The Power of Better Than That Going Above and Beyond

Welcome to your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community, brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeier Leader Services, where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time. Now here's your host, Adam Bush. Good morning, school leaders, Welcome to your Morning Boost. I'm Adam Bush, wishing you an inspiring start to your week. Today we're going to reflect on something truly powerful, the profound impact we can have when we choose to do more than the bare minimum, when we commit to going above and beyond in our work. It's about recognizing that our daily actions, even the small ones, hold immense potential to shape lives far beyond what we might initially realize. Now, before we get going, I am going to apologize ahead of time. Today's episode it's going to be a little longer. While cleaning up some old papers and books this last weekend, I recently ran across some notes from a clinic that I attended many many years ago, and these scratches reminded me of a truly powerful presentation. It's easy to navigate our professional lives by simply doing what's expected, never really challenging ourselves or taking calculated risks, and while that path might feel easy, it rarely leads to truly significant accomplishments or, more importantly, a profound impact on others. This idea really brings to mind this very presentation I saw years ago by a gentleman named Kevin Elko, who at the time was a vital figure in the United States Olympic team. He worked with athletes not on their physical performance, but on the crucial mental aspects of competition and life. He shared a story that has resonated with me ever since, and it fits perfectly into this conversation today. Now. Also, apologies, mister Elco. I am sure that my memory of the details has really faded over the years, but I believe I've got your core message and it remains incredibly clear to me. I'll do my best to convey its essence, perhaps with a few name change to illustrate the point for us. Okay, now, mister Alco began with the story of a young boy named We're gonna call him Jacob, who was growing up in a typical American town, living a typical American life. Jacob loved playing with friends, video games, riding his bike, and he absolutely adored fire trucks and firefighters. His mom, Lucy, often found herself adjusting her plans to follow the sirens on those lucky days when they came across firefighters heading to a call, just so Jacob could see them in action. Jacob's typical childhood, however, began to take a less typical turn as he approached the age of nine. He started showing signs of fatigue, unable to do the things that other boys did or what he had previously enjoyed. After many trips to the doctor, they discovered Jacob had an in care and inoperable tumor. There was no expectation of survival, and following a period of understandable grief, anger, and hopelessness that Jacob's family bravely endured, they committed themselves to making Jacob's remaining days as rich and joyful as possible. They spent time at the park, engaging in activities as much as Jacob's failing body would allow. One day, as Lucy and Jacob were walking past the local fire station, Lucy, on a whim led Jacob right through the large open door towards a beautiful fire truck. Jacob was completely awestruck while they stood there, Lucy heard a man from behind her ask, can I help you folks? She turned to see the fire chief. She had never met Chief Davis before, and after formal introductions, Lucy began to explain why they were there. At the end of her heartfelt story, she asked the Chief if it would be okay for Jacob to just simply look inside the fire truck so he could see this magnificent machine that he had just fantasized a boy for so many years. The Chief promptly replied no. Before Lucy could even react to what felt like an abrupt answer, Chief Davis finished his sentence with I can do better than that. He immediately left and returned with a couple more firefighters, and then made an announcement over the intercom for all firefighters to meet him in the garage. Once everyone was assembled, Chief Davis announced that they had a new recruit joining their force today. He told one of his firefighters, Jake, meet Jacob. I need you to get him set up in the standard outfits so he is ready for duty. Jake immediately took Jacob to get a helmet, a fire suit, gloves, and all that official gear. After that, Jacob spent the day helping the crew with truck maintenance, washing another truck on the front sidewalk. He was just part of everything, right up until it was time to join the crew for lunch. Chief Davis always insisted that they eat together unless they were on a call, believing it was the best way to build the trust essential for a team where every person was a vital part, and Jacob was vital. That day, as they were finishing lunch, the alarms blared a call was coming in now. Lucy instinctively went to get Jacob so the firefighters could head out until Chief Davis gave her a quick glance. She knew at that moment what her answer would be, as his eyes communicated that her son would be safe. Are you ready to go, Jacob, Chief Davis asked. Lucy hesitated, are you Are you sure you've already done enough for Jacob today? Chief Davis replied with conviction, I can do better than that, Jacob, he said, the community needs us, and they need you today. Jacob enthusiastically leaped at the opportunity, donned all his gear and hopped into the front of the first fire truck, right next to Chief Davis. Once they arrived at the scene, Jacob was relaying orders and information across the radio's word for word as Chief Davis instructed him. In just a few minutes, the team managed to get the fire under control, and a little while later it was completely out. The family, whose home had suffered damage and would certainly need repairs, did not lose their entire house that day, thanks to the dedicated work of that team, with Jacob proudly included. Lucy recalled that from that day forward, Jacob just couldn't stop talking about his day as a firefighter. He told all his friends, who were incredibly jealous, of course, his teachers, everybody. He truly was a firefighter that day. It would have been very easy for Chief Davis to simply let Jacob see the inside of the truck. I'm sure they had a plastic fire helmet or a sticker somewhere that he could have given him. I've seen those before. I'm sure that he and the rest of the team had others seemingly more pressing things to do that day than to dedicate it to a child they had never met. He had a sad story, but unfortunately, so do many kids in our world. Yet Chief Davis Jake and the rest of that team chose to do more. They chose to do better than that. A little over a year later, Lucy sat next to Jacob's hospital bed. Sometimes she counted the days until she knew what was inevitable. Other times she became angry, thinking how unfair this was for her son, and at times she would just cry, all emotions many of us experience in such painful moments. Even through all this pain, she still remembered the day she witnessed the kind efforts of a team of people who refused to just do the bare minimum for a couple of strangers. She ended up writing a note to the fire station to thank them for that amazing day and to let them know how much it had meant to their family. As the chief was reading this note to his team, he announced he was going to the hospital to see Jacob and offered a ride if anybody wanted to join him. Jake immediately stood up and said, Chief, we can do better than that. Next day, the doctor came to Jacob's room and said to Jacob and his mom and his dad, said I don't want you to be alarmed, but there's a fire call here at the hospital. And fire trucks will be showing up. Everyone is safe. Things will be okay. He then went over and opened the window, removing the screen. They could already hear the sirens and see flashing lights, and soon the top of a ladder appeared at their window. One after another, the entire team from Chief Davis's fire department climbed through Jacob's window that day. With what little energy he had left, Jacob was a non stop, smiling, excited little boy as his teen came to see him. During the family's remarks at Jacob's celebration of life. The impact of that team those days, those little moments where they made the choice to do more, to do better than that, where the driving force that helped that family move pasted the grief they felt and towards a profound sense of comfort. Mister Elko's story has always resonated with me because it reminds us that the moments where our actions truly impact others aren't always planned or convenient. They often arise in the most unexpected ways. And as educators, our work is fundamentally about serving others. But it's about more than just delivering content or managing a building. It's about recognizing that every interaction, every decision, and every supportive word carries the potential for immense impact. We don't always know when these moments will come, when our choice to do better than that will fundamentally change a life. But by embracing that mindset daily, and by working with passion and purpose, regardless of who is watching or what immediate benefit we perceive, we create a ripple effect of profound positive change in our school communities. It's about remembering that our dedication creates a legacy far greater than any task list. Thank you for listening. I hope you've enjoyed this story today. Like I said, it's always meant a lot to me. We'll be back again tomorrow with our typical your Morning Boost as we give you a tip or trick to help you lead your school or community. Thank you again for listening. We will talk with you again tomorrow. You have been listening to your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership with Grunmeyer Leader Services. You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links. In the description. Remember you are doing this vital job that only a few can do. So until next time, thank you for your service to your community,