Attitude, attendance, and achievement increase with plans and life leadership lessons added to academics in school, college, and work.

Without them, we may “succeed” relative to others, though fall short of “best-self stewardship.” If we chose to do our best, we will use plans.

Best-Self Leaders discover, develop, and devote ourselves to callings and serving others and the greater good.

This is a straight-forward vision for key groups in society for what we can do to improve planning, development, performance, and results within schools, colleges, churches, professional and civic organizations.

• School Students: write a plan for school and life to inspire and guide them. Students use their plans to write how they want to act on character traits taught, what they will do in school, and goals plus options for college and/or career. They use their plans, which start as school assignments in writing classes—and continue year to year—to state intent with teachers, counselors, parents, and coaches, which helps mentors understand and guide better. Students increasingly see life leadership principles and practices at work in school and at home through teachers, parents, and others who PLAN and LEAD in LIFE. Plans help them apply to, interview for, and succeed in college and/or career.
• Schools: reward students to write a plan for school and life that prepares them better for college, career, and character. Writing teachers, counselors, and coaches instruct and encourage students to set goals, outline solutions, and try. Parents review and guide. Educators write plans to do their best and set an example for students. Superintendents and principals lead to establish curricular and graduation requirements to support students learning and doing these best-self preparations for life, citizenship, and leadership at home and community. Schools monitor and reward improvement in attitude, attendance, and achievement. Schools who implement planning get more applause for using best practices and helping students more.
• College/Career Students: write and use a PLAN for the 7 Areas of LIFE that inspires and guides them to LEAD in LIFE. They learn life leadership principles and practices such as planning, decision-making, motivation, and time management to help them in school and the 7 Areas of Life. They learn about the purpose of constitutions and prepare one for themselves—students write mission and vision, values and beliefs, and best-self strategies for areas like challenge and conflict they face—or will.  Their “business plans for life” help them identify the kinds of professionals they seek to be, prepare with greater purpose as students, and seek opportunities more successfully. Mentors can advise better when they can see a draft of student intent and questions.
• Colleges/Career/Leadership Centers: establish curricular and graduation rewards that students prepare with plans for school and life, plus learn common denominators for doing their best regardless of academic, professional, or other choices. They build on what students bring from school, asking during the admissions process for parts of their plans that address what they hope to gain in college. They add depth and decisions starting freshman year and conclude with a capstone plan that helps them state their mission, vision, and goals plus strategies and options that help them fulfill their purposes. Plans for the 7 Areas of Life inspire and guide them beyond college. Students use their plans and resumes to apply for professional schools and/or opportunities. Colleges prepare future teachers to use and teach plans and best practices in the classroom, preparing future parents, professionals, and citizens for the next generation better. Satisfaction for educators and institutions increases among students, parents, alumni, and employers.
• Mastering Goliaths: in addition to needs like food and shelter, centers helping people make “comebacks” provide tools and training improve their plans, approaches, and habits. They face their “Goliaths” and develop plans to change. This process has been tested with veterans (former students) overcoming addictions and homelessness.
• Professionals: write plans with summary and scope of action. They write and use a best-self strategy for becoming and serving as true professionals. They develop A-B levels of attitude and ability. They state intent for action to earn empowerment rather than wait for it. They earn promotion to higher levels of empowerment faster than they would without acting on these principles.
• Leaders: executives and board members internalize Best Practices for Best-Self Leaders to follow, teach, and reward. They plan and state intent, expectations, and parameters. Leaders mentor more than manage because they put in place systems that motivate good people to focus on desired actions automatically—team members come to them with plans seeking feedback, improving results and saving time. They train and coach aimed at desired Plans, Actions, and Results within the 7 Areas to Plan, Assess, and Reward so team members aim at what is important even when leaders are away. Leaders leave legacies for what they want people to “Be, Know, and Do”—now and beyond their time, increasing probability of long-term habits and sustainability for success.
• Organizations: Board, executive and individual plans align for achievement of results, maximum cooperation, minimum conflict. Personal, professional, and organizational development are part of strategy for performance and competitive branding. We create systems of planning, training, and rewarding for desired actions and results that attract people who match— results for recruitment and retention improve; losses decrease.
• Alabama: branded a national center for freedoms advanced through Veterans Day and Human Rights history plus forward as a national resource for service to teachers of history and character traits that includes the founding of Veterans Day, Civil and Human Rights, and Plans for School and Life–we have Freedom to Flourish and act on it.
• Church Members: discover their callings, gifts, and talents, develop them, and devote themselves to flourish at them. They write callings and choices to discern and develop gifts and talents, plus use them in all 7 Areas of Life—including but not just church service. People write plans for life and personal prayers, updating after being influenced by sermons and prayer. Couples write missions for marriage and families outline constitutions to focus on values.
• Church Leaders: help flocks discover and develop plans for the purpose of life and to develop and devote themselves to callings, gifts, and talents. Stewardship of talents is taught as part of the purpose of life. Members listen to sermons with intent to improve written plans and take action on discovery and devotion to callings.

If you want to support or be part of the movement to help our citizens plan and lead their lives starting in school, visit www.LifeLeadersInstitute.org or write to David@DrDavidDyson.com.