The Smart Thinking Podcast
Ted Neitzke brings you the ”The Smart Thinking Podcast.” Smart Thinking is for anyone and everyone -- because we are all leaders. Join us weekly for reflective activities and strategies to grow yourself and others. Ted shares his leadership expertise with simple to apply tools. You will grow in your ability to step into the storm’s life presents with energy and optimism. Just like the 🦬!
Episodes
The month of May is filled with opportunities for recognition and especially within our schools. Take a listen as Ted shares a process to use to create intentional and meaningful recognition in your culture. The process will bring Rays of Recognition throughout your culture.
Click here for retreat registration.
What is a genius? What is the impact of AI on our learning? How is our memory being impacted by digital technology? Why are little kids becoming more challenging? Find out in this conversation with Ted and Dr. Jared Horvath: neuroscientist, professor, author, documentary filmmaker, dad, and entrepreneur.
Did you know that 60% of male teens have online gambled at least once? Our children have too many opportunities to make bad choices, create addiction, and find themselves in accelerated anxiety loops. Ted tackles the newest research and findings on online and app-based gambling and the impact on teens. He ends with a simple suggestion: TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN!
- Summer leadership retreat registration: https://store.cesa6.org/pr...
Tired of all of the negativity? It can be hard not to be and negativity is fueled by uncertainty and there is a lot of that lately.
Let's do something about it. Let's get optimistic (Think Olivia Newton-John)! Take a listen as we explore reflective questions to frame your day and bring renewed energy towards your mindset. Ted has a ton of energy on this episode and brings you a great way to frame your oncoming storms!
This week Ted continues to bring you texts to read and the theme this week is -- growing yourself. Leaders are readers and readers are leaders. This collection of texts will help you with your self-discipline, mindset, leadership behaviors, and reflections as a person for others. A great collection of texts to support you and allow you to grow.
The books:
- Discipline is Destiny, Ryan Holiday
- The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins
- Min...
People are leaving their jobs and we need a proactive process that allows us to understand how to help. Ted explores the idea of stay interviews and explains the powerful impact that asking positively framed questions can have for leaders as they are seeking to retain staff. He then adds a twist at the end which will help students!
55% of Americans (per GALLUP) indicate that they do not know what is expected of them at work. This is not good for stakeholders or leaders. This episode shares a process to help you help others seek clarity and become crystal clear of their expectations. The process begins with providing everyone choice and voice in their world so that they have permission to seek clarity and be engaged and empowered.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are amazing and yet they are facing threats online that others generations could not have even imagined. Sextortion being one and this episode explores how to talk to young people about the threats they face in the 2020's. All of it by learning how to LEAN into difficult conversations with young people.
Learn together
Engage the topic
Announce expectations
Next steps
Organizations create structure and people create culture. So how do we better support Gen Z in the workforce for a great culture? Take a listen as Ted breaks down strategies to support younger employees and colleagues - -oh heck -- these processes are actually good for everybody.
- Describe how you set yourself up for the future.
- List programs and supports you need in your current season of life.
- Describe innovations you could ...
The RESCUE principle will help us increase the success of others as well as ourselves. Take a listen as Ted breaks down the behaviors of great friends and colleagues to support wellbeing, engagement, and the application of our strengths.
- Resources
- Empathy
- Support their strengths
- Challenge
- Understand
- Expectations
Buy Ted's book Duke's Storm here.
How good are you or your organization at proactively anticipating what could happen? This episode shares a process borrowed from emergency management and discusses the positive impact of using the wisdom of the crowd to proactively plan for the future. This way everyone understands their role and can support the system in better ways.
- Describe where you could apply this process to increase team ownership and understanding.
- Lis...
There is now a name to our buffalo... Duke! Ted is now the author of a children's book entitled: Duke's Storm: A Story of Courage.
This episode is the story about the story and how Ted was "nudged" by a high school sophomore that had participated in his student leadership training. Listen and hear how their shared experience has created a beautiful book.
This episode details how multi-generational people can do great things togeth...
What is your process to provide energy whenever you are midway through a process, project or year? This process introduces an engaging practice to support what Ted calls MC Squared. Milestones, Communicated, and Celebrated for engagement and empowerment. All by playing BINGO!
- List current initiatives that could use a boost.
- Describe how you provide energy midway in your classroom, school, department, or office.
- Determine how ...
This week Ted continues his tradition of bringing you books in the context of your life. This "pile" is all about you developing you! Listen as he breaks down five texts that are best read in order. These books will help you plan forward your life and leadership.
The books:
- Build the Life You Want, Brooks and Winfrey (Not a country band)
- Principles, Dalio
- The Mountain is You, Wiest
- Tiny Habits, Fogg
- 10 to 25 The Science of Mot...
Did you know that only 1% of the people who make resolutions succeed after one year? Let's disrupt that pattern by taking a new approach. The approach? Resolution by committee. Get a group together to increase your success, hold each other accountable, and make micro changes for macro outcomes!
- List who your resolution committee will be.
- Describe your commitment to self growth and improvement.
- List the people who would benefit...
Great leaders apply empathy to every situation. They also practice self-empathy. This conversation with Meredith about her learning and tactics around overthinking will help you in many ways. First, empathy/self-empathy. Second, identifying what is going on in your heart and head. Third, providing you with strategies to support yourself and others. Finally, a language to help you claim and tame what causes you to be mentally or emo...
As we close out 2025, there are opportunities to support reflection and planning. Take a listen on this spin of a classic Charles Dickens tale and how Ted created reflection prompts to support those that you lead.
Here are the prompts:
- Please share advice you would give yourself when visiting 14-year-old you.
- Please share advice you would give yourself when visiting you your first-year teaching/in your career.
- Please share so...
This episode is a great conversation between Emily, Tim and Ted about all things recognition, engagement and how using your Clifton Strengths can amplify the world around you. Listen in for great new research, tips for coaching others and some new ways to support others.
The research on great recognition practices. It must be:
- Fulfilling
- Authentic
- Equitable
- Embedded
- Personalized
Have you ever asked a kid for advice? If not, you should start. Take a listen as Ted shares the wisdom of nearly 200 middle school students. These young people gave great advice for the adults in their lives. Use his process to amplify your teams, friends and family this Thanksgiving.
- Describe the advice you’ll take from the students.
- List who would benefit from getting this type of advice.
- Describe how you could use this pro...
Join Ted and listen to him with what might be the most enthusiasm he's had yet on the podcast. He found a new Google tool called NotebookLM and he breaks down the power of this AI for use in leadership, organizations, and classrooms. There is a AI generated podcast within the podcast. Super smart thinking this week.
- List application you have for NotebookLM.
- Describe your wonderings around applying AI in your work.
- List you wor...
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