February 7, 2025 • 27 mins
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"Excited to share our latest podcast episode featuring Jarrod Lussier, who transitioned from being a master plumber to a leader in vocational education. Discover how Jarrod's unique background brings a fresh perspective to educational leadership and how CTE programs drive workforce readiness. Listen now! #VocationalEducation #CTE #Leadership"
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Episode Transcript
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Alex (00:00):
Today, we're celebrating Career and Technical Education
(00:02):
Month with a special episodededicated to the power of hands
on learning and workforcereadiness.
Did you know that in the 20212022 school year, over 11.
5 million students participatedin CTE programs across the
United States?
That includes more than 8million high school students and
approximately 3.
4 million post secondarystudents.
(00:23):
These programs are equippinglearners with the skills and
credentials they need to succeedin high demand careers, from
healthcare and IT to advancedmanufacturing and skilled
trades.
Financially, CTE remains a vitalinvestment in our nation's
future.
In fiscal year 2021, Congressauthorized about 1.
3 billion through the Perkins VAct to support CTE programs,
(00:44):
ensuring that students haveaccess to industry aligned
education and training.
In today's episode, we willexplore how CTE programs are
bridging the gap betweeneducation and employment,
featuring stories from students,insights from educators, and
perspectives from industryleaders.
So whether you're a studentconsidering a CTE pathway, an
educator shaping the nextgeneration, or an employer
(01:05):
seeking skilled talent, thisepisode is for you.
Let's dive into the world ofcareer and technical education
and discover how it's shapingthe future of work.
Nancy (01:15):
Welcome to Lead, Learn, Laugh, Grow, the podcast where
leadership, learning, andlaughter come together to fuel
personal and professionalgrowth.
I'm Nancy and I have theabsolute pleasure of introducing
today's host.
Someone who has spent his careerleading, inspiring, and
developing others.
He's a seasoned educationleader, consultant, speaker, and
executive coach, with abackground that spans education,
(01:36):
business, and even the military.
As a former chief operationsofficer of a major school
district, a career and technicaleducation innovator, and now the
creator of Results Matter LeaderDevelopment, he's been at the
forefront of leadership andinfluence for decades.
But that's not all.
He's also a John MaxwellCertified Executive Director, a
National Keynote Speaker, andthe driving force behind this
(01:56):
very podcast.
His passion?
Helping you lead boldly, learncontinuously, laugh often, and
grow relentlessly.
So without further ado, let'sdive into today's episode with
our host, Randy Gooch.
Randy (02:07):
Thank you for taking the time today.
And, you know, I was reallyimpressed listening to you at
ACT Vision and you were on aleadership panel.
And so I just thought you had alot of good things to say and I
thought you said them very well.
my purpose in this is to equipand encourage leaders.
Jarrod (02:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Randy (02:22):
Jared, introduce yourself and with just a little bit of
your background and where you'reat now and what you're doing.
Jarrod (02:29):
So my name is Jared Lucier and born and raised in
Fay Haven, Massachusetts.
I like to say I'm a product ofvocational education.
I grew up my dad owning aplumbing company and I went to a
regional vocational high school,graded at Bethlehem Volk.
born right into the plumbingtrade.
that kind of became mylivelihood.
about 10 years into plumbing, afriend of mine was a director at
the time said you should go foryour plumbing license and become
(02:49):
a teacher.
that kind of sat with me, andthen I decided to go that route,
became a plumbing teacher, andsomebody said the word principal
to me.
And again, that stuck in mybrain, so I knew I had to get a
bachelor's degree, a master'sdegree, and I basically did
everything I could to then, getinto administration, and become
in the leadership role.
Within a vocational educationschool in Massachusetts, and
(03:11):
I've done that and I think I'vedone it really well.
between getting my degrees, I'vegot my co op director's license,
principal's license,superintendent's license.
I'm an adjunct professor throughFitchburg State University,
where I teach the occupationaleducation courses that all of
our new teachers, when they gettheir preliminary licenses, they
have to take these courses toget a professional license.
And I teach those courses.
So I would say, you know, I'm avocational education has been my
(03:35):
life, my livelihood.
And I give that speech to kidswhen they come in as freshmen,
because you automatically thinklike, Oh, I'm going to be a
plumber.
I'm going to be in a truck andI'm going to be doing
installations all day.
And that all started with anapprenticeship as a plumbing
student.
Randy (03:49):
While listening to you during that panel you kind of
shared what your father had tosay when you talked to him about
your plan share that little,because that was kind of a
humorous story, but you know,looking back on it, it sure
hasn't hurt you.
And it's probably made you muchbetter.
Jarrod (04:03):
I think, being where we're at now, a lot of people
would say, if I could go back,I'd do everything different.
If I could go back I think Iwould still choose the same path
because just being in theplumbing industry has given me
such a wealth of knowledge inthe construction industry, which
has really helped the positionthat I'm in now.
As a vocational directorsupervising vocational shops and
we do off campus projects aroundour local towns and
municipalities, but I originallybecause, I grew up, you know, my
(04:26):
dad worked seven days a week,you know, he was a business
owner.
He owned his own company.
He started from scratch.
He was a man that came fromliterally welfare came from
nothing and he worked his wayup.
So he had to work.
So who raised us mom and I washome with mine.
I love bacon in the kitchen andcooking.
I'm like, ah, yeah.
I could be a culinary, you know,student and I remember going to
high school and they were like,well, what shop do you want?
I was like, I want culinary, youknow, cause I thought of those
(04:47):
moments baking with my mom and Iwent home and I was like, yeah,
I think I want culinary and mydad was basically like, get in
the van and that was pretty muchit.
You know, that was like, you'renot picking culinary.
You're going to stick with thefamily business and I have to
say, my work ethic comes from mydad because I just watched him
push and push and push.
And to see, how much hesacrificed for his family,
that's where my drive comesfrom.
And I think, my empathy and mysympathy and my my fatherhood
(05:10):
role comes from my mom.
So he did a really good jobhelping me develop as a kid.
But, yeah, I initially wantedculinary and I became a plumber.
Randy (05:17):
Well, so, let me ask you this, because Even within the,
the sphere of CTE I think moreand more we see more maybe non
blue collar administratorsascending to that.
They may have had some businessexperience, but maybe not.
Not always.
And particularly in my state, wesee that much more.
(05:37):
People just coming from theacademic side, moving to the
career ed side.
What do you think youradvantages are with the pathway
that you've taken?
How do you think and leaddifferently because of that,
that really that grounding inthat blue collar world?
Jarrod (05:56):
I think I have, what we call, at least in Massachusetts,
the backwards by designapproach.
Where I see the end product, andthen I know the steps that it
takes to get there.
So, I know that, I've beenaround, like I said, I'll give
the construction industry somany job sites on both
residential and commercial,where you see, from blueprint to
the final sign off for anoccupancy permit, I've seen
(06:16):
every different scope of it, andwhile I might not have been in
the electrical world, theconstruction and carpentry
world, I know what that lookslike.
I know the procedures that theygo through.
So when teachers are teachingthose standards, I kind of know
the practices and protocols andthat's helped me tremendously.
If I didn't have my background,I would not be able to do my job
appropriately.
I could supervise vocationaleducation.
Like I can tell if there's goodteaching and learning going on
(06:37):
in academics, in a CTEclassroom, either one, but to
have that background knowledge.
Of the process and what peoplehave to go through and, you
know, the permit process and youknow, when you go to the bonding
applications, when you're doingbig commercial project, like,
just to see that aspect of itonly comes from my background.
I don't think I would besuccessful in my position if I
didn't have the background I do.
Randy (06:58):
Very good.
And thanks for sharing that.
Tell me a little bit about,having to make hires for
teachers that have industryexpertise and experience.
But what are you looking forwhen you're bringing a Teaching
professional in to a newprofession, because when you're
adding the teaching aspect toit, it's no longer just being an
(07:21):
expert plumber or an expert.
Electrician.
It's being able to now translatethat to a group of younger
people and teaching them.
So what are you looking for whenyou're hiring and what are those
great candidates that you justwant to snatch up?
Jarrod (07:36):
It's tough to say that just your background can make
you a good teacher because likenot everybody can be a teacher.
You can have some of thegreatest technicians and
mechanics and stylists And chefsand bakers and, you know, nurses
and like in every profession,people can excel at what they
do.
But teaching is such it's such afine it's a craft.
(07:57):
It really is.
You have to be able to have thatpersonality and that rapport.
You've got to get buy in fromstudents.
Like you have kids, especiallyin CTE, you have kids that not
only pick your program becauseit might be a career path that
they see themselves in, But theyhave to know, like, I'm going to
spend the next three and a halfyears with this person as one of
my mentors.
And that can make or break akid.
(08:18):
Sometimes if you don't have thatpersonality that a kid can
really gravitate to, they mightnot pick your program.
They may decide, you know what,I don't think I do want to be a
plumber.
I want to be an electricianinstead because I got along with
that teacher better.
So, when I'm looking for acandidate, like, I want somebody
that has the knowledge and thecontent to teach the kids the
standards that they need to besuccessful.
Because our goal is postsecondary placement, like we
want kids to be employable andhave jobs, sustain jobs, and
(08:41):
maintain jobs.
that's our goal.
So I need somebody that canteach the standards, but it's
tough to say, because you haveto have that equity standpoint
when you go through theinterview process and making
sure you feel it.
But there is some subjectivenessto it because you have to have a
gut feeling.
That this person is the rightfit for not only our school, but
our community.
(09:01):
Cause that's really what we'reembodying is this.
We're on the same philosophy andthe same vision that, you know,
you want this person to not onlyfit into your school, but to
your student population and tomake sure it's a good fit for
everyone.
Randy (09:13):
Great.
You mentioned having a gutfeeling.
Tell me about how you make.
decisions.
And does that gut play animportant role?
Or are you like, right now, inparticularly in education, we
talk all the time about datadriven decisions, data driven
decisions.
But I find sometimes some of thebusiness world, the
entrepreneurial side of thehouse, sometimes they're a
(09:34):
little quicker to make decisionsand a little more instinctual.
tell me about how you makedecisions and what part of that
is that gut check?
What part of that is that factfinding?
Jarrod (09:48):
Again, the fact finding I think comes from the person's,
like, I'll go with my ownexperiences.
Like, if someone wasinterviewing me, looking at my
background and what I'veaccomplished.
So, if you're hiring me to be aplumber for your company, then
you gotta look back and say,Alright, what have you done in
plumbing?
Well, I've done residential,I've done some commercial.
I'm a master licensed plumber.
I have, you know, certaincertifications and different
(10:10):
technologies and you know, hotwork certification, OSHA
certification, So, you know,look at certain things you can
say, this is a competent personthat can complete my plumbing
installation safely, right?
When you look at thatbackground.
They might say like, you know,oh, you know, I've just, I
already took another job, but Isaw this one pop up and I was
curious, and if I get it, I'lljust tell that other one that I
quit.
So that tells you that theymight just quit on you, you
(10:31):
know, two weeks later, threeweeks later, if they find a
better fit.
So you want to find someonethat's dedicated to your school
that wants to be at your school.
Right?
You're not just a stepping stoneto get them to a different level
or something like that.
Like, they want to come in, theywant to grow with you, they want
to be a part of your community,they want to be invested in your
students.
Like, those are the things thatyou want to feel that out from a
candidate when you're doing aninterview.
(10:53):
you have to have someconsistency in it.
Because you're going to invest alot of time and a lot of money.
And I think any business ownerdoes this when you're hiring
employees.
We put a lot of time intotraining people into being, you
know, quality professionals.
You don't have to be the best atlesson planning or the best
technician, but if you're a goodhuman, I can bring the rest of
that out of you.
I can teach you how to developlessons and curriculum.
I can't teach your personalitytraits.
(11:14):
I can't teach you to be, youknow, someone that a kid
confides in and someone that akid feels comfortable with.
That comes from your ownpersonal interactions with
people.
Randy (11:22):
Awesome.
So let me ask you this.
I know in our area and I know,you know, just, just reading
from a national perspective,obviously almost every industry
is facing some sort of prettymuch hiring challenges.
The labor market is reallytough.
are you all experiencing that inyour area as far as CTE teachers
and how are you negotiatingprobably that just general labor
(11:43):
shortage from an employerstandpoint?
Jarrod (11:47):
I think we see it in different industries.
Like some industries like ourmedical field, sometimes it's
tough to hire because there'ssuch an abundance of full time
jobs available outside ofteaching.
And people that have never beenin a classroom before, like
those are the people that we'repulling in.
We're pulling industryprofessionals to try to get them
career change.
So I, know, a thousand plumbersin Massachusetts that are
(12:07):
awesome at what they do andgreat technician.
But if I go on a job, say, Hey,would you want to come in to do
this in a school in front of 40kids?
Half of them might pay attentionto you at first.
You know, the other half mightbe walking around.
You might have to try to gettheir attention and try to
convince them to do it.
They're going to be like, no,I'll just go to work.
I'll make my paycheck and gohome.
You know, so.
There's a certain type ofperson, I guess it's in the
teaching industry, but wedefinitely do find the struggles
(12:29):
based on whatever the industryis.
Like, certain industries areharder to find than other
professionals, becausesometimes, you know, the pay
scale with like, municipal jobs,if you're working on, like,
prevailing wage inMassachusetts, if you're a
plumber, an electrician, oryou're in the construction
industry, HVAC, you could bemaking anywhere from 80 to 120
an hour.
Like, that's a, that's a toughpay scale to compete with from
(12:51):
an educational standpoint.
Randy (12:53):
So tell me a little bit about what you are excited
about.
And maybe a big project, a biginitiative that's going to be
happening soon, or you'reworking on launching.
And what's that going to do forkids?
Jarrod (13:07):
Oh boy.
One of the, I feel like ineducation I said this to
somebody recently, I said, I'mdoing this and doing this and
doing this.
And somebody said, yeah, you'rean educator.
So there's no shock.
Within the industry to say thatyou wear many hats.
just as far as our off campus,it's something that I've really
worked on really hard since Iwas a teacher on growing and
(13:28):
evolving because we're adistrict of 9 communities.
So we have 9 sending towns.
That's sent to SoutheasternRegional and I want to make sure
that our kids go back out andthey work within our nine
sending towns.
So there's that give back.
Like, what do we get from ourregional school?
Oh, we built a new welcomecenter.
We built a, you know, we didhouses for Habitat for Humanity.
Or, you know, we worked on thishistorical building.
(13:50):
Like, those are the pieces thatI'm working on because It's
always cool, you know, that,especially in the construction
world, you're driving down theroad and you'll be, you know,
with a grandparent or a dad,like, I worked on that house
over there.
So I want my kids or my studentshere to be able to say that to
their own families.
I worked on that building or wedid that project when I was in
school.
And then just a personal thingthat I participate in is the
mass CTE in Massachusetts.
(14:11):
We have our annual conference atGillette Stadium.
And we moved it there, about sixyears ago, and I've recently
become the leadershipcoordinator.
it's a Friday, Saturdayconference, and I run the
leadership on Friday, and thathas, grown from probably a
consistent dozen to 15 people tonow, we had over 40 people
participating last year,anywhere from, teachers,
directors, superintendents,principals.
(14:33):
In the attendance and I getpresented from all over the
state.
So I think I've really built agreat rapport with my colleagues
across the Commonwealth ofMassachusetts and education And
they dedicate that time tocoming in and just talking to
people about being leaders andbeing positive influences in
Massachusetts, which, if thatresonates with everybody, it
trickles back down to theirschools, which then impacts the
kids.
Randy (14:55):
Absolutely.
Tell me a little bit justgenerally from a general
perspective kind of what, how,what is your leadership method?
What is your style?
I mean obviously in.
education.
We, I know administrators thatare very, very technical.
It's, it's sometimes prettytransactional.
Another buzzword that's outthere is transformational.
But, but how do you lead?
(15:15):
Because I think, yeah.
I know listening to you in thepanel back in December I know, I
know you're pretty reflective onthat.
So share that with us.
You're just your method and howyou approach leadership.
Jarrod (15:29):
I'm not a transactional person.
I'm not a micromanager.
I, I definitely, I care moreabout.
The person that I do theirlesson plans, and I know that
might, not match with many of mycolleagues across the state, but
I want to make sure that peopleare okay.
So, if my teachers arestruggling and they're stressed
out, and they have all thesedeadlines, I want to make sure I
go down and sit in front of themand do wellness checks on
(15:51):
people, across the building.
I don't care if it's a teacher,our adult education, our
custodians.
Our outside grounds crew, who Ihave every morning duty out with
out in the cold right now.
I make sure I check in withpeople and see how people are
doing and people really, I thinkthat makes people feel
appreciated and respected whenyou, you know, when you're aware
of, you know, their personalsituations and their family, or
(16:12):
if somebody was sick in theirfamily, or they had a surgery.
Or, you know, they have, youknow, they're taking care of
their mom, their dad who's sickor, you know, they have a child
who's sick, is a huge win.
Or you got, staff members thathave small children and they get
sick and they're trying to makemodifications so they're not
burning through sick days.
You know, I think things likethat go a long way and it makes
people feel part of a familymore than that.
(16:34):
They're just an employee at yourcompany or a business.
So I definitely put the personalaspect on my interactions with
people.
I spend time with people and myassistant, Jen, she has to
constantly remind me I havemeetings, because I get caught
talking all the time.
If I'm hung up, I was just inour culinary department.
That's probably why I wasrunning late for our meeting
right now.
The kids in there are like, Mr.
(16:55):
Lucia, and they just call me inand I stand there and I'm just
talking with them, I love that.
That's what I get to do everyday for a living.
And they appreciate that.
I go do lunch duty and they comeup to me and kids are dappering
me out when they're likechecking out my Jordans and
like, yo, what's that?
I'll check your drip.
Like, but those interactions,they look at me more than just
being like, I'm a administratorat the school, careful what you
say.
You're going to get in troublearound that guy.
Like.
(17:15):
Kids are excited when they seeme and teachers feel confident
when they see me that they can,they can talk to me, they can
shut the door and you know, theycan vent like all of those
things are like, that's, that'show I lead.
I want to be a person that theycan confide in, but I want to be
a person that inspires them aswell.
Randy (17:29):
It's, I'm always amazed because once I, once I left a
career center and moved on intocentral office cabinet level and
all of that.
You know, you'll always think asa leader that you never want to
forget the people that you'rereally doing it for, but it's
very difficult every time youmake those steps to become more
and more transactional, thepeople, those relationships
(17:51):
become a little more.
abstract unless you're doingsome things that are very
intentional to put yourself backin, make sure you're seeing the
faces, you're seeing theresults.
So I applaud you for that.
Keep that going because That'sgood stuff.
And you talk a lot aboutculinary.
It reminds me that was one ofthe really strong programs that
we had in our career center.
And I spent a lot of time inthere, probably to the detriment
(18:14):
of my waistline because itexpanded a little bit during
those days.
I helped a lot of students to dotheir labs.
So that's a, it was all for thekids and it was all educational,
but that's pretty cool.
So what's on your radaraspirationally?
From here, what else would youlike to accomplish that you see,
and, maybe off in the distance,what would you like to do that
(18:34):
you're not yet doing, but you'reputting things in place to make
happen?
Jarrod (18:39):
My immediate goal is to be a principal.
I said that four years agobecause I worked at Southeastern
Regional, the school I'm at now,as a plumbing teacher, then a
director.
I was here for nine years.
I left, I went back to GreaterNew Bedford Volk where I was a
student and I was there for theCOVID years and then they got me
back up to Southeastern, so I'vekind of ping ponged back and
forth, but within my 15 years ofeducation, I've always said my
(18:59):
goal was to be principal as soonas I thought of administration.
So that's, that's my immediatefuture.
And I think someday I will be asuperintendent, but that's not
on my, I'll say it's not on theimmediate horizon.
I definitely want to be in therole of a principal.
Where I can still kind of havean immediate interaction with
the students because, you know,once you're the superintendent,
(19:20):
I mean, your meetings become alittle more formal, you know,
you're dealing with yourmunicipalities and your towns
and your school committees.
There's a lot, you know, you'regoing to do the financial
committee meetings and theselect meetings and the city,
you know, there's just so muchmore that goes into being a
superintendent.
And I'm 100 percent confidentthat I can do that role.
I think I can do any role in anyhigh school.
I truly believe that 100%.
(19:41):
I just think where I want to be.
Is the principal of the highschool.
That's my immediate goal.
And I don't know, maybe I'd lovethat so much, maybe I'd never
become a superintendent.
Randy (19:50):
Sure.
And you know some advice somepeople gave me when I, when I
did go to that cabinet level wasto remember when you're making
that step in that realm some ofthose jobs have shelf life.
And it's not just a matter ofand it's not always when you're
ready to quit it that you knowthat it's time to quit, you know
but just, you know, thepolitical aspect becomes more
(20:12):
the accountabilities that kindof the condition really of
public ed and the public opinionsometimes of public ed at this
point in time.
One thing that you know, youmentioned and kind of made me
think a little bit is also when.
Thinking about talking withpeople kind of like yourself
that are kind of mid careerhave, have quite a bit of career
life left.
One thing, one mistake that Ireally made early, early on in
(20:33):
my professional career, before Ieven got into public education I
left a job early on cause Ididn't quite have the maturity.
to really weigh the balance,know what was really going on.
And I kind of had my feelingshurt.
I was kind of caught up in myfeelings and I left a job
without really having a goodlanding zone.
(20:54):
And I was sitting in aleadership conference several
years ago, I believe it was JohnMaxwell, and he was talking
about don't run from something.
Unless you have something tojump to.
And I thought that was reallygood advice.
And that's one thing that Ialways encourage young leaders.
Don't run away from something.
Make sure you're jumping tosomething.
The other thing is prepare nowfor the opportunity, because
(21:17):
likely some of thoseopportunities and openings that
will happen and get you there.
And I have no doubt you'll endup being there and probably
more, they always won't be atthe right timing for you.
But those doors and thosewindows just open so often.
So be ready for the opportunity.
Prepare now for the opportunity.
that's going to present itselflater.
(21:38):
And just by talking with you andhearing you talk about your
school, your desire, your careerthe way you lead, I'm sure
you're going to be offered manyof those doors of opportunity to
walk through.
Jarrod (21:49):
appreciate that.
Randy (21:50):
Give me three things that you think every emerging leader
needs to know about leading indynamic organizations.
Jarrod (22:02):
Number one, I think you have to be a good listener.
that's the number one.
if you constantly engage withanyone in any conversation and
you just sit and wait for yourturn to speak.
You're truly not listening.
So I think the number one thingyou have to do is listen.
Second, I would say that everyexperience is an opportunity to
learn.
(22:23):
You're going to be thrown in,some really great situations.
You're going to be thrown insome really difficult
situations.
And you have to look at them andI have a growth mindset poster
right behind me on the wall.
You have to look at it and saylike, you know, not why is this
happening to me?
What am I learning from this?
And again, that's with positiveand negative interactions.
The last thing I can say isthat, and I preach this a lot
(22:47):
just, to my own staff.
And then again, when I teach mycollege courses for Fitchburg.
Everyone you meet.
In life, right?
I don't care if it's a threeyear old kid or an 80 year old
elderly woman, everyone you meetin this world has something.
of knowledge or something youcan gain from them.
(23:08):
And what I mean by that is like,you ever go to like a sub shop
or a pizza place and they havethose little flyers on the wall,
and it's like, oh, guitarlessons, and you can take a
little tab, call them tabs,right?
Everybody has a million tabshanging off them.
And there's some excellent ones,there's some great ones, there's
some really, really bad ones.
You take every single tab youcan get off of every person you
encounter.
And you remind yourself topractice the great things that
(23:30):
you learn from them, and then tonot practice the horrible things
that you see from them, right?
a three year old will remind youjust to be happy for no reason
at all, And then when you meet,an 80 year old person, and they
start reflecting back on theirlife, and they start saying, Oh,
I wish I would have done this,wish I would have, like, you
think of those.
regret instances.
And I should go take thatvacation.
And I should have asked thatgirl out and I should have went
to dinner with my friends thatnight.
(23:51):
So everybody in every instanceof life has something that you
can learn from, take everythingyou can from them.
And then you build kind of yourown philosophy based on other
people's experiences and whatthey've done.
And that, I think that helps youbecome a better, well rounded
person.
Randy (24:07):
That is an awesome word picture.
Jarrod (24:08):
Yeah.
Randy (24:09):
I'm going to steal that and use that again.
Jarrod (24:12):
Just take them, put them in your pocket.
And then you, you know, youdon't hear empty in your pocket.
So you're like, Oh, I rememberthat.
You meet some real amazingpeople with some great tabs and
you meet some real toxic peoplewith some bad tabs.
Take them all.
Remind yourself either to dothem or not to do them, one or
the other, but it's just goingto help you.
Randy (24:27):
I asked you about how you lead others.
How do you lead yourself?
Jarrod (24:35):
That's a deep question.
How do I lead myself?
Randy (24:43):
the reason I asked that is because somebody asked me
that one time and then followedit up with, who do you think the
toughest person to lead is?
And sometimes it's me.
Jarrod (24:54):
Yeah, it is.
Cause like, how do I maintainmy, my positivity, right?
How do you, how do you come inevery day?
And that, I mean, I say like,when I come in every day, I
don't have, this is, this is atough part of being a leader.
You don't have the opportunityto, not that you can't have bad
days, because we all have baddays, we know that.
We all have a backpack, right?
(25:16):
You have great things in yourbackpack, and then some people
have a single parent income in abackpack and, a little brother,
a little sister that's bringingtheir sibling to school in the
morning because mom or dad'sworking third shift.
so everybody's backpacks heavy.
We talked about that earlier.
what's going on in their life,the sick parent, the sick
grandparent.
The kid's sick, or they losttheir job, whatever.
How do you come in every day andbe a leader of a building with
(25:36):
your own personal stuff goingon, but you have to maintain
that positivity?
I'd say that's probably the mostdifficult part of being a leader
in a building, in any aspect,any industry, any business.
What keeps me going, my kids aremy positive outlook.
I get to reflect on them everyday.
seeing the light that they giveme and then also I love making
people not only happy, butexcited about being in this
(25:58):
school when a teacher comes andtells me they appreciated so
much that I came in and spenttime with them and talk to them
and I just heard them and I waslistening to them and nobody's
ever done this or, not enoughpeople listen to our side of the
story kind of thing.
Like when teachers give me thatfeedback, it makes me realize
that I'm in the right place.
I'm in the right industry.
And that's kind of a feed for meto keep me going.
Those positive interactions thatpeople say like that, I matter
(26:21):
to them.
Those are the things thatinspire myself to help me be an
effective leader.
Randy (26:26):
And I concur with that.
And that's one thing that I alsotoo found sometimes when you
were having the worst day andthere was the least amount of
positive feedback for anythingthat you're doing.
I don't know.
I figured out a way that if Iwent out and spread some
positive feedback to others itdiluted that I appreciate you
and the work you're doing.
(26:47):
And thank you so much for beingon this.
Podcast with me.
I wish you well, love to stay intouch with you and build a
relationship of colleagues.
Jarrod (26:55):
Absolutely.
Yeah, we will absolutely stay intouch, Randy.
I really appreciate you givingme this opportunity.
There's obviously a reason thatI ran into you in Texas and
hopefully this is the first ofmany interactions.
Today, we're celebrating Career and Technical Education
(00:02):
Month with a special episodededicated to the power of hands
on learning and workforcereadiness.
Did you know that in the 20212022 school year, over 11.
5 million students participatedin CTE programs across the
United States?
That includes more than 8million high school students and
approximately 3.
4 million post secondarystudents.
(00:23):
These programs are equippinglearners with the skills and
credentials they need to succeedin high demand careers, from
healthcare and IT to advancedmanufacturing and skilled
trades.
Financially, CTE remains a vitalinvestment in our nation's
future.
In fiscal year 2021, Congressauthorized about 1.
3 billion through the Perkins VAct to support CTE programs,
(00:44):
ensuring that students haveaccess to industry aligned
education and training.
In today's episode, we willexplore how CTE programs are
bridging the gap betweeneducation and employment,
featuring stories from students,insights from educators, and
perspectives from industryleaders.
So whether you're a studentconsidering a CTE pathway, an
educator shaping the nextgeneration, or an employer
(01:05):
seeking skilled talent, thisepisode is for you.
Let's dive into the world ofcareer and technical education
and discover how it's shapingthe future of work.
Nancy (01:15):
Welcome to Lead, Learn, Laugh, Grow, the podcast where
leadership, learning, andlaughter come together to fuel
personal and professionalgrowth.
I'm Nancy and I have theabsolute pleasure of introducing
today's host.
Someone who has spent his careerleading, inspiring, and
developing others.
He's a seasoned educationleader, consultant, speaker, and
executive coach, with abackground that spans education,
(01:36):
business, and even the military.
As a former chief operationsofficer of a major school
district, a career and technicaleducation innovator, and now the
creator of Results Matter LeaderDevelopment, he's been at the
forefront of leadership andinfluence for decades.
But that's not all.
He's also a John MaxwellCertified Executive Director, a
National Keynote Speaker, andthe driving force behind this
(01:56):
very podcast.
His passion?
Helping you lead boldly, learncontinuously, laugh often, and
grow relentlessly.
So without further ado, let'sdive into today's episode with
our host, Randy Gooch.
Randy (02:07):
Thank you for taking the time today.
And, you know, I was reallyimpressed listening to you at
ACT Vision and you were on aleadership panel.
And so I just thought you had alot of good things to say and I
thought you said them very well.
my purpose in this is to equipand encourage leaders.
Jarrod (02:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Randy (02:22):
Jared, introduce yourself and with just a little bit of
your background and where you'reat now and what you're doing.
Jarrod (02:29):
So my name is Jared Lucier and born and raised in
Fay Haven, Massachusetts.
I like to say I'm a product ofvocational education.
I grew up my dad owning aplumbing company and I went to a
regional vocational high school,graded at Bethlehem Volk.
born right into the plumbingtrade.
that kind of became mylivelihood.
about 10 years into plumbing, afriend of mine was a director at
the time said you should go foryour plumbing license and become
(02:49):
a teacher.
that kind of sat with me, andthen I decided to go that route,
became a plumbing teacher, andsomebody said the word principal
to me.
And again, that stuck in mybrain, so I knew I had to get a
bachelor's degree, a master'sdegree, and I basically did
everything I could to then, getinto administration, and become
in the leadership role.
Within a vocational educationschool in Massachusetts, and
(03:11):
I've done that and I think I'vedone it really well.
between getting my degrees, I'vegot my co op director's license,
principal's license,superintendent's license.
I'm an adjunct professor throughFitchburg State University,
where I teach the occupationaleducation courses that all of
our new teachers, when they gettheir preliminary licenses, they
have to take these courses toget a professional license.
And I teach those courses.
So I would say, you know, I'm avocational education has been my
(03:35):
life, my livelihood.
And I give that speech to kidswhen they come in as freshmen,
because you automatically thinklike, Oh, I'm going to be a
plumber.
I'm going to be in a truck andI'm going to be doing
installations all day.
And that all started with anapprenticeship as a plumbing
student.
Randy (03:49):
While listening to you during that panel you kind of
shared what your father had tosay when you talked to him about
your plan share that little,because that was kind of a
humorous story, but you know,looking back on it, it sure
hasn't hurt you.
And it's probably made you muchbetter.
Jarrod (04:03):
I think, being where we're at now, a lot of people
would say, if I could go back,I'd do everything different.
If I could go back I think Iwould still choose the same path
because just being in theplumbing industry has given me
such a wealth of knowledge inthe construction industry, which
has really helped the positionthat I'm in now.
As a vocational directorsupervising vocational shops and
we do off campus projects aroundour local towns and
municipalities, but I originallybecause, I grew up, you know, my
(04:26):
dad worked seven days a week,you know, he was a business
owner.
He owned his own company.
He started from scratch.
He was a man that came fromliterally welfare came from
nothing and he worked his wayup.
So he had to work.
So who raised us mom and I washome with mine.
I love bacon in the kitchen andcooking.
I'm like, ah, yeah.
I could be a culinary, you know,student and I remember going to
high school and they were like,well, what shop do you want?
I was like, I want culinary, youknow, cause I thought of those
(04:47):
moments baking with my mom and Iwent home and I was like, yeah,
I think I want culinary and mydad was basically like, get in
the van and that was pretty muchit.
You know, that was like, you'renot picking culinary.
You're going to stick with thefamily business and I have to
say, my work ethic comes from mydad because I just watched him
push and push and push.
And to see, how much hesacrificed for his family,
that's where my drive comesfrom.
And I think, my empathy and mysympathy and my my fatherhood
(05:10):
role comes from my mom.
So he did a really good jobhelping me develop as a kid.
But, yeah, I initially wantedculinary and I became a plumber.
Randy (05:17):
Well, so, let me ask you this, because Even within the,
the sphere of CTE I think moreand more we see more maybe non
blue collar administratorsascending to that.
They may have had some businessexperience, but maybe not.
Not always.
And particularly in my state, wesee that much more.
(05:37):
People just coming from theacademic side, moving to the
career ed side.
What do you think youradvantages are with the pathway
that you've taken?
How do you think and leaddifferently because of that,
that really that grounding inthat blue collar world?
Jarrod (05:56):
I think I have, what we call, at least in Massachusetts,
the backwards by designapproach.
Where I see the end product, andthen I know the steps that it
takes to get there.
So, I know that, I've beenaround, like I said, I'll give
the construction industry somany job sites on both
residential and commercial,where you see, from blueprint to
the final sign off for anoccupancy permit, I've seen
(06:16):
every different scope of it, andwhile I might not have been in
the electrical world, theconstruction and carpentry
world, I know what that lookslike.
I know the procedures that theygo through.
So when teachers are teachingthose standards, I kind of know
the practices and protocols andthat's helped me tremendously.
If I didn't have my background,I would not be able to do my job
appropriately.
I could supervise vocationaleducation.
Like I can tell if there's goodteaching and learning going on
(06:37):
in academics, in a CTEclassroom, either one, but to
have that background knowledge.
Of the process and what peoplehave to go through and, you
know, the permit process and youknow, when you go to the bonding
applications, when you're doingbig commercial project, like,
just to see that aspect of itonly comes from my background.
I don't think I would besuccessful in my position if I
didn't have the background I do.
Randy (06:58):
Very good.
And thanks for sharing that.
Tell me a little bit about,having to make hires for
teachers that have industryexpertise and experience.
But what are you looking forwhen you're bringing a Teaching
professional in to a newprofession, because when you're
adding the teaching aspect toit, it's no longer just being an
(07:21):
expert plumber or an expert.
Electrician.
It's being able to now translatethat to a group of younger
people and teaching them.
So what are you looking for whenyou're hiring and what are those
great candidates that you justwant to snatch up?
Jarrod (07:36):
It's tough to say that just your background can make
you a good teacher because likenot everybody can be a teacher.
You can have some of thegreatest technicians and
mechanics and stylists And chefsand bakers and, you know, nurses
and like in every profession,people can excel at what they
do.
But teaching is such it's such afine it's a craft.
(07:57):
It really is.
You have to be able to have thatpersonality and that rapport.
You've got to get buy in fromstudents.
Like you have kids, especiallyin CTE, you have kids that not
only pick your program becauseit might be a career path that
they see themselves in, But theyhave to know, like, I'm going to
spend the next three and a halfyears with this person as one of
my mentors.
And that can make or break akid.
(08:18):
Sometimes if you don't have thatpersonality that a kid can
really gravitate to, they mightnot pick your program.
They may decide, you know what,I don't think I do want to be a
plumber.
I want to be an electricianinstead because I got along with
that teacher better.
So, when I'm looking for acandidate, like, I want somebody
that has the knowledge and thecontent to teach the kids the
standards that they need to besuccessful.
Because our goal is postsecondary placement, like we
want kids to be employable andhave jobs, sustain jobs, and
(08:41):
maintain jobs.
that's our goal.
So I need somebody that canteach the standards, but it's
tough to say, because you haveto have that equity standpoint
when you go through theinterview process and making
sure you feel it.
But there is some subjectivenessto it because you have to have a
gut feeling.
That this person is the rightfit for not only our school, but
our community.
(09:01):
Cause that's really what we'reembodying is this.
We're on the same philosophy andthe same vision that, you know,
you want this person to not onlyfit into your school, but to
your student population and tomake sure it's a good fit for
everyone.
Randy (09:13):
Great.
You mentioned having a gutfeeling.
Tell me about how you make.
decisions.
And does that gut play animportant role?
Or are you like, right now, inparticularly in education, we
talk all the time about datadriven decisions, data driven
decisions.
But I find sometimes some of thebusiness world, the
entrepreneurial side of thehouse, sometimes they're a
(09:34):
little quicker to make decisionsand a little more instinctual.
tell me about how you makedecisions and what part of that
is that gut check?
What part of that is that factfinding?
Jarrod (09:48):
Again, the fact finding I think comes from the person's,
like, I'll go with my ownexperiences.
Like, if someone wasinterviewing me, looking at my
background and what I'veaccomplished.
So, if you're hiring me to be aplumber for your company, then
you gotta look back and say,Alright, what have you done in
plumbing?
Well, I've done residential,I've done some commercial.
I'm a master licensed plumber.
I have, you know, certaincertifications and different
(10:10):
technologies and you know, hotwork certification, OSHA
certification, So, you know,look at certain things you can
say, this is a competent personthat can complete my plumbing
installation safely, right?
When you look at thatbackground.
They might say like, you know,oh, you know, I've just, I
already took another job, but Isaw this one pop up and I was
curious, and if I get it, I'lljust tell that other one that I
quit.
So that tells you that theymight just quit on you, you
(10:31):
know, two weeks later, threeweeks later, if they find a
better fit.
So you want to find someonethat's dedicated to your school
that wants to be at your school.
Right?
You're not just a stepping stoneto get them to a different level
or something like that.
Like, they want to come in, theywant to grow with you, they want
to be a part of your community,they want to be invested in your
students.
Like, those are the things thatyou want to feel that out from a
candidate when you're doing aninterview.
(10:53):
you have to have someconsistency in it.
Because you're going to invest alot of time and a lot of money.
And I think any business ownerdoes this when you're hiring
employees.
We put a lot of time intotraining people into being, you
know, quality professionals.
You don't have to be the best atlesson planning or the best
technician, but if you're a goodhuman, I can bring the rest of
that out of you.
I can teach you how to developlessons and curriculum.
I can't teach your personalitytraits.
(11:14):
I can't teach you to be, youknow, someone that a kid
confides in and someone that akid feels comfortable with.
That comes from your ownpersonal interactions with
people.
Randy (11:22):
Awesome.
So let me ask you this.
I know in our area and I know,you know, just, just reading
from a national perspective,obviously almost every industry
is facing some sort of prettymuch hiring challenges.
The labor market is reallytough.
are you all experiencing that inyour area as far as CTE teachers
and how are you negotiatingprobably that just general labor
(11:43):
shortage from an employerstandpoint?
Jarrod (11:47):
I think we see it in different industries.
Like some industries like ourmedical field, sometimes it's
tough to hire because there'ssuch an abundance of full time
jobs available outside ofteaching.
And people that have never beenin a classroom before, like
those are the people that we'repulling in.
We're pulling industryprofessionals to try to get them
career change.
So I, know, a thousand plumbersin Massachusetts that are
(12:07):
awesome at what they do andgreat technician.
But if I go on a job, say, Hey,would you want to come in to do
this in a school in front of 40kids?
Half of them might pay attentionto you at first.
You know, the other half mightbe walking around.
You might have to try to gettheir attention and try to
convince them to do it.
They're going to be like, no,I'll just go to work.
I'll make my paycheck and gohome.
You know, so.
There's a certain type ofperson, I guess it's in the
teaching industry, but wedefinitely do find the struggles
(12:29):
based on whatever the industryis.
Like, certain industries areharder to find than other
professionals, becausesometimes, you know, the pay
scale with like, municipal jobs,if you're working on, like,
prevailing wage inMassachusetts, if you're a
plumber, an electrician, oryou're in the construction
industry, HVAC, you could bemaking anywhere from 80 to 120
an hour.
Like, that's a, that's a toughpay scale to compete with from
(12:51):
an educational standpoint.
Randy (12:53):
So tell me a little bit about what you are excited
about.
And maybe a big project, a biginitiative that's going to be
happening soon, or you'reworking on launching.
And what's that going to do forkids?
Jarrod (13:07):
Oh boy.
One of the, I feel like ineducation I said this to
somebody recently, I said, I'mdoing this and doing this and
doing this.
And somebody said, yeah, you'rean educator.
So there's no shock.
Within the industry to say thatyou wear many hats.
just as far as our off campus,it's something that I've really
worked on really hard since Iwas a teacher on growing and
(13:28):
evolving because we're adistrict of 9 communities.
So we have 9 sending towns.
That's sent to SoutheasternRegional and I want to make sure
that our kids go back out andthey work within our nine
sending towns.
So there's that give back.
Like, what do we get from ourregional school?
Oh, we built a new welcomecenter.
We built a, you know, we didhouses for Habitat for Humanity.
Or, you know, we worked on thishistorical building.
(13:50):
Like, those are the pieces thatI'm working on because It's
always cool, you know, that,especially in the construction
world, you're driving down theroad and you'll be, you know,
with a grandparent or a dad,like, I worked on that house
over there.
So I want my kids or my studentshere to be able to say that to
their own families.
I worked on that building or wedid that project when I was in
school.
And then just a personal thingthat I participate in is the
mass CTE in Massachusetts.
(14:11):
We have our annual conference atGillette Stadium.
And we moved it there, about sixyears ago, and I've recently
become the leadershipcoordinator.
it's a Friday, Saturdayconference, and I run the
leadership on Friday, and thathas, grown from probably a
consistent dozen to 15 people tonow, we had over 40 people
participating last year,anywhere from, teachers,
directors, superintendents,principals.
(14:33):
In the attendance and I getpresented from all over the
state.
So I think I've really built agreat rapport with my colleagues
across the Commonwealth ofMassachusetts and education And
they dedicate that time tocoming in and just talking to
people about being leaders andbeing positive influences in
Massachusetts, which, if thatresonates with everybody, it
trickles back down to theirschools, which then impacts the
kids.
Randy (14:55):
Absolutely.
Tell me a little bit justgenerally from a general
perspective kind of what, how,what is your leadership method?
What is your style?
I mean obviously in.
education.
We, I know administrators thatare very, very technical.
It's, it's sometimes prettytransactional.
Another buzzword that's outthere is transformational.
But, but how do you lead?
(15:15):
Because I think, yeah.
I know listening to you in thepanel back in December I know, I
know you're pretty reflective onthat.
So share that with us.
You're just your method and howyou approach leadership.
Jarrod (15:29):
I'm not a transactional person.
I'm not a micromanager.
I, I definitely, I care moreabout.
The person that I do theirlesson plans, and I know that
might, not match with many of mycolleagues across the state, but
I want to make sure that peopleare okay.
So, if my teachers arestruggling and they're stressed
out, and they have all thesedeadlines, I want to make sure I
go down and sit in front of themand do wellness checks on
(15:51):
people, across the building.
I don't care if it's a teacher,our adult education, our
custodians.
Our outside grounds crew, who Ihave every morning duty out with
out in the cold right now.
I make sure I check in withpeople and see how people are
doing and people really, I thinkthat makes people feel
appreciated and respected whenyou, you know, when you're aware
of, you know, their personalsituations and their family, or
(16:12):
if somebody was sick in theirfamily, or they had a surgery.
Or, you know, they have, youknow, they're taking care of
their mom, their dad who's sickor, you know, they have a child
who's sick, is a huge win.
Or you got, staff members thathave small children and they get
sick and they're trying to makemodifications so they're not
burning through sick days.
You know, I think things likethat go a long way and it makes
people feel part of a familymore than that.
(16:34):
They're just an employee at yourcompany or a business.
So I definitely put the personalaspect on my interactions with
people.
I spend time with people and myassistant, Jen, she has to
constantly remind me I havemeetings, because I get caught
talking all the time.
If I'm hung up, I was just inour culinary department.
That's probably why I wasrunning late for our meeting
right now.
The kids in there are like, Mr.
(16:55):
Lucia, and they just call me inand I stand there and I'm just
talking with them, I love that.
That's what I get to do everyday for a living.
And they appreciate that.
I go do lunch duty and they comeup to me and kids are dappering
me out when they're likechecking out my Jordans and
like, yo, what's that?
I'll check your drip.
Like, but those interactions,they look at me more than just
being like, I'm a administratorat the school, careful what you
say.
You're going to get in troublearound that guy.
Like.
(17:15):
Kids are excited when they seeme and teachers feel confident
when they see me that they can,they can talk to me, they can
shut the door and you know, theycan vent like all of those
things are like, that's, that'show I lead.
I want to be a person that theycan confide in, but I want to be
a person that inspires them aswell.
Randy (17:29):
It's, I'm always amazed because once I, once I left a
career center and moved on intocentral office cabinet level and
all of that.
You know, you'll always think asa leader that you never want to
forget the people that you'rereally doing it for, but it's
very difficult every time youmake those steps to become more
and more transactional, thepeople, those relationships
(17:51):
become a little more.
abstract unless you're doingsome things that are very
intentional to put yourself backin, make sure you're seeing the
faces, you're seeing theresults.
So I applaud you for that.
Keep that going because That'sgood stuff.
And you talk a lot aboutculinary.
It reminds me that was one ofthe really strong programs that
we had in our career center.
And I spent a lot of time inthere, probably to the detriment
(18:14):
of my waistline because itexpanded a little bit during
those days.
I helped a lot of students to dotheir labs.
So that's a, it was all for thekids and it was all educational,
but that's pretty cool.
So what's on your radaraspirationally?
From here, what else would youlike to accomplish that you see,
and, maybe off in the distance,what would you like to do that
(18:34):
you're not yet doing, but you'reputting things in place to make
happen?
Jarrod (18:39):
My immediate goal is to be a principal.
I said that four years agobecause I worked at Southeastern
Regional, the school I'm at now,as a plumbing teacher, then a
director.
I was here for nine years.
I left, I went back to GreaterNew Bedford Volk where I was a
student and I was there for theCOVID years and then they got me
back up to Southeastern, so I'vekind of ping ponged back and
forth, but within my 15 years ofeducation, I've always said my
(18:59):
goal was to be principal as soonas I thought of administration.
So that's, that's my immediatefuture.
And I think someday I will be asuperintendent, but that's not
on my, I'll say it's not on theimmediate horizon.
I definitely want to be in therole of a principal.
Where I can still kind of havean immediate interaction with
the students because, you know,once you're the superintendent,
(19:20):
I mean, your meetings become alittle more formal, you know,
you're dealing with yourmunicipalities and your towns
and your school committees.
There's a lot, you know, you'regoing to do the financial
committee meetings and theselect meetings and the city,
you know, there's just so muchmore that goes into being a
superintendent.
And I'm 100 percent confidentthat I can do that role.
I think I can do any role in anyhigh school.
I truly believe that 100%.
(19:41):
I just think where I want to be.
Is the principal of the highschool.
That's my immediate goal.
And I don't know, maybe I'd lovethat so much, maybe I'd never
become a superintendent.
Randy (19:50):
Sure.
And you know some advice somepeople gave me when I, when I
did go to that cabinet level wasto remember when you're making
that step in that realm some ofthose jobs have shelf life.
And it's not just a matter ofand it's not always when you're
ready to quit it that you knowthat it's time to quit, you know
but just, you know, thepolitical aspect becomes more
(20:12):
the accountabilities that kindof the condition really of
public ed and the public opinionsometimes of public ed at this
point in time.
One thing that you know, youmentioned and kind of made me
think a little bit is also when.
Thinking about talking withpeople kind of like yourself
that are kind of mid careerhave, have quite a bit of career
life left.
One thing, one mistake that Ireally made early, early on in
(20:33):
my professional career, before Ieven got into public education I
left a job early on cause Ididn't quite have the maturity.
to really weigh the balance,know what was really going on.
And I kind of had my feelingshurt.
I was kind of caught up in myfeelings and I left a job
without really having a goodlanding zone.
(20:54):
And I was sitting in aleadership conference several
years ago, I believe it was JohnMaxwell, and he was talking
about don't run from something.
Unless you have something tojump to.
And I thought that was reallygood advice.
And that's one thing that Ialways encourage young leaders.
Don't run away from something.
Make sure you're jumping tosomething.
The other thing is prepare nowfor the opportunity, because
(21:17):
likely some of thoseopportunities and openings that
will happen and get you there.
And I have no doubt you'll endup being there and probably
more, they always won't be atthe right timing for you.
But those doors and thosewindows just open so often.
So be ready for the opportunity.
Prepare now for the opportunity.
that's going to present itselflater.
(21:38):
And just by talking with you andhearing you talk about your
school, your desire, your careerthe way you lead, I'm sure
you're going to be offered manyof those doors of opportunity to
walk through.
Jarrod (21:49):
appreciate that.
Randy (21:50):
Give me three things that you think every emerging leader
needs to know about leading indynamic organizations.
Jarrod (22:02):
Number one, I think you have to be a good listener.
that's the number one.
if you constantly engage withanyone in any conversation and
you just sit and wait for yourturn to speak.
You're truly not listening.
So I think the number one thingyou have to do is listen.
Second, I would say that everyexperience is an opportunity to
learn.
(22:23):
You're going to be thrown in,some really great situations.
You're going to be thrown insome really difficult
situations.
And you have to look at them andI have a growth mindset poster
right behind me on the wall.
You have to look at it and saylike, you know, not why is this
happening to me?
What am I learning from this?
And again, that's with positiveand negative interactions.
The last thing I can say isthat, and I preach this a lot
(22:47):
just, to my own staff.
And then again, when I teach mycollege courses for Fitchburg.
Everyone you meet.
In life, right?
I don't care if it's a threeyear old kid or an 80 year old
elderly woman, everyone you meetin this world has something.
of knowledge or something youcan gain from them.
(23:08):
And what I mean by that is like,you ever go to like a sub shop
or a pizza place and they havethose little flyers on the wall,
and it's like, oh, guitarlessons, and you can take a
little tab, call them tabs,right?
Everybody has a million tabshanging off them.
And there's some excellent ones,there's some great ones, there's
some really, really bad ones.
You take every single tab youcan get off of every person you
encounter.
And you remind yourself topractice the great things that
(23:30):
you learn from them, and then tonot practice the horrible things
that you see from them, right?
a three year old will remind youjust to be happy for no reason
at all, And then when you meet,an 80 year old person, and they
start reflecting back on theirlife, and they start saying, Oh,
I wish I would have done this,wish I would have, like, you
think of those.
regret instances.
And I should go take thatvacation.
And I should have asked thatgirl out and I should have went
to dinner with my friends thatnight.
(23:51):
So everybody in every instanceof life has something that you
can learn from, take everythingyou can from them.
And then you build kind of yourown philosophy based on other
people's experiences and whatthey've done.
And that, I think that helps youbecome a better, well rounded
person.
Randy (24:07):
That is an awesome word picture.
Jarrod (24:08):
Yeah.
Randy (24:09):
I'm going to steal that and use that again.
Jarrod (24:12):
Just take them, put them in your pocket.
And then you, you know, youdon't hear empty in your pocket.
So you're like, Oh, I rememberthat.
You meet some real amazingpeople with some great tabs and
you meet some real toxic peoplewith some bad tabs.
Take them all.
Remind yourself either to dothem or not to do them, one or
the other, but it's just goingto help you.
Randy (24:27):
I asked you about how you lead others.
How do you lead yourself?
Jarrod (24:35):
That's a deep question.
How do I lead myself?
Randy (24:43):
the reason I asked that is because somebody asked me
that one time and then followedit up with, who do you think the
toughest person to lead is?
And sometimes it's me.
Jarrod (24:54):
Yeah, it is.
Cause like, how do I maintainmy, my positivity, right?
How do you, how do you come inevery day?
And that, I mean, I say like,when I come in every day, I
don't have, this is, this is atough part of being a leader.
You don't have the opportunityto, not that you can't have bad
days, because we all have baddays, we know that.
We all have a backpack, right?
(25:16):
You have great things in yourbackpack, and then some people
have a single parent income in abackpack and, a little brother,
a little sister that's bringingtheir sibling to school in the
morning because mom or dad'sworking third shift.
so everybody's backpacks heavy.
We talked about that earlier.
what's going on in their life,the sick parent, the sick
grandparent.
The kid's sick, or they losttheir job, whatever.
How do you come in every day andbe a leader of a building with
(25:36):
your own personal stuff goingon, but you have to maintain
that positivity?
I'd say that's probably the mostdifficult part of being a leader
in a building, in any aspect,any industry, any business.
What keeps me going, my kids aremy positive outlook.
I get to reflect on them everyday.
seeing the light that they giveme and then also I love making
people not only happy, butexcited about being in this
(25:58):
school when a teacher comes andtells me they appreciated so
much that I came in and spenttime with them and talk to them
and I just heard them and I waslistening to them and nobody's
ever done this or, not enoughpeople listen to our side of the
story kind of thing.
Like when teachers give me thatfeedback, it makes me realize
that I'm in the right place.
I'm in the right industry.
And that's kind of a feed for meto keep me going.
Those positive interactions thatpeople say like that, I matter
(26:21):
to them.
Those are the things thatinspire myself to help me be an
effective leader.
Randy (26:26):
And I concur with that.
And that's one thing that I alsotoo found sometimes when you
were having the worst day andthere was the least amount of
positive feedback for anythingthat you're doing.
I don't know.
I figured out a way that if Iwent out and spread some
positive feedback to others itdiluted that I appreciate you
and the work you're doing.
(26:47):
And thank you so much for beingon this.
Podcast with me.
I wish you well, love to stay intouch with you and build a
relationship of colleagues.
Jarrod (26:55):
Absolutely.
Yeah, we will absolutely stay intouch, Randy.
I really appreciate you givingme this opportunity.
There's obviously a reason thatI ran into you in Texas and
hopefully this is the first ofmany interactions.
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