CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “For district nirvana, crush both student and driver experiences,” advised Jim Knight, who spent over two decades as head of global training and development for Hard Rock International’s hotels, casinos, dining and entertainment. “From a leadership standpoint, you can always ramp it up.”
“What I want to be for you is a catalyst,” the best-selling Culture That Rocks author told the transportation directors and supplier partners gathered at Topgolf Charlotte Southwest Saturday morning for leadership advice. “I know a lot about getting the right people around you and then loving on them, so they won’t want to leave.”
Leaders in attendance for the Transportation Director Summit at STN EXPO East said their priorities included driver retention, on-time performance, low absenteeism and reduced accidents. They also identified integrity, empathy, vision and communication as the most important leadership qualities. This lines up with top qualities acknowledged by popular motivational trainers, Knight confirmed, with the overall goal of building trust.
Drawing from the idea of a curated concert setlist, Knight led attendees through an exercise to pare down their most time-consuming work activities and prioritize the essentials with the greatest immediate impact.
Recruitment, Retainment Strategies in a Changing World
Organizational environments are either virtuous or vicious depending on who leaders hire, Knight explained during his fast-paced “edu-tainment” training.
He expounded that the vicious cycle sees morale and work culture tainted by negative school bus drivers, which in turn disturbs student experiences and may lower ridership. Targets missed and staff leaving mean mounting pressure and poor decisions, such as supervisors having to drive routes or lowering standards to put any warm body behind the wheel. In contrast, a positive driver and student experience leads to rave reviews and organizational growth at what will become known as an attractive place to work. This virtuous environment births more rock star leaders, Knight established.
“Stop recruiting like you’re filling seats – you have to build a band.”
– Jim Knight
While today’s average age of a U.S. school bus driver is 56, Knight underscored that the next generation of Millennial and Generation Z workers values individuality, flexibility and work-life balance. They are tech-savvy and socially conscious. For better or worse, he said, he’s noticed they don’t tolerate bad bosses, readily job hop, are prone to litigiousness and desire enrichment. They are generally visual learners with shorter attention spans, so he prioritizes pictures in training manuals.
He encouraged attendees to embrace generational differences from Baby Boomer to Generation Z workers and to tap into these characteristics when hiring new talent. While colorful hair or facial piercings, for instance, may give managers pause, he noted that student riders appreciate seeing role models who resemble them.
Rather than complaining about a talent drought, Knight advised actively seeking out potential drivers in unconventional places. Attendees suggested searching among fast food restaurants, colleges and trade schools, social media, stay-at-home parents, veterans, retirees, job boards, aides and custodians.
Framing the job through flexibility, purpose, stability, community and student impact helps, as does tailoring the hiring message to the recipient.
“If you want rock stars, you have to think differently,” Knight stated. “Stop recruiting like you’re filling seats. You have to build a band.”
He suggested using eye-catching AI-generated recruitment posters with humorous sayings or rock music puns, with an attendee contributing the promotional slogan, “Yellow air-conditioned office with corner windows!”
Knight stressed the importance of valuing the often-overlooked workers who are the backbone of the school district, sharing the story of how Hard Rock Cafe once utilized premade food to save costs, to the chagrin of its customers. Reversing course, the restaurant chain reintroduced fresh-cooked food accompanied by a marketing campaign featuring a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding “rock star” who turned out to be a chef.
“Who are your rock stars?” he queried. Valued and celebrated student transporters are the show, he said, so make them feel appreciated.
Similar to how volunteers show up for the cause and not for money, Knight encouraged attendees to have such strong workplace culture that student transporters enthusiastically choose to stay.
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Being A Good Boss
Team meetings, regular employee check-ins and open communication channels are a must, Knight emphasized. “If you want people to stay with you long term, you need growth and development,” he added.
White it may be tempting for a boss to zip straight to their office first thing in the morning, it’s more important for the team dynamic to take time for small talk and make employees feel loved, he said.
He reviewed a Gallup survey of over two million employees at 700 companies worldwide which found that a supervisor is the single most important influence in an employee’s decision to quit.
Additionally, Knight shared statistics from Heart-Centered Leadership by Susan Steinbrecher and Joel Bennett, Ph.D. showing that almost half of employees leave a company because they feel underappreciated. Almost 90 percent said they don’t receive acknowledgment for their work.
“People join companies. They leave individuals,” he noted.
He encouraged the leaders in the room to intentionally and authentically fill their employees’ “emotional bank accounts” to encourage them to stay. An attendee added that this is also an important concept when at home among families.
Just as every great musical group has a signature sound, every leader has a signature strength to offer their team, which Knight encouraged them to crank “up to 11” ala the music mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. And like superfans don’t just love the music but also desire the connection of a backstage pass to meet the artists personally, Knight stated that leaders should ask intentional questions and get to know their workers on a deeper level.
“I can teach someone with a good heart to drive a bus, but I can’t teach someone to have a good heart.”
– Gerald Henry
Director of Transportation
Lexington 1 School District (S.C.)
He also advised leaving job positions open longer to hire the right person.
“I can teach someone with a good heart to drive a bus, but I can’t teach someone to have a good heart,” agreed Gerald Henry, director of transportation for Lexington 1 School District in South Carolina.
Quoting Bob Dylan’s quote “there is nothing so stable as change,” Knight encouraged attendees to refocus their thoughts and resources to only their “circle of influence” to maximize happiness and effectiveness.
He also advocated for supportive mentorship opportunities, such as the inaugural School Transportation News Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program, which grouped STN EXPO East attendees based on years in the industry, district size, fleet makeup and areas of interest.
Knight provided famous music industry stories to demonstrate that success can be achieved through perseverance and resilience. He cited the examples of Phil Collins taking over the Genesis lead singer duties from Peter Gabriel, a street performer who went on to become Lady Gaga, or a drummer losing an arm and reinventing his playing style like Def Leppard’s Rick Allen.
While every concert has a slow song where the lighters (or the cellphone flashlights) come out, Knight noted that moment is not when the show ends. Instead, the energy always ramps back up with a faster paced song.
“Each of you has the power to light up or extinguish the cultural flame of the district, via your leadership,” he concluded. “Light it up!”
Jim Knight will present the keynote “Culture That Rocks: Set List on How to Amp Up the Company’s Culture (to Eleven) and Deliver Sustainable Results” on Monday, March 30, 2026, from 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Photos by Vince Rios Creative.
