Currently scheduled for release in January of 2026, I am excited to share a snippet of my newest book, and first solo book since “The Innovator’s Mindset,” titled “Forward, Together: Moving Schools from Conflict to Community in Contentious Times.” One of the things that is really important in my writing process is that I do not hide my work and surprise people with it in the future, but work through my thoughts and ideas in an open space.
I believe this book is quite timely (and hopefully, timeless), but the opening (below) hopefully demonstrates a progression in my own thinking, learning, and action. In short, you can have the best ideas in the world, but how you connect with people and how they connect with you is more essential to the progression of a community.
Dr. Jill Siler, Deputy Executive Director for Professional Learning for the Texas Association of School Administrators, shared the following in her endorsement of the book:
Through honest storytelling, practical principles, and a deep belief in the power of community, George reminds us that progress doesn’t come from winning arguments, but from building trust, fostering connection, and working side by side. This is a must-read for educators and leaders who want to not only navigate contentious times but emerge stronger, together.
“Any destination in the distance we are trying to head to is much easier to get to when we work together rather than in opposition.”
In Forward, Together, George Couros brings this truth to life with compelling stories, actionable strategies, and a deep belief in the power of unity.
This is an essential read for anyone committed to building stronger schools and communities through collaboration and connection.
Below is an unedited and unpolished version of the opening that I wanted to share with you today. Thank you for taking the time to check it out!
Forward, Together (Preview)
It is 2011, and I am sitting in a session at a school leadership conference as a school principal, listening to the presenter discuss the issues with technology in education (and the world), and how schools should not be using it at all.
For the two years prior, I had worked with my school to figure out ways to integrate technology into our school in a way that would meaningfully impact learning, connection, and make us more efficient. As you can guess, this message did not sit well with me.
What did I do?
I pulled out my computer and started blogging.
And not just blog, but I “mad blog.” It’s different.
The post I wrote is titled “This is not optional anymore,” and it is a scathing rebuke of the session. Here is a snippet from the post:
“There can no longer be an ‘opt out’ clause when dealing with technology in our schools, especially from our administrators. We need to prepare our kids to live in this world now and in the future. Change may feel hard, but it is part of learning. We expect it from our kids; we need to expect it from ourselves.
This is not optional anymore.”
That will show them!
My favorite part of the post was when I bolded the word “now” to guilt people into my way of thinking. It was my way of saying to people, “Agree with me, or else!”
To this day, I am both embarrassed and proud of that post. Ashamed that I once wrote it, but proud that I can revisit it and see just how much I’ve grown since then. After all, isn’t true growth measured by our ability to look back on who we were and appreciate how far we’ve come?
You can actually read the post yourself here (I didn’t use Grammarly back then because it didn’t exist, so please don’t judge!).
As I look back at what I wrote that day, I reflect on what I was trying to convey and what I aimed to accomplish. There seemed to be a disconnect between the two.
Of course, I hoped people would see the importance of using technology in meaningful ways for their students and their own learning. That message is one I still believe to this day, and have been thoughtful of adding “in meaningful ways” before the term “using technology” to distinguish the importance of being considerate in their approach.
But it was my tone that was the issue.
The people who already agreed with me probably continued to do so.
That was never the target audience.
My intent was to reach the people who weren’t on my side, and I probably did the exact opposite.
Do you know how I know that? If I had read the same blog post I just wrote even three years earlier, I would have been livid. When I saw how technology was being leveraged in classrooms in the early 2000s (including my own), it was creating a disconnect between humans and a connection to the robots. I wasn’t having any of it, and even though I started as a “Computer Teacher” at the high school and elementary level, at this moment in my career, I was as anti-technology as I ever could have been.
…If you want to help move people from “their point A” to “their point B,” you have to remember you were probably at that “point A” yourself. Through the lens of empathy, you are more likely to better understand the needs, fears, and goals of others, helping them take steps on their journey and move forward.
That is part of the opening introduction, with the hope of first pointing the finger at myself rather than someone else. It was a great reflective opportunity to write this book, and I was honored to have the amazing Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket write the foreword.
The book is organized into six Principles, designed to share big ideas for bringing people together, followed by six Perspectives that acknowledge learning is messy, and when things don’t go as planned, those stories and ideas will help you start over again the next day.
I look forward to sharing this book with the world, and thank you for taking the time to read it today. It really means a lot!
