WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:03.514 --> 00:00:05.444 Welcome to the Catholic School Leaders Podcast. 00:00:05.444 --> 00:00:07.774 My name is John Mahalio, the President and Founder of 00:00:07.774 --> 00:00:09.194 Elementary Advancement Solutions. 00:00:09.584 --> 00:00:12.804 The goal of this podcast is to connect Catholic school leaders from across 00:00:12.804 --> 00:00:15.144 the world to grow Catholic education. 00:00:15.634 --> 00:00:17.784 Visit us at www. 00:00:17.784 --> 00:00:19.114 elementaryadvancement. 00:00:19.144 --> 00:00:22.874 com to see how we can help you make advancement seem 00:00:22.904 --> 00:00:24.304 elementary at your school. 00:00:25.314 --> 00:00:30.344 Well, recently I had a unique opportunity to chaperone a field trip to a place that 00:00:30.344 --> 00:00:35.324 I've always wanted to go, but someplace I never really dreamed would be possible. 00:00:35.604 --> 00:00:40.004 And how it just all came about was really unexpected, But the experience 00:00:40.004 --> 00:00:43.474 is something that I will never forget, and it taught me a lot of things 00:00:43.474 --> 00:00:47.024 about being a better Catholic school leader that I want to share with you. 00:00:47.024 --> 00:00:52.014 So I'm going to talk about where I went, a very, very, uh, special place, unique 00:00:52.014 --> 00:00:56.483 place, not just going to a zoo or, uh, I don't know, wherever, uh, around town. 00:00:57.133 --> 00:01:01.440 This particular field trip actually involved an airplane, quite a distance. 00:01:01.450 --> 00:01:05.410 So, first and foremost, before I get started, just a quick favor to ask you. 00:01:05.815 --> 00:01:08.835 If you like this podcast, if you're enjoying this podcast, 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:10.887 please be sure to like, subscribe. 00:01:11.147 --> 00:01:14.807 Uh, if you can drop a quick review in there, share it with other Catholic school 00:01:14.807 --> 00:01:18.457 leaders across, uh, the world and across the country and those that you know. 00:01:18.737 --> 00:01:22.307 Um, by doing that it really helps to reach other Catholic school leaders 00:01:22.307 --> 00:01:25.657 just like you and that helps us grow Catholic education together. 00:01:25.657 --> 00:01:27.387 So I can't say thank you enough for that. 00:01:27.652 --> 00:01:31.022 Um, if you would just do that, take a quick second to give it a like, give it 00:01:31.022 --> 00:01:35.912 a share, give it a subscribe or a quick review, I would be so grateful for that. 00:01:36.512 --> 00:01:40.492 So let's talk about the field trip that I chaperoned and what it taught 00:01:40.492 --> 00:01:42.062 me about being a better leader. 00:01:42.302 --> 00:01:45.942 And so this started back in February when a former colleague of mine 00:01:45.942 --> 00:01:50.022 called and said, Hey, uh, I'm going to be taking a group of students on 00:01:50.022 --> 00:01:53.982 a field trip and one of my chaperones is no longer able to make it. 00:01:54.002 --> 00:01:55.102 And I want to see. 00:01:55.417 --> 00:01:59.297 If you want to join us for this field trip, uh, and I said, sure, where, where 00:01:59.297 --> 00:02:00.577 are you, where are you looking to go? 00:02:00.577 --> 00:02:03.047 And he said, we'll be going to Italy for 10 days. 00:02:03.377 --> 00:02:07.437 And so my heart immediately just got really excited right there 00:02:07.437 --> 00:02:10.437 because Italy is a place that I've always, always wanted to visit. 00:02:10.776 --> 00:02:15.078 and so of course, after talking with my wife, family, this became a reality. 00:02:15.122 --> 00:02:18.852 so my daughter and I went on this field trip, uh, with 00:02:18.992 --> 00:02:20.432 this group from another state. 00:02:20.432 --> 00:02:25.542 And so, As a leader and somebody who had never been to Italy before, there 00:02:25.542 --> 00:02:29.475 were some lessons that I learned, as part of this field trip that really, 00:02:29.475 --> 00:02:32.895 really taught me some lessons, taught me some things about being a 00:02:32.895 --> 00:02:34.985 better Catholic school leader, and I want to share them with you today. 00:02:35.265 --> 00:02:37.945 Uh, if you're not, this is not going to be one of those pull out 00:02:37.945 --> 00:02:41.645 the screen and show you 10, 000 photos of my trip kind of thing. 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:45.994 These are some real practical, pieces of advice that I learned that I think you're 00:02:45.994 --> 00:02:49.934 going to be able to apply immediately in your job, no matter what it is, whether 00:02:49.934 --> 00:02:53.094 you're a principal or assistant principal, advancement director, uh, recruitment 00:02:53.094 --> 00:02:57.274 and marketing, a dean, whatever the case might be, but in your, in your leadership 00:02:57.274 --> 00:03:00.620 role as a Catholic school leader, I think you'll be able to apply these immediately. 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:04.660 So, here's my 10 things that I learned from my trip to Italy that I hope 00:03:04.660 --> 00:03:08.060 will make you, and I know will make you, a better Catholic school leader. 00:03:08.650 --> 00:03:14.670 Number one is I said yes to going and a lot of people when they hear an 00:03:14.670 --> 00:03:18.450 opportunity that presents itself in front of them They go, uh, that that 00:03:18.450 --> 00:03:21.950 sounds scary That sounds like something that is just gonna be a little bit 00:03:21.970 --> 00:03:26.650 too much and they shy away from it So first and foremost when you're given 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:31.850 an opportunity and it looks like it's an amazing one say yes Look into it. 00:03:31.850 --> 00:03:34.790 Obviously discuss it with those that are close to you but say yes 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:38.970 to those opportunities because so many opportunities that, that 00:03:38.970 --> 00:03:40.570 we have in life just pass us by. 00:03:40.959 --> 00:03:43.079 you know, if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. 00:03:43.089 --> 00:03:46.869 And so giving yourself that opportunity to try something new, to put yourself 00:03:46.869 --> 00:03:51.739 out there, uh, in a strange place where you've never been before, it can be scary. 00:03:52.179 --> 00:03:56.269 But, saying yes is that first step to making it happen. 00:03:57.189 --> 00:04:02.969 Number two, if you've ever been anywhere in Europe, anywhere, uh, traveling 00:04:02.979 --> 00:04:06.904 overseas or anything like that and you're in the United States, You know 00:04:06.904 --> 00:04:10.787 that, unfortunately, nothing like Star Trek here or Star Wars exists where you 00:04:10.787 --> 00:04:14.177 just boom and telepath somewhere else or light speed or anything like that. 00:04:14.777 --> 00:04:16.257 It takes a while to get there. 00:04:16.617 --> 00:04:20.537 And usually there's connecting flights and we're going to go here and go there. 00:04:20.947 --> 00:04:23.097 It's a long trip to get there. 00:04:23.327 --> 00:04:28.167 And I think that as leaders, we want to just have things get to that place 00:04:28.167 --> 00:04:30.057 that we want them to be immediately. 00:04:30.467 --> 00:04:33.337 But we have to recognize that it's a journey, and it's not 00:04:33.337 --> 00:04:34.707 just going to happen instantly. 00:04:35.067 --> 00:04:38.227 Those days are going to seem long, but those years are going to go by quick, 00:04:38.567 --> 00:04:43.307 just the same way as our flight over on a plane, eight, ten hours, whatever it was. 00:04:43.491 --> 00:04:47.661 the, the minutes were long, but once we got there, the hours went by real quick. 00:04:47.731 --> 00:04:50.961 Watch a movie, or read a book, or whatever the case might be. 00:04:51.113 --> 00:04:52.353 but, it's a journey. 00:04:52.453 --> 00:04:54.023 It's a long trip to get there. 00:04:54.353 --> 00:04:56.173 But it's worth it in the end. 00:04:56.293 --> 00:04:59.963 So I guess my second lesson that I learned as a Catholic school leader 00:04:59.963 --> 00:05:02.963 for my trip to Italy was Don't rush. 00:05:03.023 --> 00:05:08.123 Don't be in such a rush to get to that final, uh, final finish line. 00:05:08.173 --> 00:05:08.513 Okay? 00:05:08.513 --> 00:05:12.253 We all want to get there, but it's not going to happen without some hard work, 00:05:12.253 --> 00:05:16.373 without some patience, and without some, just that journey to get us to that point. 00:05:16.373 --> 00:05:20.093 So, I know we want to get to the finish line, and we want to get to what we 00:05:20.093 --> 00:05:21.803 think is going to be our final goal. 00:05:21.966 --> 00:05:23.946 but getting there is part of the fun. 00:05:24.559 --> 00:05:28.644 Number three, and this was something that, that was, really, really an awesome 00:05:28.654 --> 00:05:32.914 part of, of this trip and that is meeting new people and, and hearing their story. 00:05:33.074 --> 00:05:37.454 I think sometimes in, in leadership roles, we're constantly meeting new people and 00:05:37.454 --> 00:05:41.904 we're constantly, uh, being bombarded, but, but making new connections and 00:05:41.904 --> 00:05:47.539 making those, uh, new friends and making new acquaintances that we hadn't met 00:05:47.539 --> 00:05:53.299 before can open ourselves up so much to grow as individuals and as leaders. 00:05:53.719 --> 00:05:59.609 Hearing their stories, laughing with them, and just hearing who they are as a person, 00:05:59.669 --> 00:06:04.379 and learning about them, and learning about what makes them Uh, a unique person 00:06:04.379 --> 00:06:09.379 of God is something that was so, so cool and something that I, I hadn't expected, 00:06:09.749 --> 00:06:13.169 uh, and so obviously when you're on a field trip and you're there with other 00:06:13.269 --> 00:06:16.977 adults and students and things like that, there's time to connect with people over a 00:06:16.977 --> 00:06:21.807 meal or over a bus ride or over, you know, visiting in a group or things like that. 00:06:22.652 --> 00:06:26.122 Just learning what other people are all about and meeting new people. 00:06:26.142 --> 00:06:30.353 Don't just kind of limit yourself to those people that you know, especially 00:06:30.353 --> 00:06:31.936 if you're going on something like this. 00:06:32.086 --> 00:06:35.216 Obviously you're going there with somebody that you, you know, uh, but 00:06:35.216 --> 00:06:38.196 expanding out to kind of go, hey, I don't know these folks, but I'd like 00:06:38.196 --> 00:06:41.546 to get to know a little bit more about them and, uh, and hear their story. 00:06:41.606 --> 00:06:44.776 And so don't be afraid to put yourself out there to meet new 00:06:44.776 --> 00:06:47.146 people and to hear their story. 00:06:47.876 --> 00:06:51.266 Now, the next one kind of goes along with that. 00:06:51.696 --> 00:06:56.286 But obviously when you're going to a country where English is 00:06:56.306 --> 00:07:00.226 not the first language, Italian is the first language there, uh, 00:07:00.246 --> 00:07:01.726 there could be a language barrier. 00:07:01.806 --> 00:07:05.636 And oftentimes when we were arriving there, there was. 00:07:06.096 --> 00:07:09.556 I would want to say something in English and the person I was 00:07:09.566 --> 00:07:11.196 speaking to would only speak Italian. 00:07:11.444 --> 00:07:14.134 And so we had to find ways to break down those barriers. 00:07:14.234 --> 00:07:19.314 And so many times when we are in our schools, we may think that we're just the 00:07:19.314 --> 00:07:24.374 most inviting school community possible, but not realizing there may be people out 00:07:24.374 --> 00:07:29.284 there who aren't feeling welcome, or who aren't feeling like they can approach you, 00:07:29.284 --> 00:07:30.334 or who don't feel like they can ask you. 00:07:30.334 --> 00:07:35.754 Maybe there's a language barrier as there was with me, And so, there's so many ways 00:07:35.764 --> 00:07:40.274 that we found to break down those barriers of, say, the language communication. 00:07:40.644 --> 00:07:41.654 that were so amazing. 00:07:42.024 --> 00:07:46.232 Uh, one night, uh, our, our bus driver who was there, only spoke 00:07:46.362 --> 00:07:49.669 Italian and, was being left out of a lot of the conversations. 00:07:49.669 --> 00:07:54.061 And so, he and I sat down next to each other and, and I spoke no Italian, 00:07:54.331 --> 00:07:56.361 uh, and he spoke very little English. 00:07:56.701 --> 00:08:01.901 Uh, but by using my phone with Google Translate and, and, uh, 00:08:01.911 --> 00:08:05.606 the, the dictation of things, uh, I was able to communicate with him. 00:08:05.606 --> 00:08:08.526 He was able to communicate with me and we had a great conversation 00:08:08.526 --> 00:08:11.665 and some, and some laughs and some, got to, to hear his story. 00:08:11.965 --> 00:08:14.445 It turned out that, that he did know some Spanish and I 00:08:14.445 --> 00:08:15.435 know a little bit of Spanish. 00:08:15.435 --> 00:08:19.925 So between my English and, and, and his English and, and my Italian and 00:08:19.925 --> 00:08:21.755 his Italian, and both of our Spanish. 00:08:22.095 --> 00:08:25.465 Uh, we were able to have a great conversation which brought him more into 00:08:25.465 --> 00:08:29.645 the trip and really made it so that he was part of our group and part of our 00:08:29.645 --> 00:08:31.415 community from that point moving forward. 00:08:31.805 --> 00:08:36.825 And so, breaking down those barriers to find ways to communicate with 00:08:36.825 --> 00:08:39.165 people within your school setting. 00:08:39.235 --> 00:08:41.965 Maybe it's a teacher, maybe it's a parent, maybe it's a student. 00:08:42.385 --> 00:08:47.265 But looking for creative ways that you can involve people in your school and 00:08:47.275 --> 00:08:50.845 breaking down those barriers to make sure that everybody is part of your school 00:08:50.845 --> 00:08:54.725 community is something that was just so important as a lesson that I'm going to 00:08:54.735 --> 00:08:56.535 take with me for the rest of my life. 00:08:57.855 --> 00:09:00.895 When you're in a different country, and this is going to be my fifth 00:09:00.895 --> 00:09:05.200 one with this, is to rely on people who know more than you do. 00:09:05.510 --> 00:09:08.400 And I know as leaders, sometimes it's, it's hard to admit that 00:09:08.400 --> 00:09:09.460 we don't know everything. 00:09:09.712 --> 00:09:13.982 but I used to always say that, know what you know, know what you don't know, know 00:09:13.982 --> 00:09:17.152 who knows what you don't know and get them on your team as quickly as possible. 00:09:17.642 --> 00:09:22.242 And so when you rely on people who know more than you about a particular subject, 00:09:22.562 --> 00:09:24.632 That just makes your team stronger. 00:09:25.082 --> 00:09:28.212 Uh, we were blessed enough to have a wonderful tour guide over there who could 00:09:28.212 --> 00:09:31.342 tell us, Hey, this is where you want to go, or this is what time you want to 00:09:31.342 --> 00:09:35.502 visit this exhibit, or this is something that's really not worth you going to see, 00:09:35.502 --> 00:09:38.572 or this is something that you're going to be waiting a long time to go for, but 00:09:38.572 --> 00:09:42.432 if you go at this time, you'll be able to get right in, or these are some hidden 00:09:42.432 --> 00:09:43.902 fees, or whatever the case might be. 00:09:43.902 --> 00:09:48.921 Even being able to tell us, hey, this is a city where there's a lot of pickpocketers, 00:09:48.922 --> 00:09:52.322 so you're going to want to make sure that you Don't bring anything valuable or don't 00:09:52.322 --> 00:09:56.442 bring this or make sure you have this in your front pocket, not your back pocket 00:09:56.442 --> 00:10:01.382 or things like that to help us navigate through those dangers that might exist 00:10:01.382 --> 00:10:02.782 out there that we don't even realize. 00:10:03.262 --> 00:10:07.672 So finding other people that know more than you or that can support 00:10:07.672 --> 00:10:11.432 you in the journey is something that I think is so important. 00:10:11.432 --> 00:10:14.332 I think this is why I love our Mastermind Group so much. 00:10:14.332 --> 00:10:18.152 A shout out to our Mastermind Groups, our Principals, and our Advancement Directors. 00:10:18.392 --> 00:10:21.592 Getting together with them is such an awesome thing each week because 00:10:21.792 --> 00:10:23.052 we all learn from each other. 00:10:23.052 --> 00:10:27.782 And so relying on people who can help us navigate through some waters that maybe 00:10:27.782 --> 00:10:32.792 we don't know about, uh, is something that we can You all, all benefit from. 00:10:32.892 --> 00:10:37.472 And so, talk to the people and, and let them help guide you through 00:10:37.472 --> 00:10:40.202 these areas, uh, that's gonna make your school a better place. 00:10:40.202 --> 00:10:41.552 You don't need to know everything. 00:10:41.562 --> 00:10:44.612 Spoiler alert, nobody expects you to know everything. 00:10:44.972 --> 00:10:48.962 Rely on those people who can help you and who can get you through things. 00:10:49.342 --> 00:10:53.932 One of the things that I also learned from this was to say, I said earlier, 00:10:53.932 --> 00:10:58.892 say yes to going, but also saying yes to unexpected opportunities. 00:10:59.267 --> 00:11:01.487 one of the days that we were there, it was a travel day. 00:11:01.667 --> 00:11:02.897 There was nothing planned. 00:11:02.977 --> 00:11:06.257 And the opportunity came up for us to visit this little town that 00:11:06.257 --> 00:11:08.077 I had never heard of in my life. 00:11:08.333 --> 00:11:11.143 Lucca, Italy was, was the name of the town. 00:11:11.553 --> 00:11:14.708 And the opportunity came and I said, Hey, We can visit this town, it's not 00:11:14.708 --> 00:11:18.328 on the tour, but if we want to go, uh, you know, this is how much it'll be, 00:11:18.628 --> 00:11:21.018 if we want to do this, because it's kind of deviating away from things, 00:11:21.018 --> 00:11:22.998 and so, yeah, okay, we'll do it. 00:11:23.018 --> 00:11:24.938 And I didn't really know what to expect. 00:11:26.028 --> 00:11:30.028 It turned out probably to be one of my favorite places that we visited. 00:11:30.618 --> 00:11:34.918 And it was something that I had totally, totally not expected to even do. 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:36.410 it was a small town. 00:11:36.460 --> 00:11:41.164 It was a, uh, a little town with, the cobblestone streets and, just different, 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:44.999 beautiful, beautiful scenery, little markets, shops, things like that. 00:11:45.173 --> 00:11:48.790 I chuckled because as we're walking through this, this little, town, uh, 00:11:48.790 --> 00:11:50.690 we heard music in the, in the distance. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.710 And, and apparently there's a music festival that happens here every year. 00:11:54.035 --> 00:11:56.545 And Ed Sheeran was getting ready to perform the next night. 00:11:56.545 --> 00:12:00.310 And so, it's a well kept secret, but I guess over there, it's something that, 00:12:00.330 --> 00:12:04.841 uh, a lot of people go and visit and it's a great place for concerts and, things 00:12:04.841 --> 00:12:09.341 of that nature, but had we not said yes and no, we got to stick to our schedule. 00:12:09.561 --> 00:12:13.069 We got to stick to what it is that we're doing, and not said yes. 00:12:13.139 --> 00:12:15.520 So in response to this unexpected opportunity, we would have missed 00:12:15.520 --> 00:12:18.639 probably what turned out to be a lot of people's favorite place 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.049 to visit while we were there. 00:12:20.509 --> 00:12:25.059 And so obviously, we want to evaluate the risks if we're going to do something 00:12:25.059 --> 00:12:28.979 new and evaluate what it is that, you know, we're going to benefit from it. 00:12:29.319 --> 00:12:32.049 As you would in a Catholic school leadership role. 00:12:32.409 --> 00:12:37.179 But, saying yes to something that seems like it's a great opportunity and saying 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:39.329 yes to, as I went back before, work. 00:12:39.629 --> 00:12:42.459 People who know more than you in terms of a particular area. 00:12:42.609 --> 00:12:44.649 Our tour guide said this is a beautiful area. 00:12:44.979 --> 00:12:46.799 It's going to be one you're going to want to see. 00:12:47.219 --> 00:12:51.019 We took advantage of that and it turned out to be something that really, really 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:52.779 was an amazing experience for everybody. 00:12:52.789 --> 00:12:57.699 So don't be afraid to say yes to unexpected opportunities. 00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:01.829 If there seems to be something there that's going to make you a better school. 00:13:02.449 --> 00:13:06.809 One thing that I learned very quickly, if there's one thing that I didn't 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:12.149 like from the trip, it was we visited, I think, eight cities in ten days. 00:13:12.889 --> 00:13:13.689 That's a lot. 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:18.144 And for anybody that's been to Italy, you know that's a lot of time in 00:13:18.144 --> 00:13:21.549 a bus, that's a lot of time in the car, uh, that you're missing out. 00:13:22.054 --> 00:13:25.364 And one of the things that I looked back on, I said I would have liked it 00:13:25.364 --> 00:13:29.594 more if we would have spent three or four days, or three or four cities, and 00:13:29.594 --> 00:13:31.684 focused on those a couple of days each. 00:13:32.012 --> 00:13:36.582 And so I think as we look at this, one of the things that I would advise, or 00:13:36.582 --> 00:13:40.612 that I would learn from this trip, that I would advise to all Catholic school 00:13:40.612 --> 00:13:43.057 leaders, is don't try to do too much. 00:13:43.667 --> 00:13:47.337 There's things that we all want to get done, but we have to focus on just 00:13:47.337 --> 00:13:51.767 a couple of areas and put all of our energy into that, because if we're 00:13:51.767 --> 00:13:55.147 spreading ourselves too thin, uh, we're not going to accomplish any of them. 00:13:55.357 --> 00:13:59.297 I personally would rather accomplish three or four things and do them well, 00:13:59.687 --> 00:14:02.157 rather than try to take on ten things. 00:14:02.437 --> 00:14:04.487 And only one or two of them get done well. 00:14:04.968 --> 00:14:08.798 if you tackle two, three, four things, and you're gonna focus on those things right 00:14:08.798 --> 00:14:13.148 there, and do them well, and make them part of your culture, I guarantee you that 00:14:13.148 --> 00:14:14.768 your school's gonna be a lot better place. 00:14:15.198 --> 00:14:19.458 Besides, if you try to focus on 10 things, even if you get eight of them 00:14:19.458 --> 00:14:22.818 done, what are gonna be the only two that everybody's gonna talk about those 00:14:22.818 --> 00:14:24.618 things that didn't get accomplished? 00:14:25.168 --> 00:14:30.068 So by focusing on a smaller amount of things and getting really, really 00:14:30.068 --> 00:14:34.118 good at them, and making them really part of who you are as a school and 00:14:34.118 --> 00:14:37.448 part of your culture is just gonna make your school community better, 00:14:37.448 --> 00:14:39.758 not just for now, but for the future. 00:14:39.788 --> 00:14:45.348 So next trip for my, or next advice for my trip to Italy is don't try to do too much. 00:14:46.417 --> 00:14:50.777 Number eight is to expect unexpected challenges. 00:14:51.177 --> 00:14:54.487 And I know that kind of sounds like, well, yeah, we run a school. 00:14:54.497 --> 00:14:56.327 Of course there'd be unexpected challenges, but 00:14:56.977 --> 00:14:58.117 you don't know what's coming. 00:14:58.117 --> 00:15:01.743 You don't know what's, going to be around the corner and how are you 00:15:01.743 --> 00:15:02.883 going to react to those things? 00:15:03.064 --> 00:15:05.554 one of the days that we were traveling, we had about a three 00:15:05.554 --> 00:15:09.790 hour bus ride to go from, where we were at to our next location. 00:15:10.230 --> 00:15:13.464 And as we're traveling through, this area, uh, a tunnel. 00:15:13.824 --> 00:15:15.674 Uh, there was an accident up in front of us. 00:15:15.794 --> 00:15:21.271 And so here we are in a tunnel, with 50, people in a bus, and the 00:15:21.271 --> 00:15:22.811 road ahead of us is shut down. 00:15:23.381 --> 00:15:26.861 So that 3 hour trip turned into almost an 8 hour trip. 00:15:27.071 --> 00:15:32.456 And we got to our location that we had planned to be at significantly later. 00:15:35.796 --> 00:15:39.836 And so when those unexpected challenges come up, how are we going to handle them? 00:15:40.036 --> 00:15:43.346 Uh, yeah, okay, we can, we can get upset, we can get mad, hey, we didn't miss our, 00:15:43.896 --> 00:15:48.856 but what are we going to do as leaders to say, okay, this is a problem, this is a 00:15:48.856 --> 00:15:51.036 challenge that we, we, we hadn't expected. 00:15:51.426 --> 00:15:53.346 How are we going to respond to this challenge? 00:15:53.346 --> 00:16:03.736 And so, You may have a fact. 00:16:03.736 --> 00:16:08.576 You may have a full faculty right now, and in August, somebody may walk into 00:16:08.576 --> 00:16:13.076 your office and say, Hey, Hey, We're moving, uh, and, and, and I'm going 00:16:13.076 --> 00:16:16.366 to have to resign, and now you have an unexpected challenge ahead of you. 00:16:16.636 --> 00:16:20.166 How we handle those challenges as leaders really says a lot about 00:16:20.206 --> 00:16:23.886 us, but it also sets the culture for what we want for our schools. 00:16:23.886 --> 00:16:27.346 And so being prepared, know that unexpected challenges are going to 00:16:27.346 --> 00:16:29.061 be part of what we do as leaders. 00:16:29.391 --> 00:16:32.301 Much the same way as these unexpected challenges, we're going to be part 00:16:32.331 --> 00:16:37.361 of this trip for us kind of kept our attitudes in a good place as opposed 00:16:37.391 --> 00:16:40.871 to being rather grumpy from sitting in a bus for as long as we did. 00:16:41.302 --> 00:16:44.402 I think the other thing that I really learned, and this would be number nine, 00:16:44.446 --> 00:16:48.433 and, and before I left, Father Luke Riewicki, who I interviewed on a previous 00:16:48.483 --> 00:16:52.953 podcast, if you hadn't had a chance to listen to that, it's an amazing interview, 00:16:53.063 --> 00:16:56.313 uh, with the chaplain of Cardinal Gibbons High School in, in Raleigh. 00:16:56.703 --> 00:16:59.363 And I said, what advice, he studied over in Rome, and I said, what, 00:16:59.363 --> 00:17:02.503 what advice do you have for me as somebody who's never been to Italy? 00:17:02.503 --> 00:17:07.603 And he said, make sure every church you pass, you go into it, because 00:17:07.693 --> 00:17:11.318 they're just different architecture, different, you know, the holiness 00:17:11.318 --> 00:17:15.658 of them, but you also don't know which person may be buried there, or 00:17:15.708 --> 00:17:17.328 may be named for, things like that. 00:17:17.798 --> 00:17:22.308 Uh, and so, as I did this, as we were walking through each of these areas, 00:17:22.783 --> 00:17:26.373 I was sure to follow Father Luke's advice in making sure that I visited 00:17:26.423 --> 00:17:28.953 every church that we possibly could. 00:17:29.025 --> 00:17:32.915 some of them were cathedrals and basilicas, others, uh, smaller churches. 00:17:33.405 --> 00:17:38.675 But I think what I learned from this is, you can find holiness all around you. 00:17:38.891 --> 00:17:42.811 even in places that you're, you're not, uh, expecting to see it. 00:17:42.891 --> 00:17:47.401 Uh, I mentioned Lucca and being this, the, the small, uh, area that it was as, as 00:17:47.401 --> 00:17:51.241 you compare it to Rome or other big cities that you, you hear all about in Italy. 00:17:51.347 --> 00:17:54.962 and as we were just walking the streets with, with nowhere particular to be, 00:17:55.322 --> 00:17:59.610 uh, we stumbled upon a, a, church, and walking into this church, you know, 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:04.380 discovered, you know, a lot of, of, of amazing history within this church, and 00:18:04.380 --> 00:18:09.440 a lot of, just amazing, uh, architecture, history, began talking with, uh, with a 00:18:09.450 --> 00:18:12.910 nun who was there playing the organ and had a wonderful conversation with her. 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:17.986 and so learning all about these different saints, these different, 00:18:18.125 --> 00:18:22.739 people that influenced, the particular church, the particular basilicas, 00:18:23.129 --> 00:18:25.029 uh, was just an amazing experience. 00:18:25.069 --> 00:18:28.799 And, and if you've ever been to Italy, you know that the churches there and the 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:30.859 basilicas there are something to be seen. 00:18:31.489 --> 00:18:35.699 We have some beautiful cathedrals and churches here in the United States, 00:18:36.529 --> 00:18:41.584 but to see some of these churches and basilicas and cathedrals in Italy, was 00:18:41.584 --> 00:18:43.674 an unbelievable, unbelievable sight. 00:18:43.684 --> 00:18:45.997 And so, there's holiness all around you. 00:18:45.997 --> 00:18:50.227 There are so many saints that we don't even realize are out there. 00:18:50.507 --> 00:18:55.427 and so this is a great opportunity, even as a school leader, to introduce those 00:18:55.447 --> 00:18:58.861 different people and different saints, to our kids, you know, having a saint 00:18:58.861 --> 00:19:03.450 of the day or having a, celebrating a feast day or things like that, uh, 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:05.700 to really bring these saints to life. 00:19:06.260 --> 00:19:08.870 You know, bring awareness to our kids and our faculty and our 00:19:08.870 --> 00:19:12.903 families is something that, just is, is, is beyond my wildest dreams. 00:19:12.903 --> 00:19:15.073 And so, there's so much out there. 00:19:15.313 --> 00:19:17.413 Uh, it's such a holy, holy place. 00:19:17.832 --> 00:19:21.352 Assisi is, is probably one of the most beautiful cities 00:19:21.352 --> 00:19:22.652 I've ever been in in my life. 00:19:23.069 --> 00:19:31.063 to get to, Acutis is, is, is, laid to rest and be there was an amazing experience. 00:19:31.063 --> 00:19:33.983 And so there's so much holiness all around you. 00:19:34.285 --> 00:19:39.235 and just stopping to not pass by any churches or not pass by any, 00:19:39.625 --> 00:19:43.125 uh, basilicas or cathedrals as Father Luke recommended to me. 00:19:43.425 --> 00:19:46.655 is something that really helped me learn that even more. 00:19:47.735 --> 00:19:52.320 And I guess the last one I would say, is to appreciate what you have. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.210 Um, when you go to Italy, one of the things that I was told going in 00:19:56.210 --> 00:20:00.670 is, is that the hotels are not like they are here in the United States. 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:02.269 most of the hotels are very small. 00:20:02.564 --> 00:20:08.544 Most of them don't have air conditioning, uh, and so when you're in a hotel room 00:20:08.544 --> 00:20:12.649 that's maybe, I don't know, 12x12, and the bathroom off to the side of 00:20:12.649 --> 00:20:16.459 it, which is also really small, you start to appreciate those things that 00:20:16.469 --> 00:20:19.639 you have here in the United States and those things that we take for granted. 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:24.009 And so, as you look at your school, and you say these are 00:20:24.009 --> 00:20:25.499 things that we really want to fix. 00:20:25.499 --> 00:20:27.339 Maybe it's a parking lot that needs to be paved. 00:20:27.379 --> 00:20:31.299 Maybe it's a room that needs to be fixed up. 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:33.549 Or something that needs to be done, and you're trying to 00:20:33.549 --> 00:20:34.959 figure out a way to get there. 00:20:35.389 --> 00:20:38.689 Um, just appreciate first and foremost what you have. 00:20:39.329 --> 00:20:41.829 And yes, hey, there's improvements that we want to make. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:43.659 We're not just going to rest on our laurels here. 00:20:43.659 --> 00:20:47.029 We're going to make sure that we continue to improve as a Catholic school leader. 00:20:47.544 --> 00:20:51.974 But let's also be appreciative of what we have within our schools, first 00:20:51.974 --> 00:20:56.539 and foremost, to even allow us to have a Catholic school for our kids 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:58.009 and our communities to be part of. 00:20:58.709 --> 00:21:03.249 By being grateful and being appreciative of those things that we have, I think 00:21:03.249 --> 00:21:07.789 it's especially brings it to light when we don't have those things or when we 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:12.184 see Some things that others may not have that we just take for granted. 00:21:12.224 --> 00:21:16.644 Like I said, uh, when you're in Italy in June and you're in a hotel room that has 00:21:16.644 --> 00:21:20.174 been closed up without air conditioning, uh, it's a little uncomfortable. 00:21:20.274 --> 00:21:25.154 And so, uh, but by doing that, learning that, it just makes us appreciate the 00:21:25.154 --> 00:21:27.024 things that we do have so much more. 00:21:27.154 --> 00:21:27.514 So. 00:21:28.064 --> 00:21:30.914 That's just a quick recap of my trip to Italy. 00:21:30.914 --> 00:21:34.394 Like I said that I was just so blessed to be able to take and have the 00:21:34.394 --> 00:21:38.824 opportunity to go with my daughter and we spent this time over there. 00:21:38.844 --> 00:21:43.784 It was a wonderful, wonderful father daughter experience, but also made 00:21:43.784 --> 00:21:47.704 some great friends along the way, some wonderful experiences, some great 00:21:47.704 --> 00:21:52.284 laughs with students from multiple states that were part of our trip. 00:21:53.054 --> 00:21:54.304 It's an experience I'll never forget. 00:21:54.314 --> 00:21:57.474 It was a wonderful experience, but by saying yes. 00:21:57.914 --> 00:22:02.544 By getting that long trip to go there, meeting the new people, and 00:22:02.544 --> 00:22:07.094 hearing their story, breaking down those language barriers, relying on 00:22:07.094 --> 00:22:11.204 those people who knew a whole lot more than me, saying yes to unexpected 00:22:11.204 --> 00:22:14.634 opportunities, not trying to do too much. 00:22:15.094 --> 00:22:18.414 Expecting the unexpected and appreciating what we have and 00:22:18.414 --> 00:22:20.534 finding holiness all around us. 00:22:20.924 --> 00:22:24.144 I think this trip would make me a better Catholic school leader and 00:22:24.144 --> 00:22:27.734 I hope maybe vicariously living through my trip will help make you 00:22:27.734 --> 00:22:28.904 a better Catholic school leader. 00:22:29.554 --> 00:22:31.084 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:22:31.094 --> 00:22:34.944 Again, if you would, please like, subscribe, share this with others. 00:22:34.944 --> 00:22:38.934 If you've been to Italy and you've had the same experience, I would love 00:22:38.934 --> 00:22:42.344 to hear maybe some of your favorite memories or some of the places you 00:22:42.344 --> 00:22:43.974 visited that you really enjoyed. 00:22:44.246 --> 00:22:45.436 just such a beautiful place. 00:22:45.436 --> 00:22:48.579 It's someplace I can't wait to go back to someday, and I hope you get 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:49.929 the chance to experience it as well. 00:22:50.189 --> 00:22:51.609 So thank you so much for listening. 00:22:51.869 --> 00:22:53.099 Uh, www. 00:22:53.289 --> 00:22:54.579 elementaryadvancement. 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:59.169 com if we can help you with any of your school's needs in terms of advancement, 00:22:59.179 --> 00:23:01.379 leadership, um, organizational structure. 00:23:01.704 --> 00:23:04.554 Anything along those lines to help you with the business of education. 00:23:04.784 --> 00:23:07.999 We're here for you and, take a look at our mastermind groups as well. 00:23:08.069 --> 00:23:12.139 Great opportunity to get part and get connected to a community that can help 00:23:12.139 --> 00:23:14.209 you grow as a Catholic school leader.