Warren County Schools

District Wide Professional

Development
The Energy Bus
Presenters: Magnus Hemans & Ryan
Ewell

Meet the Main Characters

George:
The story starts off as a bad day for George. He tries to take his daily ride to work to find
that his tire on his car as well as his spare tire is flat. He is reluctant to ask his wife for a
ride because she told him before that he needed to get it fixed. Of course he did not listen
and now he was in a predicament. His wife told him that she has a busy schedule too and
does not have time to take him to work so he will just have to walk the mile to the bus. She
told him that his negative energy was bringing their family down. If he didnt change she
was going to leave him, even though she still loved him. George was not happy about
taking the bus to work because he hadnt ridden a bus since he was a kid. Because he had
no other choice George walked to the bus stop. It was there he met the person that would
change his life forever.

Meet the Main Characters

Joy:
Joy was the most positive, cheerful bus driver George ever met. He
initially found her positive spirit annoying. She told him that everything
happens for a reason, and you can choose to ignore it or learn from it.
After work George learns he has to wait two weeks for his car to get fixed,
which means two more weeks on the bus with Joy.

The Setting

The Problem
George works for a company that makes light bulbs called NRG and
is working with the product team to launch their new product, the
NRG-2000. His team is dysfunctional, unorganized, and unmotivated.
Georges boss told him that if things dont change with his work and
negative attitude he would be fired.
The launch of this product was his last chance.

The Solution
The Ten Rules for the
Ride of Your Life
Each morning when George gets on he bus, Joy and the
other passengers share the Ten Rules. The Rules not only
transform Georges attitude and save his job, but they also
save his marriage as well!

Rule # 1:

Youre the Driver of Your Bus

Standard 1: Strategic Leadership

1.a - Vision, Mission, Goals
1.b - Leading Change
Joys Key Points

If you dont take responsibility for your life and control of your bus then you
cant take it where you want to go. If youre not the driver, then you will
always be at the whim of everyone elses travel plans.

You can take the wheel and choose to create your life, one thought, one belief,
one action, once choice at a time. Its your bus and youre the driver and you
choose where you are going and the kind of ride its going to be.

This is your energy bus!

Youre the driver.
Just say where you want to go and believe that it will be so! Because every journey
and ride begins with a desire to go somewhere and do something and if you have a
desire then you also have the power to make it happen!
Joy had George write down his vision for his life, work, and family.
She told him that there is an energy to thought when you identify
what you desire and write down your vision. It begins the process
of mobilizing the energy to create the life you want.

So where do you desire to go?

Whats your vision?

1. What is your vision for your students?

2. What is your vision for your team this year?

3. What is your vision for your relationship with your colleagues?

You cant go somewhere if you dont have a vision of where you want to go!

Rule # 2

Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in

the Right Direction
Standard 1: Strategic Leadership
1.a - Vision, Mission, Goals
1.b - Leading Change
Joys Key Points

Each day focus on your vision

for 10 minutes and see
yourself creating
everything you wrote down
on that paper.

If you build it in your mind,

focus on seeing it, and take
action, then success will
come, but if you keep on
thinking what you have
been thinking, youll keep
on getting what you have
been getting.

Rule # 3 Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy

Standard 3: Cultural Leadership
3.a - Focus on Collaborative Work Environment
3.c - Acknowledge Failures, Celebrate Accomplishments
Joys Key Points

Positive energy comes from

trust, faith, enthusiasm,
purpose, joy, and
happiness.
Positive energy is high
octane fuel for the ride of
your life while negative
energy causes sludge to
accumulate in your energy
pipeline.

E+P=O
Events + Positive Energy =
Outcomes We cant control
the events in our lives but
we can control our positive
energy and it is our
response to the events that
determine our outcomes.
Feed the Positive Dog

Rule # 4

Invite People on Your Bus and Share

Your Vision for the Road Ahead
Standard 4: Human Resource Leadership
4.a - Professional Development and PLC
4.b - Recruit, Hire, Mentor
Joys Key Points

Important you ask your team to get on your bus or else you will by driving the bus alone.
Remember you are driving the bus, but as you drive you want to keep asking people to get
on. If you dont ask, they wont know to get on.
Must say, this is where my bus is going and I want to invite you to get on.

Rule # 5

Dont Waste Your Energy on Those Who

Dont Get On Your Bus

Standard 4: Human Resource Leadership

4.a and 4.b (PD and PLC) plus
4.c - Teacher/Staff Evaluations
Joys Key Points

The more energy you spend worrying about the people who didnt get on your bus, the less you
will have for the people who are on your bus.
There will always be negativity in everything you do. You will always be surrounded by negative
people. Self-doubt, fear, hopelessness, and negative energy drain you and sabotage
everything you want in life and the success you desire. Thats why you have to feed the
positive dog.

Rule # 6

Post a Sign That Says:

No Energy Vampires Allowed

Standard 5: Managerial Leadership
5.b - Conflict Management and Resolution
Joys Key Points
You have to be strong enough to tell people that you will not allow any negativity on your bus.
You have to say this is where we are going and to get there we need a positive and supportive
team and whoever is negative will be kicked off the bus.

From Soup: You are forever contagious, and you and your emotions and
attitude impact everyone. So come to work with a positive attitude or dont
come at all.

Rule # 7

Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and

Energizers Them During the Ride

Standard 5: Managerial Leadership

5.c - Systematic Communication
5. d School Expectations for Students and Staff
Joys Key Points
Your positive energy and vision must be
greater than anyones and everyones
negativity. Your certainty must be
greater than everyones doubt.
Positive energy is like muscle. The more
you use it the stronger it gets. The
more you focus on positive energy
the more it becomes your natural
state.

Being around happy and positive people

makes people feel happy and
positive. Too many people try to
please others and this only makes
them unhappy. Better to focus on
feeling good and letting this feeling
and happiness shine on others.
The heart is your power center. Lead with
heart. Communicate from the heart.

From Soup:
When your staff talks about the challenges that are weighing
them down, then you talk about the opportunities.
You must cultivate optimism and create a collective mind-set
that expects great things to happen.

Rule # 8

Love Your Passengers

Standard 3: Cultural Leadership.

Standard 6: External Development Leadership
6.a - Parent and Community Involvement and Outreach

Distinguished - Proactively develops relationships with parents and community so to develop good will.

Joys Key Points

Enthusiasm is important, but love is the
answer. To REALLY tap the power of
your heart and lead with positive,
contagious energy you must love your
passengers.
Passengers must know that you are
concerned about their future and
welfare. They need to know that you
love them.

Enthusiasm gets them excited about being

on your bus, but love is what keeps
them on your bus.
Realize that inside every one of them is gold
that wants to shine. The value is on the
inside. Help them find their gold. Help
them discover their strengths.
When you love them, theyll love you back.

Five Ways to Love Your Passengers

Our Students are our passengers

1. Make time for them.

2. Listen to them.
3. Recognize them.
4. Serve them.
5. Bring out the best in them.

Rule # 9

Drive With Purpose

Standard 1: Strategic Leadership

1.c - School Improvement Plan
Joys Key Points

When you fuel up with purpose you find the excitement in the mundane, the passion in the
everyday, and the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Purpose is what life is all about.
Shared purpose keeps the team energized and together.

Rule # 10

Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride

Standards 1-7!
Joys Key Points

Too blessed to be stressed. When you feel

blessed you dont have time to feel
stressed.
We all have fear but the key to success is
that your trust is bigger than your
fear. A little fear is good but it is weak
energy. It runs out. Trust is the high
octane fuel that will take your bus
wherever it needs to go.

Live like you were dieing: Reflect more.

Enjoy more moments of joy. Take
more risks and chances. Leave a
legacy.
The best legacy you could leave is not
some building that is named after you
or a piece of jewelry but rather a
world that has been impacted and
touched by your presence, your joy,
and your positive actions.

Focus on the path and the energy

bus will surely take you
on the ride of your life.
Just as it did for George!
The Ten Rules saved not only his career, but his marriage & his life!

Whats your Vision ?