Today is a somber day for me. It is the fourteenth anniversary of the passing of a man whom I never met.

Those who know me well know that I have an encyclopedic knowledge of The Beatles. It is both a useless and helpful quality of mine. I can usually default to it as an ice breaker or reference point. It is amusing for some when I can make analogy to The Beatles in any given situation. My wife sometimes muses that I need win big on “Jeopardy!” if the The Beatles were ever a category.

My useless knowledge actually earned me a Grand Prize for a Radio Contest about twelve years ago. We were living in Massachusetts at the time and a local Classic Rock Station was running a trivia call-in contest. I was driving home with the wife and kids, heard the question, called in on a whim and answered the question correctly. My name was then entered into a Grand Prize Drawing for dinner with musician Neil Innes at the upcoming Beatles Convention.

Yes, you heard correctly. There are fan conventions for Beatle Fans. One of these was coming to the Boston Area. Neil Innes is a musician and satirist. He appeared with his band, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band,  in The Beatles 1967 movie, “Magical Mystery Tour.” Later, Neil collaborated with the Monty Python comedy troupe. He is affectionately considered to be the “Seventh Python.” Innes was also responsible for The Rutles, a spot-on, cutting Beatles Parody.

Neil was also one of George Harrison’s best friends.

Surprisingly, my name was drawn for the Grand Prize for a three-day pass to The Fest for Beatles Fans Convention and dinner with Neil Innes. My wife and I had such an entertaining evening with Mr. Innes and a local DJ. We talked about many things from education to the prophetic nature of the film, “Network.” Neil was a witty and affable dinner companion. He possessed no star ego trips and provided the soft momentum for conversation.

This dinner had taken place a couple of years after George Harrison’s death. In the course of our conversation, Neil made a mild reference to a conversation he had with Paul McCartney at George’s private memorial service. It was a quick side bar from Neil but it was powerful. He shared a very poignant moment regarding his friend’s service. The reference humanized my icon for me.

When we got to the end of our time with Neil, my wife and I shared our favorite song by The Rutles and asked for an autograph. Neil complied with class and later dedicated our favorite song to Deb and me during his live performance.

There was so much more I wanted to share with Neil but it was time for us to move back to our respective pockets in the world. I wanted to tell Neil how his friend’s first solo album serves as soundtrack for solace for me. I wanted to tell him how his friend’s album, “All Things Must Pass” uplifts and inspires me on a daily basis. I yearned to share with him how Side 3 of that album carried me through the post-traumatic stress of being mugged at gunpoint when I was a college student in Washington, D.C.  “Beware of Darkness” is the lead-off track on that Side 3 and the opening chords echo for me that the world is both a place of danger and safety. The song reassures me that the all will be well if you simply stay aware and that life’s pitfalls can be conquered.

I just wanted to say that Side 3 of “All Things Must Pass” was a pillar of solace for me during a difficult time. I wanted to express how grateful I was for his friend sharing his gifts of wisdom and music with so many.

I never did say those things.

George Harrison died fourteen years ago today.  His album, “All Things Must Pass,” was recorded and released forty-five years ago.

I am forty-five years old.

George Harrison’s words and music continue to resonate for years to come. For me, there will always be Side 3.

Lately, I have been dwelling upon the Classic Albums that served as ignition for innovation. As a Lead Learner of a school amidst a paradigm shift, I am pulling those albums that sparked a revolution in the music industry: “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles. These albums are my go-to for unpacking inspiration. (Eventually, I will write about other albums for the purposes of variety in this blog.)

Both of these albums were intentionally created in an atmosphere of creativity, collaboration and love. These albums echo with an unrelenting resonance that still provokes discussion, insight and memory.

A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of listening to a message from my friend and colleague, Jennifer Ladd (@jenladd).  Jen is an inspiring 4th Grade Teacher in Michigan. I have had the fortunate luck to collaborate with Jen last summer as she guest moderated #EdBeat, the weekly Twitter Chat I co-host with Natalie Krayenvenger (@NKrayenvenger). Since Jen’s guest host stint, we have grown into being friends. We bond over sharing our mutual admiration for “Seinfeld” along with our various adventures with our families. Jen is a sincere voice who challenges herself by always seeking opportunities to grow and connect as an educator.

I might add that Jen and I have conversations via Voxer (@voxer). This is essentially a Social Media App used to share recorded voice messages, texts, etc.

Jen is a natural storyteller. It also helps that she has one of those dulcet NPR-type voices. Having a conversation with Jen is like a having a cool, personal episode of NPR’s “Fresh Air” in your airwaves. Jen had been sharing another story from her 4th Grade Class affectionately known as the “Laddiators.” Jen had been facilitating an engaging classroom activity known as the “Cardboard Challenge.” (cardboardchallenge.com)

The Cardboard Challenge provides kids an opportunity to engage in play, imagination and critical-thinking. The pursuit of curiosity is permitted in this imagination-laden activity.

Jen’s message was almost symphonic in her detailing of her students’ classroom victories involving their imagination being unleashed. She said something that struck a chord within me:

“I think this is going to be one of those memories. This is going to be one of those times you remember fondly something that happened at school.”

Our work in the noble profession of Education is impactful. Sometimes, we are not always in tune with that impact. How inspiring it was to hear Jen share this awareness! There are times when we dwell on the mundane and inessential the schoolhouse. I am guilty of expending too much focus on the bogged deadline and minutiae meandering.  Jen’s words resonate, inspire and challenge. We should tune into our words and actions as educators. Most importantly, we must tune into the impact that ripples along the path we design with our students.

In her sharing of her students’ involvement in this activity, Jen sounded jubilant. This was the sound of a teacher who knew she hit that right note in the classroom. It is euphoric when it happens and there is a sense of urgency to share it with the nearest person willing to listen. I am grateful for the opportunity to walk in the genesis of an eternal memory with my friend.

We are reaching 32,000 feet on a beautiful fall morning. All of the elements of a perfect take-off are falling into place. The usual words come to mind in describing this event: picture-perfect…blue sky…smiling, well-coiffed flight attendants…passengers sedately arrayed in ear buds and magazines.

In the midst of this tranquility, one of my hands is becoming one with the arm rest in a furious death grip. The other hand is squeezing Natalie’s hand. She is my travel companion and #EdBeat Collaborator. I look out and see the horizon angling upward. Terror seizes me. I must look like the paranoid character William Shatner portrayed in that “Twilight Zone” Episode entitled “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” The Xanax I took before take-off has not started to work.

Natalie smiles at me as I tell her, “I’m really doing this.”

“Why don’t look at your letters now?” my travel companion says.

Natalie gently urges me to look out the window and read letters from an eclectic collection of individuals. I have only met one of these individuals in person. Grudgingly, I follow the advice of my friend and began reading.

Then, I realize this: I’m Ringo Starr.

In the immediate aftermath of The Beatles Break-Up, Ringo Starr relied heavily upon the other three former members of the band to assist him with songwriting and production duties. Ringo had a unique way of building a collaborative team with a diverse array of superstar musician talent for his solo records. A Ringo Starr Solo Session in those days was truly a Who’s Who of Rock Cognoscenti. Musicians like Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Klaus Voorman all shared their musical gifts on some of Ringo’s solo records. Having the talent and support of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison also enhanced Mr. Starr’s solo efforts.

This support of the former Beatle Drummer’s  solo career culminated in the 1973 album simply titled, “Ringo.” The album is Ringo’s masterpiece and served as the closest thing to a Beatles Reunion for the Fab Four. All four Beatles appear on the album albeit not together. The album exudes an atmosphere of camaraderie. John, Paul and George contributed various songs to Ringo’s effort as a way to look after their musical brother. They put aside the bitterness of their collaborative Beatle Break-Up to forge a new musical template of support for their loyal percussionist. One song on the album features John, George and Ringo playing together. “Ringo” defines itself as a kind of musical brotherhood that culminated in it being a hit record.

For the last sixteen years, I have avoided getting on an airplane. I have always been an uneasy flight passenger. As my responsibilities as an educator and school leader increased, I found ways to avoid air travel. Staying close to the ground was my companion. The missed opportunities of going to conferences or visiting family and friends became a convenient default. This has caused me much personal anguish. I have been grateful for the quiet support and tolerance of my family  but I also feel like I have held others back with this fear.

Enter EdCamp Tampa Bay. I am not sure how my agreement to visit this event occurred. It may have been an early morning Tweeting binge. Maybe, I was half awake and I allowed my subconscious brain to take the wheel of my decision-making process. It may be the deep respect and admiration I have for a Professional Learning Network or PLN Collaborator, Jen Williams. (@JenWilliamsEdu). Jen was one of the co-organizers for #EdCampTampaBay. Her invitation was one of the most sincere I have received to an event and I accepted. I wanted to attend to support my friend and her passion project.

As a way to face my fear, I decided to use the trip to Tampa Bay to my personal advantage. I wanted to kill this fear of flying for all of eternity. I agreed to attend and then proceeded to be transparent and communicative about my fear of flying whenever the occasion presented itself.

I have been fortunate to connect with many inspiring educators and individuals through Twitter. It has been a blessing to collaborate with the likes of so many individuals in an environment of collaboration, support and creative risk-taking. The collaboration has led me to venture into Twitter Chats like #Leadupnow. It has also given me creative outlets in the weekly Twitter Chat I co-host with Natalie Krayenvenger (@NKrayenvenger) known as #EdBeat.

In the midst of invitations to EdCamp Tampa Bay, Natalie volunteered to fly down with me. I was completely overwhelmed by this gesture of friendship and support. Natalie meant every word of this. She held me accountable to book plane tickets and encouraged me during my pre-flight panic. Seeing her at the airport after months of our virtual collaboration demonstrated to me the true nature of friendship. The image still resonates.

Prior to that event, Jen Williams had secretly arranged for various mutual friends in our Twitter PLN to write personal letters of encouragement to me as I faced the dread of flying. The purpose was to serve as inspirational fuel for me for both legs of the flight. Again, I was overwhelmed by altruism by my friend.

Sitting on that airplane after a sixteen-year fearful absence from the stratosphere, I felt like Jimmy Stewart at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In fact, I may have said that to Natalie during my tears of realization and appreciation for my friends. Still, I kept coming back to Ringo. I imagined what he felt like sitting in the studio with “All-Starr” Friends cutting tracks and making hits like “Photograph” and “It Don’t Come Easy.” I have a PLN of superstar friends willing to demonstrate sympathetic support.  Facing this fear, I am excited at the prospect of future adventures. I am anxious to scratch the surface of the stratosphere again with family and friends.

The experience at EdCamp Tampa Bay was one of the most rewarding educational experiences I had in my career. Being surrounded with so many #EduHeroes proved to be an inspirational event. Jen and her team led such an upbeat event. The kinship and support fueled me to be brave for the solo flight home. (Natalie was heading to another conference afterwards.)

A PLN serves many purposes. There are many eloquent definitions and examples out there. I cannot measure against those wonderfully wrought explanations for the purpose of a Professional Learning Network. A PLN is a solid resource for educators to share ideas and resources. I have benefited from these communications as an educator and lead learner. PLN is truly game-changing professional development.

That definition has evolved for me. I have a superstar line-up of friendships supporting me like Ringo Starr was on his 1973 solo album. Where else can I find a group of individuals like Natalie and Jen who helped me overcome a fear of flying and arranged others to assist in the team effort? I wish I could create a new acronym for PLN aligned with said letters. Unfortunately, I am bereft of a witty alignment of those letters. All I have now is that a PLN means friendship.

When I first heard “Pet Sounds,” I was expecting my life to change. It did not. There was much hype surrounding this album back in 1990 when it was first released on Compact Disc. Paul McCartney had stated that this album moved him to tears and served as a direct inspiration for The Beatles to create their magnum opus, “Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band.” I was captivated by the fact that an album by The Beach Boys could move The Beatles. Surf Music serves as the baptism for a bar band from Liverpool? I was ready to step into that world.

I knew the hits off the album: “Caroline, No,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Sloop John B” and “God Only Knows.” All of those songs had resonated with me in some way. Hearing the album upon first listen I was expecting similar musical baptism as I had with something like “Sgt. Pepper.” It took a few years for that album to marinade within my soul for me to finally understand and appreciate it.

“Pet Sounds” was considered a flop by industry standards when it was first released in 1966 by The Beach Boys. Its influence outweighed the hit-making machine ride the band was on at the time. Time heals critical and popular wounds. Now, “Pet Sounds” tops many “Greatest Album of All-Time” lists. A few years ago, “Pet Sounds” fell at #2 on “Rolling Stone’s” Greatest Albums Ever Made list. Incidentally, The Beatles topped that list with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Much has been written about the technical and musical innovations of what many consider to be a major Concept Album in Popular Music.

Brian Wilson, the arranger, composer and producer of The Beach Boys, is considered to be a musical genius. His innovations with harmony, production and arranging stand as exemplars for studio creativity. He composed the music for “Pet Sounds” at the age of 23. In the midst of this composition, Brian Wilson was battling the fatigues of the road, questionable support from band, partial deafness in one ear and mental illness.

Taking a calculated risk to do something against the grain at the height of proven success is a bold and scary task. Breaking away from a track record of glamorous adulation caused much strife within The Beach Boys during the making of “Pet Sounds.” They sold millions of records based upon a formula of surfboards and fast cars. Brian Wilson had already broken away from touring with the band in order to take a much-needed break to create the sonic landscape percolating within his tortured mind. While the band was away on a tour of Japan, Brian Wilson rolled up his audio sleeves and began composing the musical template that became “Pet Sounds.”

The music of “Pet Sounds” is light years away from the simplicity of Surf Music. He combined instruments and layered sounds to produce what he called …the greatest record ever made.” Anything was fair game for the studio during this process. Piano strings plucked with bobby pins…two bass lines…banjos and ukeleles in different keys…eerie whoops from a Theremin…the sounds of dogs barking. It was album bathed in inspiration and made with sincere love.

Finding the courage to share this musical innovation with the band is something that has always intrigued me. How did Brian Wilson convince the band to go forward with this bold step into a seemingly, dangerous abyss?

In later interviews, Brian Wilson shared how he told the band to trust him and that he had to get this innovative music out of his system. There was in-fighting and much discord within the group. A fear of tampering with a proven formula was put forth as the reason to not move forward with new sounds by some band members. Conventional wisdom was supposed to support a status quo. A path towards innovation was seen as a meaningless jaunt toward commercial failure. Lines were drawn within various factions of the musical organization.

As a leader of The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson had a clear vision for the scope and sequence of “Pet Sounds.” He had willing studio musicians and collaborators who believed in the genius of what he was trying to accomplish. They were willing participants in making what many do consider to be “the greatest album ever made.” In essence, Brian Wilson prevailed against negativity and successfully completed “Pet Sounds” with the ethereal harmonies and majestic contributions of The Beach Boys.

What happens when others do not follow the vision of the leader? This is an age-old, universal question in leadership. I have experienced this in my own way as a school principal over the years. There are many books which have traversed this marrow of leaders struggling to inspire a team or organization to change. I have read many of these books to find that answer to securing a joyful buy-in from the members of an organization. Many of these books provide solid insight and steps to framing change. None has provided that all-inconclusive magic answer in my very humble opinion.

I find myself going back to Brian Wilson and how he thrived in the creative workplace of the recording studio as he was laying down tracks for “Pet Sounds.” Those are the beautiful moments in leadership. Unhindered in the freedom of a rare day without a meeting or deadline, the dreams for the big changes that must occur in education seep into the top drawers of my mind. I may even fall into the path of willing collaborator and co-conspirator to create innovative changes in the schoolhouse. The synergy that takes place is contagious when you find others who wish to take bold, giant steps in the name of positive changes for our kids and teachers. Those are the moments when I think that this is what Brian Wilson may have felt like when he was experimenting with bass lines and key changes.

When the naysayers are on the horizon, I often think of the other end of the Brian Wilson spectrum. I shared with a friend recently that sometimes I have to explain “Pet Sounds” to naysayers sometimes. This is just another way of me stating that I have to dig deeply for the courage to withstand that naysayer shrapnel. It is difficult beyond belief for the dreamer in me to do. A leader often stands alone. It is important to lock arms with the other dreamers on the team. Brian Wilson did the same thing and so did countless innovators before and after him.

We all have a “Pet Sounds” within us. It may be the desire to stretch beyond the horizon of our so-called limitations and turn a different corner in the name of innovation. Whether we lead a school, classroom or professional learning team, there will always be the need to take a giant, innovate step.

There will always be naysayers in the midst. I have learned not to ignore them. It is important to hear their words. We must always consider all sides of the equation when it comes to framing change. What is essential for any leader is to hold onto the masterpiece illuminating within each of us. In our noble profession, we sometimes give too much permission to the naysayers who want to give life to mediocrity. I have been guilty of that as principal. We, as leaders at any level, have to hold onto that fact that there is a “Pet Sounds” waiting to be produced and shared with the world.

It takes courage to change. Moreover, it takes courage to give voice to that change. “Pet Sounds” serves as reminder for me that our harmonies can soar above doubt and inspire innovation. Tuning into the inner voice of our courage and speaking that truth is the necessary spark for change.

What “Pet Sounds” are you going to explain next?