Elliot Washor's TGIF 01.09.2026

Are you with me now? A. J. Ryder

And them Nashville Cats

Play clean as country water.

Nashville Cats

Play wild as mountain dew.

Nashville Cats

Been playing since they's babies.

Nashville Cats

Get work before they're two.

John Sebastian

Well those lines just about sum up the staff and students that we met in Nashville at our ImBlaze/B-U retreat. It was a blessing to be face to face with our team coming from as far away as India. It was a blessing to be in the school with Dr, Brenda Diaz, Gary Hook, Sparkle King and staff and students. And it was a blessing to be in a city where people who don’t know one another say hello to one another. For me, it was also a trip down memory lane because I was asked to talk about how it all got started with a superintendent and a mayor of Nashville in 2008. Nashville Big Picture has always had exceptional internships. Is this because of the culture of the entire city? I think it has something to do with it. Given that we were discussing getting students out and connected to adults in their communities, what environment could be better to have that conversation? During our time with students, I was paired with a student who has spent 3 ½ years at an elementary school where he studied all aspects of being a principal. His insights were amazing. Next year, he’s off to college and we are going to stay in touch.

Our two-days of scheduling allowed for both serious and joyful times together. This allowed for new ideas to sink in different spaces. Some big questions that we discussed were: Do we make ImBlaze accessible to the masses and see what happens or do we become more selective in our approach to who can use ImBlaze and BU? At one point, I just blurted out, “This is HARD! The laughter that followed was the affirmation that “YES.!” What we do is hard and that’s just part of doing quality work. Also to give us some perspective from the outside, one of Andrew’s friends Drew Barker from the Harvard Ed. LD. Program gave us some real keen insight into where we might go. All in all, it was a great way to start the New Year. Thanks to David for putting it all together.

“Create an environment for learning”

For decades I’ve noticed how the best coaches, teachers, CEO’s, etc. have always slipped in this nearly innocuous phrase that what they do is: Create an environment for learning. In this case, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla uses this phrase over and over to explain how he took a team of players who had little playing time and created an environment for learning on the field, in the locker room and wherever else they met. I’m always thinking: Is that what we do? Whether it is in school, at an internship, or outside in a park, we have to create an environment for learning. Does the rest just happen? This is easier said than done. Just being in a place is not enough. More has to be done to make the place into an environment for learning and that is the magic of the best coaches, teachers, leaders, contributors.

Over the holidays I couldn’t stop thinking about The Velvet Hammer I got at the Juice Awards. Turns out when I looked it up this is what I found.

A "velvet hammer" describes a person or method that is gentle, subtle, and graceful (the velvet) but delivers a strong, firm, and impactful result (the hammer). It's a leadership or communication style that combines empathy and understanding with decisive action, often used to give constructive criticism, address issues, or guide people effectively without force or harshness. The term suggests achieving significant outcomes through finesse, respect, and strategic communication, rather than brute force. 

Once again, the adage “if all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail” doesn’t apply. A deeper dive reveals there are all different types of hammers for all different types of uses. At our ImBlaze/BU meeting this week the use of AI came up. To me, it seems like so many are already using AI as the hammer where once again, all solutions seemingly look like nails. But wait a second, the adage doesn’t work with a physical hammer nor does it work with an AI one. Already researchers studying AI are seeing its overuse promoting ‘metacognitive laziness’ for challenging tasks and ‘metaphysical laziness’ for challenging existential issues. Is being human being lazy or is it stepping up? When I blurted out earlier, “It’s hard!” I meant it.

Question the Question

Probably about a year ago Larry Robertson, a friend of Joe Youcha’s called me up to ask if he could interview me on a book he is writing about questions. I had no clue what I was going to be asked but last week he shared a bit about what he wrote and it is quite an amazing book that drew me in. I asked Larry if he would speak with us once the book comes out and he assured me he would. This is one of those books that anyone involved in any sort of learning endeavor should read and for that matter anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of who we are at our core.

Next week, I’ll be back in San Diego – This day and always Give Love First!