Houston is a speaker, author, and kindness advocate who has spoken at over 600 schools or events internationally. In 2016, he co-founded CharacterStrong - curriculum and training that help teach social and emotional skills. To date, they have worked with over 2500 schools globally serving over 2 million students. In 2019, his face was featured on Lays BBQ chip bags as someone who helps "spread smiles.” In 2020, his first book, Deep Kindness (Simon & Schuster, Tiller Press) was released. His mom is his hero and her best life lesson is to “hug like you mean it.” Show Highlights    A Woman on the airplane closes the Rhetoric Reality Gap What it means to be Wonderful SEL learning and character development Collective cultural value of kindness and how to practice it 2 day leadership development conference leaders need Your To Be List is what distinguishes you Practical tips on accountability to make actions more impactful The one question everyone should answer each day  Random acts of kindness doesn’t shift culture in a meaningful way  How do we repeatedly do the things that we want to become       “What we give our time to is what we value. Getting clear about that for ourselves is like a first important step. Then the second step is if we want to make those things, any level of a priority in our life, and it doesn't become about making time, it becomes about protecting time.”  -Houston Kraft   Full Transcript Houston Kraft Transcript   Houston Kraft’s Resources & Contact Info:   DeepKindness Book CharacterStrong Administrator's Leadership Conference LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram    Looking for more? Read The Better Leaders Better Schools Roadmap Join “The Mastermind” Read the latest on the blog SHOW SPONSORS: HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Transform how you lead to become a resilient and empowered change agent with Harvard’s online Certificate in School Management and Leadership. Grow your professional network with a global cohort of fellow school leaders as you collaborate in case studies bridging the fields of education and business. Apply today at http://hgse.me/leader.   TEACHFX School leaders know that productive student talk drives student learning, but the average teacher talks 75% of class time! TeachFX is changing that with a “Fitbit for teachers” that automatically measures student engagement and gives teachers feedback about what they could do differently.  Learn more about the TeachFX app and get a special 20% discount for your school or district by visiting teachfx.com/blbs.   ORGANIZED BINDER Organized Binder is the missing piece in many classrooms. Many teachers are great with the main content of the lesson. Organized Binder helps with powerful introductions, savvy transitions, and memorable lesson closings. Your students will grow their executive functioning skills (and as a bonus), your teachers will become more organized too. Help your students and staff level up with Organized Binder.   Copyright © 2020 Twelve Practices LLC