“In his text, Soft Leadership for Hard Times, George Goens takes a new approach in defining leadership through the extensive use of poetry and metaphors and includes citations from the likes of Carl Jung and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to reinforce his unique perspective. Goens, a former superintendent and university professor, focuses on those aspects of leadership pertaining to building relationships and the personal qualities of leaders that go beyond the simple analysis and use of quantitative data and traditional strategic planning.”

“George Goens takes a new approach in defining leadership through the extensive use of poetry and metaphors and includes citations from the likes of Carl Jung and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to reinforce his unique perspective.”

“George Goens’ profound collection of deeply personal letters, so carefully crafted as only his fountain pen can, bring you to a place where family and country still stand passionately rooted in tradition fed by values of honesty, compassion, resilience and unconditional love. His innate desire to forge an inexorable bond through letters to his grandchildren warmly embrace you as you fondly recall sitting on your grandfather’s knee listening to his special stories and poems…all the while sending you quiet knowings of faith, fortitude and love. And not unlike the lone wolf in all of us, Goens reminds us to go to still waters seeking those times of silent and sometimes painful reflection…so much a part of our wholeness. His insights and wisdom are a wonderful and renewing gift for the reader.”

“Goens’ candor and insights become such a bright beacon that reveals the dangerous fog shrouding our children, teachers and communities today that anyone will find useful to navigate our educational system back on a course of educational practices and policies that is good for children and supports the values and ethics upon which American education was built.”

“George Goens’ ‘The Fog of Reform’ gets us to rethink the role of testing in education and makes us focus on the big picture of learning institutions preparing students for success in life.”

“American Public Education in under attack. It is being challenged like no other time in history. Multiple reforms have been proposed. The upshot for the public and citizenry is growing confusion about the role of public education and what schools ought to be for children. George Goens book, ‘The Fog of Reform’, examines reforms and defines concrete proposals on what schools should be and what leaders must do in meeting their moral imperative of educating children in the public setting.”