What is it about the end of the school year that seems to drain our engines, run down our batteries, and just push thoughts of summer and beaches? We are seeing the end, we are seeing the finish line.

John Maxwell is a prolific writer, author, speaker and pastor. I have always loved his books and hearing him speak. Recently, he offered up a word that exploded my thinking about this time of year, the word was FINISHING. To finish means to arrive at the end, to bring to a desired or required state, to achieve the goal.

During my 15 years of coaching school leaders, I recall there have been many disappointing conversations about people who do not finish well. As school leaders we have a very short calendar to advance a year’s growth in every child. Yet, the behavioral patterns emerge … days before holidays, before breaks, and mostly before the end of the school year where some folks just stop short or slow down before crossing the finish line.

Throughout history there are many stories of athletic events lost because a player or team slowed before the line was crossed. It might have been loss of hope of winning, loss of focus, loss of energy, loss of confidence, or loss of commitment to the goal.

Emperor Nero of the Roman Empire, very obese and weak, wanted to run in an Olympic race. So he rode part way in his carriage, got out and ran a couple of minutes and then got back into the carriage to cross the finish line. As was his nature, he wanted to be crowned Olympic Champion. Out of fear his followers cheered and called him champion. Directed at Nero, Apostle Paul courageously wrote publicly that our work in life is to “finish the race.”

Leaders today must continually be the positive reminder to all that our personal and professional responsibility is to finish strong. No one can be successful if you don’t finish what you start. Finishing strong is a sign of commitment, integrity, and excellence. Finishing strong is about choice. Each of us has the power to choose how we perform a job or a task and to finish strong.

Dan Green, author of Finish Strong, offers 7 Keys to Finishing Strong that relate directly to life and work in schools. You will see how easy they are and that most likely you already have all seven working for you.

1. Have clear measurable GOALS.
2. Make a COMMITMENT; it is amazing what changes when we commit to someone.
3. Remember your PURPOSE; purpose directs the path to your goal; without a purpose it becomes easy to drift from thing to thing.
4. PATIENCE; in every challenge there are highs and lows. Patience provides the space to think and believe deeply in your success to finish strong.
5. PASSION; the most important thing is to love what we do. Enthusiasm creates energy, passion provides the emotion. Energy + Passion = Finish Strong!
6. STRENGTH; much more than size or power, strength is your character, your WILL to succeed, your mental toughness, your ability to forgive, and what makes a great leader.
7. INTEGRITY; the centerpiece of character. The slightest compromise of your integrity will leave your character flawed in some way. Choose your thoughts, your words and your actions carefully.

The most important responsibility of an educator is to finish strong with our students. When we finish strong, our students will finish stronger. And when we do and they do, we all learn life’s most important lesson.