of the 3-part series. And as outcomes of the total series, you can now lead with purpose and understand your core principles of leadership, communicate with impact, developing the skills that you articulate your vision clearly, listen actively, creating an environment of mutual respect and collaboration. And then today I'm going to solve how to do problems creatively and decisively. Applying critical thinking and making sound decisions. So just to do a quick recap, the quick summary of the last 2 sessions, we did clarity of purpose. That was in Module 1. We explored leadership styles. You got to identify your unique leadership approach. You integrated your core values, aligning your styles and your personal organizational values. And the importance of finding your why and knowing why motivations and driving your true purpose. We did the 7-step method that helped you create your why statement, and that got to align with your style and core values. In Module 2, we enhanced communication, effective listening. We looked at the social styles model, StrengthsFinder 2.0. We focused on active listening. We practiced how to understand your stakeholders and the importance of adaptability with communication styles that are tailored to your diverse audiences and situations, and being able to build trust through transparency, fostering open and honest dialogue to strengthen your relationships. So Module 3, this is your 3rd session. So today we're gonna discuss specific matrix that you can use That is going to be a very simple tool you can add into your arsenal right now. It's so powerful. I love that word, powerful. It'll work hand in hand with some of the other areas that we're going to go through. You'll see 3 different areas that we'll be able to implement and add these tools into your decision-making strategies. And so this is all about creating decisions. Now, some of the ways I discovered this was about— I think it was 25 years ago in one of my first director positions. I was given the task of allocations of staffing. for SPED programs across the district. And this meant that at times I'd either have to add a program to the campus or cut one. And even though I understood what needed to happen, I was so new, I didn't have a good framework. So it was tough for me to connect with my team, the principal, and my parents. And it just took them hard for them to understand the importance of the moves and to go the next step to make it happen. It took a lot of times, quite a few mess-ups, and a lot of mentoring from other successful leaders before I felt like I'd gotten to the point where I could connect with my stakeholders and accept the decisions being made. Using the framework, I was able to duplicate it and help my team and many other educational leaders, that it— so it didn't take them the years that it took me of trial and error so that they could learn to be successful. So this module covers critical decision-making and problem-solving skills necessary for effective leadership, and it focuses on creative and analytical thinking to help you equip yourself with proven decision-making frameworks and problem-solving techniques. You're gonna gain confidence to tackle complex challenges and make impactful decisions. With this goal to apply critical and creative thinking to solve problems and make sound decisions, you're gonna learn the approaches to challenge methodically, Ensure effective and efficient solutions. All the skills are centered on— that we're doing are centered on to assist you with being self-aware of your leadership style and implementation. So just a reminder, in the first session, we focused on clarity of purpose, focusing on self-aware with clear direction and purpose. Then we tackled enhanced communication, building trust with your staff, seeing you're driven with a clear purpose, but also enhancing collaboration and engagement. Facilitating change and improving problem solving and conflict resolution by actively listening to identify and address issues effectively. So now, by utilizing all of those previous practices, the CEO framework finishes with being able to make informed decisions. So one of the things— there's going to be a few times I know that you guys are in the middle. You could be either at your lunch, or you could be in the middle of the day, or you could be near the end wrapping up your day. So I know you're very busy, but if you happen to have your phones handy, one of the things I'd like you to do, or if it's easier for you, just open up a new window so that you can do that. In one word, I want you to first go to menti.com, M-E-N-T-I.com, and use the code 46416990. It's on the screen there. I'm not sure if you can see it. But in one word, I want you to tell me what problem solving means to you. What does it mean to you, problem solving? So I'll give you a minute to get into it. menti.com. Perfect. With the code 46416990. Let me sit back a minute and watch these all come in. This is amazing. I know it's, you know, I'm doing my active listening practicing, being silent. It's hard. Give it a couple more minutes. I'm writing down collaboration. It seems to be the big one. Give it just a few more seconds. Looking at the time. This is great, you guys. Okay, so problem solving, collaboration. Patience. Patience. That's an interesting one. When we get in the breakout, let's talk about that one. Solutions is good. Effective communication. Teamwork. These are all great. Let's talk. Yeah, I wanna— this is interesting that problem solving is patient. I wanna hear more about that one. Perfect. Okay, guys, let's go to the next one. So Collaboration is perfect because that's truly what decision-making can be. Now remember, sometimes you're the leader, so you're gonna be making these decisions, but you're gonna use a team to help you do that. So by cultivating optimal decision-making and problem-solving skills, educational leaders can create a positive, productive, and supportive learning environment. Optimal decision-making and problem-solving are crucial in educational leadership for a lot of reasons. Let's look at decision-making. 1, informed decisions. Effective decision-making ensures that leaders can make informed, data-driven choices that benefit the school community. 2, strategic planning. Strong decision-making enables leaders to develop and implement strategic plans aligning resources with goals. 3, risk management. Leaders have to weigh risks and opportunities, making decisions that minimize harm and maximize Benefits. And fourthly, accountability. Decision-making skills help leaders justify and explain their choices to stakeholders. What about problem-solving skills? Complexity management. Educational leaders face very complex, dynamic challenges. So strong problem-solving skills can help you navigate these issues. Being creative, finding creative solutions. Effective problem solvers can think creatively, find innovative solutions to persistent challenges. Here's your collaboration that you guys said. Problem-solving skills help facilitate collaboration among stakeholders. It ensures that diverse perspectives inform solutions. And adaptability. Leaders have to adapt to changing circumstances. Strong problem-solving skills enable them to pivot whenever it's necessary. So the benefits of optimal decision-making and problem-solving is it'll help improve student outcomes. Effective decision-making and problem-solving contribute to better academic performance, attendance, and overall well-being. And that's why we're here. It'll help you increase efficiency. Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills reduce waste. It'll help you streamline your process and optimize resource allocation. It'll enhance school and district culture. Leaders who make informed, thoughtful decisions and solve problems effectively, you foster a positive and supportive school culture. And lastly, professional growth, because developing decision-making and problem-solving skills enhances leaders' professional competence, confidence, and credibility. So now I'm gonna introduce you to 3 types of decision-making strategies, and then we're gonna have them flow and put them all into action. So here's the decision-making solutions. We discussed why optimizing decision and solving problems is so critical in your role. And now there's many, many decision-making tools out there depending on their purpose and your need. There's cost-benefit analysis, pros and cons lists, et cetera. But we're going to touch on the 3 types here. The SWOT analysis, which is basically strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A 3-step decision-making process on evaluating options, stakeholder consultation, and implementation and monitor. And lastly, the Eisenhower decision maker. matrix, which is gonna put it all together and help you implement. And that's where you do schedule, delegate, and delete. My favorite one, delete. Okay, let's look at the SWOT analysis tool. This is a strategic planning tool. It's used to identify and evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are all involved in strategic planning. It provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing internal and external factors that can impact organizational success. So why would we use it? Strategic planning and central administration leaders can use it to craft strategic plans that align with districts' missions and goals. It allows you to make informed decisions about resource allocation, program development, and policy implementation. So looking at the 4 parts, there's 4 quadrants: your strengths, your weaknesses, your opportunities, and your threats. Let's leverage the strengths. Understanding strengths can help leaders recognize areas of competitive advantage and develop strategies to build on them. It can include harnessing strong communication partnerships, innovative teaching strategies, or well-qualified staff. So if you're gonna identify areas for improvement, that's the weaknesses. By examining weaknesses, leaders can identify areas where districts might be underperforming or lacking resources. It's an insight that can help guide efforts to improve operational efficiency and educational outcomes. Then exploring opportunities. By identifying opportunities, leaders can explore new initiatives, partnerships, and programs that align with district objectives and community needs. It can open avenues for growth and development. And then finally, assessing external threats. Understanding the threats allow leaders to anticipate challenges from external sources, such as changes in educational policy, funding fluctuations, or demographic shifts, and develop contingency plans accordingly. It provides central administrative leaders with a holistic view of their district's strategic environment, enabling you to make proactive and informed decisions that foster educational excellence. A common use that I saw this being done was when we were hiring administrative positions. Many times as a central administrator, and I had to hire staff, I would use this with my team because we'd have to know what do we need? What are the strengths of our current team? What are some of our weaknesses? What are the opportunities we're looking for? And what are some threats? So when I'd hire somebody new, I wanted to make sure they were a good fit. And a long time, a lot of times I would be on the principal interview committee. And we use this with the, with our campus and with the teachers and the community and the parents because it gave us the feedback we knew so that when we hired somebody, we had a— Perfect fit. So in— let's say we have this scenario, which might be some typical ones that you might face. Maplewood School District central staff, special education leadership, it's confronting staffing shortage within special education department. And amidst all of the increasing student needs, they have to come to a decision of whether to hire additional staff in-house or utilize external sources to address the gap. The objective, of course, is to ensure all special education students receive the necessary support, but also effectively managing all of the resources. So the SWOT is an analysis tool that you could use, but in this scenario, how many of you have had an issue like this, especially in today's world with budget cuts versus filling your mandated staffing positions? So I'm going to share with you 2, 2 processes to go through To guide you to help solve this problem. First, let's look at the 3-step decision-making. This is a process that's used to identify alternatives. Different stakeholders have different needs. You have a problem. In this case, it's the lack of mandated staff. So what options are available to you? First, identify the decision, then gather the information, and finally implement and monitor. This was developed by the Harvard Business Review, and they produce this 3 C's called the effective decision-making: conflict, consideration, and closure. So we use this process, and I adapted it to our scenario. And there's a lot of different versions, and it all depends on the problem you're trying to solve. But being flexible on how you implement is the key. So here's the example 3-step decision-making process using the scenario with special ed staffing. So start with evaluating your options. Let's look at the benefits of each. Using in-house staff or outsourcing. So if you use in-house staffing, there are benefits. Greater control over the staff selection and integration, establishing long-term stability with committed staff, facilitating continuity and consistency in teaching practices and school culture. But what are the benefits of outsourcing using external sources? Flexibility to quickly adjust your staff levels based on changing needs, access to a broader range of expertise and specialized skills, and potentially cost cutting on the benefits and long-term commitments. So then you look at the stakeholder feedback. And when you do stakeholder feedback, after you've looked at your options, engage with your staff, your special ed coordinators, your human resources, your district administrators, your budget department to access the feasibility and resource available for each option. And then finally, implement and monitor. Develop possibly a hybrid approach if that's necessary. It employs both the in-house and external resources. Set clear performance metrics and conduct regular evaluations to ensure all student needs are met effectively. And I say a hybrid one because that's the one that I always used because it never failed that during my year, even if I was 100%, which rarely happened, but if I was 100% filled, all my positions were filled in May. Come August, somebody went on maternity leave. Um, all of a sudden somebody took a job in another state. Somebody was very ill. Something happened. They were on FMLA. Things always happened, and I always had positions that needed to be filled immediately. So by having a hybrid approach, I could use my outsourcing and I could get that filled immediately. So there was no loss in instruction. Even if it was a temporary fix, people got served, things were implemented, and my IEP was being followed. So that's why I like to recommend that one. So what do you do with all of this? Well, here's the next part that brings it all together. This is the decision maker. This is the one that will not only help you make the decision, But this is where we get it done. So what is an Eisenhower Matrix? What is that? Well, it was a— it's a productivity prioritization and time management tool. It's popular among those who studied Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Remember, that's the quote that, uh, Blakely used at the beginning. And, um, this particular Eisenhower— of course you're thinking Eisenhower, oh, that sounds like the president. Well, you're right, it's named after President Dwight Eisenhower because he was known for his efficiency and his ability to prioritize tasks effectively. And this approach helps leadership teams optimize and prioritize their efforts to address both immediate and long-term needs. By using the matrix, you can strategically make choices that align with resource allocation with student and district priorities. The goal here is to work smarter, moving towards proactive decision-making rather than your reactive responses. So you're going to organize this in a to-do list— to-do list, sorry— in 4 categories. Quadrant 1 is the important and urgent. These are the tasks that demand immediate attention and have clear deadline. They're the crisis that require your immediate action. Quadrant 2 is important, but it's not urgent. These are tasks that contribute to your long-term goals and values, But don't require immediate attention. They're scheduled for later and can be done during your free time, which I know you all have all this free time. That's why we use calendars. Quadrant 3, urgent but not important. These are the tasks that can be delegated to others or eliminated from your list. They can— are interruptions, but they don't contribute to your goals. Quadrant 4, this is my absolute favorite. That's why it's in red. This is the not important and not urgent. It's the delete one. These are tasks that you can delete from your list, throw them in the trash. They're distractions from what truly matters. So by using the Eisenhower Matrix, you can assume that you're focusing on the most important tasks first and avoiding distractions that can hinder your productivity. This approach helps your leadership team prioritize their efforts to address both immediately and long-term effectively. Using this matrix, you make strategic choices. The goal I said, remember before, so was smarter. We're going to work smarter. So let's look a little bit deeper on this, on the to-dos in the less urgent needed tasks, which you can either delegate or say no to. Let's summarize this. Quadrant 1, important and urgent to-do. Important tasks are those crises with the due dates. Important but not urgent, That's not urgent but important tasks that help you achieve your goal. They're productive and successful. Urgent and not important, you're going to delegate interruptions. You're going to help others. Not important, not urgent, delete distractions from everything that is— that could stress you out. Just get rid of it. So let's use the scenario, the same one, and bring it home by implementing the Eisenhower matrix. Let's start with the green box, urgent and important. We're going to do it first. And then we'll move to the blue box. It's urgent but not important. We're going to delegate. Following by the yellow box, important but not urgent. We're going to schedule it. And then finally, our red box, neither urgent, not important, delete it. Everybody has to have that box. So by— let's look at each one here. In the green one, do it first. These are when you have immediate staffing needs. You've got to quickly fill critical staffing gaps where the student support support is legally mandated by IEPs. You're going to conduct short-term hiring through external agencies to handle all of those urgent needs. Now we have things that are urgent, but they're not important, and we can delegate them. That's in your blue box. Administrative adjustments. You might delegate tasks like temporary reallocation of existing staff or adjusting class schedules to ensure coverage. Have a your HR or your budget staff manage some of these interactions with your external staffing agencies and contracts to make sure that they all get done. And then we do have important, but they're not urgent. And this is where your calendar is so important. You're gonna schedule these things. This is your long-term staffing strategy, and that's where you'll develop a comprehensive plan for in-house hiring to build stable and committed workforce, and then schedule professional development and training for the existing staff to enhance support and capabilities. So the red one, my favorite box, you're gonna— neither urgent, it's not important. You're gonna eliminate these things. These are all the nonessential initiatives that you postpone, initiatives like noncritical program expansions or revisions to educational materials that don't directly impact your immediate student support. So by utilizing decision-making frameworks and problem-solving techniques, navigating through the challenge successfully I want you to think about what decision framework could assist you in handling pressure-filled situations. You might want to write that down. I'll repeat it because we might talk about this in the breakout. What decision-making framework could assist you in handling pressure-filled decisions? So let's go back to the Mentimeter, menti.com. I want you to go into this one. Remember, open a new window. I want you to tell me, how confident are you in decision-making skills? One, not confident. Two, somewhat confident. Or three, very confident. And remember, it's menti.com, and you're going to use the code one nine. I'm sorry, one one nine two three two four zero. I'll say it one more time: one one nine two three two. 4-0. It's at the top of your screen. Oh, somebody's very confident. I like that. Let's give it a few minutes to get in there. Guys, it's pouring rain here, so I'm just praying that the internet doesn't go out, but so far so good. Ooh, somewhat confident. Okay. Give it another minute or so. Well, I'm glad to see that we don't have anybody who's not confident. I'm hoping that you see some value in this. It's a lot of value that was presented. So good. I'm glad that everybody's confident. I love that somebody is very confident. I like that. All right, we're gonna go on to the next one. Oh, I see some still coming. You can still participate, still put them in. But just because of time, we're gonna move on because I have something exciting coming up that I wanna share with you. So to make this work, here's some ideas for you to put into practice. Doing an engaging activity, you could do group-based problem-solving challenges where participants work through real-world scenarios using these decision-making frameworks that we went through, the SWOT, the 3-step process, and the Eisenhower Matrix. There is a video clip that you can go to called Smart Choices: A Practical Guide for Making Better Decisions by John Hammond. Great. I really recommend that you see that. And then there's the book that we're going to give away in our raffle today called Thinking, Fast and Slow. And I have it behind me. I just don't know that you can see it because of the way this thing is. There it is, Thinking, Fast and Slow. It's a great book by Daniel Kahneman. And it's on cognitive biases in decision-making. But I'm going to be honest with you, it's a difficult book for me. It was difficult for me because of— It's very scientific. I would say he's a very deep thinker. But basically, what he's doing is 2 systems of thinking. System 1 is the fast, automatic, and intuitive. It's kind of thinking without conscious effort. And then System 2, which is slow, deliberate, and analytical, which is how I tend to think a lot. It comes into play for more complex decisions requiring effort and attention. And he discusses cognitive ease in decision-making influenced by memories, familiarity, and how it can bias reliability, like your intuition. So cognitive bias, the impact on decision-making, and the objective is to practice slowing down when you're making important decisions and utilizing techniques and structured approaches to problem-solving. So he highlights the importance of understanding cognitive processes and awareness of these influences can lead to better decision-making. So I want you to write these down, take a screenshot of this, because when we get to the breakout session, these are some questions that I'd love us to discuss. Think of a complex problem you encountered, and then what steps did you take to solve it, and what might you do differently now? How can structured decision-making frameworks aid in reducing stress and improving outcomes? And reflect on decisions you made under pressure. What the result and what it did that you can learn from experience. And maybe I will take a little bit of a— see if I can do a thingy of this one so that you guys can— I'll add it into the breakout room later.

OK.

So that's what we're going to do there. Now, let's do a little recap of everything we talked about in these last 3 sessions. We did the clarity of purpose, discovering your why and aligning it to your leadership journey. We enhanced communication, mastering the art of effective communication to build trust and foster dialogue. We did optimize decisions today so you could equip yourself with the frameworks for strategic decision-making and problem-solving. So summarize, we see it on the screen. I'm not gonna go through all of this because of time, but I just want you to know that hoping all of these things are— I see the value and that you can apply these right now. So what is one takeaway that you learned from this series? Again, our last Menti for today, menti.com, menti.com, and put in the code 17976212. Yeah, 12. 17976212. Just put in one takeaway. Oh, that's good. This is really good, you guys. That is great. I'm gonna— I'm gonna— oh, I see some of them even at the bottom there. Look at that. They do be collaborative. That's true. This is wonderful. Okay, let me get back over here. Let's— we're gonna— this is wonderful, you guys. I love all these things. These are great takeaways. So I want to share something. This is the end of the series, and I hope that you've gained some valuable strategies. And if you're looking for additional resources, and if it's okay, I'm going to share one more option with you guys. Did you know that by participating in this series, you have been given the opportunity to join the Integrated Ed Leadership Community? Many of you might have questions of what or how could this even benefit you? So I learned a long time ago That in this job, you can't do it by yourself. And I'm not sure if I've shared this with you, but it's a little lonely at the top. So back when I started, and we didn't have all this social media stuff and, or virtual networking capabilities, we had to travel and go to conferences and workshops. But now, how fortunate are we that we can all connect virtually, and especially in this climate with budget cuts and travel restrictions? Wouldn't it be great if you could be in a community with like-minded people who could share common goals and you felt in a trusting environment gaining valuable resources all at the same time? Well, you can do that in several ways, and if it's okay, I'm gonna share and highlight the comparison between the public communities and private communities. So both platforms have their unique advantages and challenges. And so the best choice is gonna depend on your community's specific needs and goals. Let's look at the Facebook community. Pros, it's widespread. You can leverage all of Facebook's vast user base and attract a lot of people. It's a familiar interface. Lots of people know how to use it. Lots of people are members. It has built-in social features like, you know, the events and live videos and direct messaging. And you can find it easily. It— if being on Facebook makes your community more discoverable.

Right.

Some cons about that is it has— you have limited control. So, you know, because they— it's Facebook is in control. They adjust all the policies. There's distractions because many members could be distracted by other notifications or content from other posts on Facebook. There's privacy concerns. You may have given Facebook's data usage policies. So there's some privacy in that. And then they haven't— you know, Facebook uses an algorithm, so content isn't always visible to you. It can be affected by their algorithm. And limit your reach. So let's look at a private community. The pros of a private community are it's a focused environment, it's dedicated space for the community that you want to be in, minimizing distractions. There's enhanced privacy, so greater control because you, you set the privacy and the data protection. Customizable experience, you can tailor it to align with your vision and the engagement. You can utilize tools and features designed to boost your engagement. I can upload resources and courses and all sorts of things that you're not capable of doing in Facebook. But there are some cons. It's limited on discoverability because not everybody knows about it. It's not open to the public. There is a learning curve because it's a new platform and it is dependent on the hub that you're using. And there could be a cost to it. Sometimes there's a potential cost when you hire a— or when you get involved with a private community. So let's talk about this one because I just wanted to share with you how great I think this could be for you. It unlocks exclusive resources. We're going to have a wealth of tools on there and strategies and materials that can enhance your skills. There'll be engagement with like-minded professionals. You can connect and collaborate and network with peers all over the country who share your passion with this leadership. We can stay ahead of educational trends, gain insights to the latest developments and innovations in educational sector, participate in expert-led webinars, learn from the industry leaders and experts throughout the community events and work You'll get personalized guidance and support that are tailored advice mentoring to address your unique leadership challenges. Enhance your leadership credentials, earn professional development credits, collaborate for impactful change, work together with a community of members to implement effective solutions driving positive change, share and celebrate success stories, be inspired by others, and share your stories with others for supportive. So I'm just gonna show you in the next couple slides. So you'll have opportunities to get additional value. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. So you can scan this code if you want to get into it with me as I'm going through it. But right now I'm just going to open it up very quickly so that you guys can see what it looks like. Just to give you a taste of what this community will be. It opens up. Let's see if it opens. Here it is. So you see, it's a private community, but it— you will get your membership. You'll see here's all of the— this is the basic home one that you can see that there is a learning one where we can add courses. You'll see the list of the different members that are on here. We'll host different events throughout the time. You can gain little points on the leaderboard. And then there'll be like a little video that I'm not gonna go through, but that I talk and I share little things with you. You'll have— see where the announcements are, general discussion. We'll have a resource and tools available for you, events, and all sorts of networks and collaboration. You can have a Q&A section. And of course, I want your feedback. So any suggestions you have to make this better or things that you want to do, we'll put into that. So I just wanted to share that with all of you so that you knew kind of what you got. And you're going to get that for free because typically there is a charge, a membership fee for that. So right now, for the next few months, you're going to have this free. So it's kind Kind of exciting, I think, and a great way for you to continue after this series is done, especially for those of you who may not be able to see each other again after this has been finalized, right? Okay. So I'm going to end with this. Well, one, 2 more things. So as you know, we went through a framework of 3 points: clarity of purpose, enhanced communication, and optimized decision-making. So I just want you to think about for a moment if this has been helpful. And were these the things that you felt that you could apply and actually work on? And if that's you and you're thinking about this and you're going, oh man, I would— it's so valuable. I have one more question. Do you want more value? Do you want to be able to do even more of this in the future? And if you answered yes, then take out your phone and click on the QR code, and then you can learn more. All right, here's how we're gonna end for our today. So if you're not sure, if you guys saw this, but the last Christmas there was a movie that came out and it was called Red One, or called Red. Yeah, called Red One. It was in just in December, and it was a movie that came out with K.K. Simmons, and who was Santa Claus, and Dwayne Johnson, who I love to call The Rock. I know he went back to Dwayne Johnson, but I remember him as the Johnson as The Rock. And he was kind of like the bodyguard or the security for Santa Claus. And then, of course, Chris Evans was in here as the villain. But here's a quote that Santa Claus said, and then Dwayne Johnson repeated it later on. And it's, we choose every day who we want to be. So every decision, if it's big or small, is an opportunity. And it's an opportunity to do good, to bring kindness into the world. And I just wanted to share that with you because I'm hoping by doing this series that it was a choice that I made that I love to do, and I really hope it added value for you. And big or small, it's an opportunity for me to do good and for you guys to do good in the future. Okay, Blakely, I'm gonna take this over to you.

Okay, I promise I'll be super quick. Corey, thank you so much for that powerful presentation on decision-making. Everyone stay on because we're going to go into the breakout room, which is the best part in my opinion. And I promise I'm not here today to talk about Parallel. Most importantly, I just want to let you know that we understand the weight of the decisions that you're making every single day as a special education leader. So if you would like to talk to our team at some point, there's no pressure, but we would love to meet you at some point for a virtual coffee shop. And, um, you know, we're here for you, for your students, for your district, for your schools.