BIG Impact Mixer
February 20, 2025
Check In
What’s an experiment you’ve run in your life? And how did it go?
Jethro Jones
Jethro Jones, is a national award-winning former school leader, podcaster, and author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for the people right in front of them! He is also founder of the BE Podcast Network, the best educational podcast network out there. Jethro currently consults school leaders on strategies to help them save time, lead more effectively, and overcome their own weaknesses. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K-12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher.
What I do
Three C’s
| Coaching |
Creating |
Clarifying |
| Mastermind & PQ |
Books, Podcasts, Speaking, AILeader |
Simple Solutions |
Coaching
Mastermind & Mental Fitness
Why you can trust me on this: I get up before 5 am every day, without an alarm. I’ve lost 50 pounds in the last six months
Started coaching in 2016.
Sprang from my podcast
I utilize the Positive Intelligence approach to coaching which helps you build habits to be successful.
Creating
Transformative Principal podcast - longest running and most downloaded podcast for school leaders out there.
BE Podcast Network
Clarifying
Stop putting out fires, start leading
My tagline for a long time has been “simple solutions to complex problems” or stop putting out fires and start leading. Both of those are really about clarifying what is really important.
People that I have worked with have said that I help them see things that they couldn’t see before.
If something isn’t simple, nobody is going to do it.
Simple doesn’t mean easy. It means that you can grasp it and understand it in such a way that you will actually have a chance of accomplishing it.
In my schools, we had one underlying vision that was so clear, people always knew if they were achieving it or not. There didn’t need to be judgment because they knew themselves. Again, not easy, but simple.
For a long time, my tagline has been “simple solutions to complex problems” and “stop putting out fires and start leading.” Both emphasize the importance of clarifying priorities. People I’ve worked with often say that I help them see things they couldn’t before.
Simplicity is key; if something isn’t simple, it’s unlikely anyone will do it. Simple doesn’t mean easy, but rather comprehensible enough to have a chance at accomplishment. In my schools, we had one clear vision that allowed people to know whether they were achieving it or not – no judgment needed. While not always easy, simplicity is crucial for success.
Which brings us to today
The only difference between a crazy person and scientist is the scientist writes down their experiments
I don’t know where I heard this quote from.
What makes a good experiment?
1. A real problem, for you
2. A stated goal, not a hypothesis
3. A timeframe
You need to have an end date to see if your end goal is achieved.
My Experiments
Magic Mind
High Rep Workouts
Paper Tracking
Dan Koe’s Writing Workshop
Magic Mind
1. Energy
2. Increase energy
3. 15 days
High Rep Workouts
1. Improve workouts (bored)
2. Lose weight while building muscle
3. February workouts
Paper Tracking
1. Too much to do
2. Prioritize importance
3. Quarter 1
Dan Koe’s Writing Workshop
1. Prolific writing
2. Turn my notes into articles, books, etc.
3. March 4 through April 11
I’m tracking my experiments on my web site:
jethro.site/experiments
Define your own experiment
1. A real problem, for you
2. A stated goal, not a hypothesis
3. A timeframe
What was most valuable to you today?
Invite a Friend
Send this to someone trying to make a big impact.
The more, the merrier!
jethro.site/bimjan25
A Decade Never to Be Forgotten
Journal
Podcast
Community
adecadenevertobeforgotten.com
