Cultivating Your Leadership Courage by Being Yourself– The Parable of the Suburban Waver

James Robinson • July 25, 2024

What's your  personal leadership "wave" to the world?

Between 6:45 and 7:45 AM, a man in his 70s walks the main thoroughfare near my home. This segment of road connects the rural fairgrounds to a suburban highway populated by mediocre chain restaurants, car dealerships, and supermarkets. From one end of this thoroughfare to the other is five miles–  a good trek for anybody, of any age. 


But what makes this man peculiar is that he waves at every car that passes by. It’s not a lukewarm greeting, but a vertical stretching of his arms, punctuated by a smile.  His vocabulary of waves, smiles and greetings is extensive. My favorite is the two-handed arm raise that he lowers down while extending two fingers, directly pointing at the driver – and his lips yelling, “Good morning.” 


The energy is contagious. Drivers smile and wave back. It’s impossible not to at this point.


His practice of waving has been going on for years. Now,  drivers  expect to see him every morning. They honk, slow down, and  acknowledge the Waver to reciprocate. On the few days the Waver doesn’t walk, it’s noticeable. On those days, the part of the world I live in seems different– there’s something absent and its visceral. Once, I saw the Waver at a local coffee shop, and witnessed his brand of celebrity in action. All patrons paused, gawked attentively at the barista, and eavesdropped. She asked him what we all wanted to know, “Are you the guy who waves at everyone in the morning?”


“Yep.” 


And that was it. He smiled, paid for his coffee and left.  It was  perfect.. 


What I love most is that the Waver’s social media platform is simple. It’s a sidewalk and a busy street. That’s it.  Observing the Waver for nearly ten years, here are a few insights I’ve gleaned:


  1. Conjure the Courage to Be You, No Matter What: Waving 100s of times per hour is both eccentric and generous.  There’s no guarantee anybody will wave back or if if will help your reputation. In the early days of his practice, he may have been frustrated and drivers may have perceived him as a kook. Going into the world to perform your personal work takes real courage– even if one’s reputation takes a negative shot initially. 
  2. Consistency and Persistence Pays Off:  Because the Waver consistently shows up, he has led people to expect that small shot of joy every day, at those times.  Had he done it on some random Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays, the result wouldn’t  be the same.  The same would be true if he didn’t persist through storms or the scalding Tennessee Sun.
  3. It's Done in Good Faith: Based on the Waver’s response in the coffee shop, he’s waving to people and spreading positivity because it’s a good thing to do. He knows people like to be seen and acknowledged. He’s not looking for fame or recognition, he just wants the world to have a great day. That’s a task worth waking up for. 



I'm going to finish with a question:  What's your personal leadership wave to the world?  For me, it's posting this blog, creating content and coaching .If you’re an introverted leader wanting the courage to be yourself within your organization, let’s connect. 


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A Swarm of Lemmings:Writers' Passive Suicide and the Crisis in K-12 Literacy – Implications for Western Civilization

By James Robinson • March 7, 2026
A swarm of lemmings continues their march to the proverbial sea, attracted by a temporary vision of sun and beauty, but ultimately distracted by that vision—thus, they fall off the cliff in a passive suicide. It wasn’t a conscious decision. Their deaths were the consequence of distraction alone. In this allegory, the lemmings are writers (and many in publishing) who ignore the erosion in elementary schools and K-12 education. Writers may create brilliant work, but if students graduate without the skills to engage deeply, our audience vanishes. From a cultural perspective, this is alarming—and the stakes extend to the health of Western civilization itself. In my day job, as Executive Director of a small non-profit, I oversee a pre-K program, a charter school, and our efforts to revitalize a publishing company re-dedicated to high-quality children's books, which we're strongly considering. These trends hit close to home: we're building foundations early because the data shows the stakes are high—not just for individuals, but for the shared knowledge, critical reasoning, and civic discourse that have sustained Western democratic traditions for centuries. Key trends: Average Grade Level of Books Sold Now vs. 1950: Decline Toward Grade 5–7 Bestsellers today often score 5th–7th grade on Flesch-Kincaid (many 4th–6th for broad appeal), with simpler sentences and vocabulary to match declining adult reading stamina. Mid-20th-century works frequently demanded more (closer to 7th–9th in analyses), reflecting a market shift toward accessibility amid falling literacy. Didactic vs. Non-Didactic vs. Classics: Effects on Brain Development Narrative-driven reading (non-didactic stories or classics) sustains broader brain activation—engaging language, empathy, memory, and connectivity regions more effectively than passive or overly didactic methods. Neuroscience shows immersive storytelling promotes neuroplasticity and deeper neural pathways, while fragmented/instructional approaches may limit sustained engagement and cognitive depth needed for complex literature. If Trends Continue: What Will Texts Look Like in the Future—4th Grade? Pleasure reading has plummeted ~40% over 20 years (daily readers from 28% peak in 2004 to 16% in 2023); adult literacy scores dropped sharply (many below 6th grade); NAEP reading scores remain at historic lows. Unchecked, popular texts could simplify to 4th-grade or lower: basic vocabulary, short sentences, reduced nuance—eroding space for sophisticated writing. These declines threaten more than literacy: they undermine the foundations of Western civilization. Deep reading fosters critical thinking, empathy, and shared cultural references essential to informed citizenship and democratic debate. As reading wanes, societies risk shallower discourse, greater susceptibility to manipulation, weakened civic engagement, and a fraying of the reflective reasoning that has driven progress, innovation, and self-governance in the West. This isn't inevitable. Writers and creators bring storytelling, imagination, and engagement that schools and early programs need most. Call to Action: Get involved in schools and early education. Ask kids about the books you remember reading when you were a kid– The Oddyssey, Of Mice and Men, Leaves of Grass. Advocate for narrative-rich curricula, or support initiatives like ours in pre-K and charter settings. Or send me an email, I'd love to chat. When we relaunch our website in the summer, we'll have some exciting news. We have a lot of work to do-- and we're all learning from it.

Venturing into the Courage Gap, #1

By James Robinson • February 21, 2026
Pushing and Pulling The "push" connotes aggression whereas the "pull" connotes invitation. The "push" is a criticism, and the "pull" is coffee and advice at a nice cafe selected just for the advisee. Both are needed in different measures, at different times and often towards the same ends. In 2024, I engaged in a sabbatical to step back, read, study, think, and reflect about schools and leading through the pandemic. It was a very prolific period. However, what made it prolific was the "push"-- spending days reviewing data and learning to criticize the sector I worked in. The Courage Gap Talks document those learnings, in the most lo-fi way. They're ugly, but they inform the work and solutions we're imlpementing at the park, where our goal is to "pull" folks into a transformative educational envioronment. Originally, they were called "Career-Suicide Notebooks", the original plan being to walk away from education all together. Instead, what I learned will inform my work for years. It's been said that Buddhist monks can see the world in a grain of rice. After being immersed in education for several years, I see the world in a school ecosystem. Thus, schools enter my creative work and the way I think about creativity enters my work in schools. The first video is called 33% and it looks at the proficiency scores of 4th grade students on the NAEP Assessment. Additionally, it looks at the broad economy that works to maintain the status quo.