Is a High School relevant to the workplace? What lessons can you learn to take to the workplace?

One thing that surprises me the most when I speak with students is their belief that how one behaves in the workplace is somehow different than how they behave at school. When students come late, I sometimes ask “what would your father say to their employees if they came late”. “They would be very angry” is the most common response. “So why is it acceptable for you to come late, then?” I reply.

If every student treated school like a “job” or their career, we could accomplish so much more. My favorite show on TV is The Apprentice with Donald Trump. I like it much better than Survivor (which focuses on manipulation and popularity), as the boardroom scenes in the Apprentice come down to who messed up the most being fired.

Let’s parallel work life to school life. What would happen if you were always “sick” on days when you had major projects due at your work? You were most definitely be fired. But what happens when you are absent on days when you have projects at school? You are definitely not fired! What happens if you come late to work too often, or miss work without even calling in to say that you will be away? Now, is this similar to the consequences of being a student?

So here is my challenge. I would like every student in High School to view school like a business. Your teachers are your boss. Now how does that change your belief about school?

Raise your standards, raise your “game”, and don’t get “fired!”.

What do I have to do to get this to be your best year?

Okay, here it is, as direct as I can possibly be -I want this year to be your best year ever. The problem is that’s not something I can give you. I can’t give you the “secret” injection that makes you do better. There’s no such thing. I have said before “You can’t hire someone else to do your pushups,” and you can’t. No matter how much you may want something, you won’t get it until you work for it.

Making this year your best year ever doesn’t take a lot of extra work or effort, but it does require your commitment.

• Make a commitment to being organized. I find that students waste a lot of time simply by being disorganized. Keep your notes organized in arch files, and write your homework in this diary.
• Keep your study time focused. I find that students who tell me they spend three hours every night doing homework don’t actually do homework for three hours. A lot of time gets wasted preparing, shuffling papers, talking on the phone, “organizing”, and other non-focused behaviors. You know it, I know it, your teachers know it. You can’t hire someone else to do your pushups, and you can’t hire someone else to learn your work.
• Take responsibility for your own learning. Stop pretending you understand when you don’t. If you don’t get it, ask for help. Stop “hoping” it will make sense later, it won’t. If you know that you can’t focus sitting next to your friend, take responsibility, and sit at the other side of the class.
• Talk with your parents. There is a huge correlation between students who do well and students who communicate with their parents. Parents – there is also a huge connection between students who do well and parents that set and stick to boundaries.
• Look at who your friends are. Generally speaking, your grade point average won’t be any higher than the average grade point average of your friends. Interestingly enough, your parents’ salary will likely be in the same range of that of their friends as well. Yes it matters who you hang around. Want to do better in school? Maybe consider making new friends.
• Stop making excuses. Don’t have your work done on time? Fess up. Didn’t do half of your homework? Admit it. All of your teachers have heard every excuse in the book, and I can promise you that by trying to come up with what you think are great excuses, you only annoy your teachers.
• Set goals. It is a well-known fact that those who set clear goals and write them down have a MUCH higher possibility of success. Write down 10 goals for the year, keep them in your pocket, and review them every day.

It isn’t hard to make this year your best ever, but it is up to you. So, stop making excuses, stop procrastinating, step up, and let’s go!