Surviving to Thriving Leadership

Edutopia published my latest article this week about being a Time-Starved School Leader!  https://www.edutopia.org/article/time-management-school-leaders I am grateful to Edutopia and also to Tom Berger and Brittany Collins for their help with the article.  I’ve been mentioning this idea for a while now, and this article only scratches the surface. I’ve submitted some conference proposals, so NAES...

School Leadership Matters!:I met with Jack Arend, Deputy Director at AWSP. Every conversation with Jack is incredible! I’ve been fortunate enough to attend many of his trainings, and this time I got to ask my specific leadership questions. Be sure to check out the great work that is going on at AWSP! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Culture is What...

It’s Never About You: Joseph McQueen is a 6-12 principal and author of Calming Young Minds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW2HRF61/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_7ZY7CBFE29ZGDJBT5XV7 We had a great conversation and I encourage you to check out his book! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Be Compassionate  It’s All About Relationships with Kids  Prioritize and Stay...

This week I am highlighting the top 7 blog posts/podcast episodes from 2023! These posts either had the most number of people read the article, react to the post, or listen to the episode. Given all of the awesome people I met with, I didn’t want to limit it to the top 2 or 3. Today’s post will be my top takeaways from looking at all 7 of these interviews together. Now, most people do things like...

You Are the Example: I have been committed to posting articles every week for over a year. Based on what I’ve learned from leaders, I am going to start posting less than I have been. I will still post almost every week, but I will take time off to recharge and ‘turn off.’ I want to commit to doing this for the long run and not get burned out along the way!

Build Even Better Relationships: I met with Doug Whitewolff for a great conversation focused on AI. Check out Doug’s website: https://www.transformationmath.com/ for more information about what he does and how he might be able to support you! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  What Work Are You Doing Now that You Don’t Need to be Doing?  The More We U...

Don’t Do More, Be More: I met with Dr. Corissa Mazurkiewicz for a fantastic conversation. We talked about many things, but there was a theme of being present in your work and life. I appreciated how she connected my questions on leadership to both education and being a parent. Here are my three key takeaways.  Have a Mentor in This Work  Must Sustain Yourself  Does Your Work Align with What You Wa...

The Work Will Be There Tomorrow: I met with Mark Shellinger, the Director of the National SAM Inovation Project https://www.samprocess.com/ . Will Parker and Kerensa Wing encouraged me to look into his work, and they were right! Mark and I had a great conversation about the SAM process and how systems are so important to leaders. I encourage you to check out what the website and see how it could p...

Who Wants to be a Great Superintendent and a Miserable Father?: Over the past year I met with 7 leaders from the US and UK who, for one reason or another, asked me to not post about the individual conversations. Over the next two weeks I will be posting about my ‘unreleased interviews.’ What follows are the main themes after synthesizing those 7 interviews!  Part 2: 1. Find Your Drive 2. Get Clear...

Take the Roast out of the Oven: Over the past year I met with 7 leaders from the US and UK who, for one reason or another, asked me to not post about the individual conversations. Over the next two weeks I will be posting about my ‘unreleased interviews.’ What follows are the main themes after synthesizing those 7 interviews!  Part 1: Consistently Take Action  Build Relationships  Take Control

Every Child Should Attend a High Performing School: I met with Jayne Ellspermann, the 2015 National Principal of the Year, past NASSP President, Tedx speaker, and the list goes on! She now works for herself as a school leadership development expert. Make sure to reach out to her if you need an excellent consultant to work with! We had a great early morning (for me) conversation. We talked about ma...

Not One Darn Thing Can Be Done By Yourself: I met with Dr. Mary Templeton, the superintendent of the Washougal School District in Washington. Washougal is a fast growing community, and the school district is doing some great things! https://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Can’t Be Done = See A New Pathway Everyone Needs Opp...

Be Mission Driven: I met with Dr. Talina Corvus for an excellent conversation. Dr. Corvus is the director of Pacific University’s PhD in Education and Leadership program. If you have any interest in earning a PhD, check this program out! https://www.pacificu.edu/phd-education-leadership I have been fortunate enough to know Dr. Corvus for a few years, and this conversation only deepened my respect...

Accomplish Your Vision by Focusing on Others: I met with Niiamah Ashong for a great conversation! Niiamah is an entrepreneur and coach, and I encourage you to check out his website for more information about what he has to offer! https://niiamahashong.com/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  You have Everything You Already Need  Live Your Mission Out L...

You Have Never Arrived: I met with Kerensa Wing, a former principal and current educational consultant. Kerensa was the 2020 NASSP National Principal of the Year, and we had a great and practical conversation about school leadership! Make sure to check our what she has to offer on her website: https://sites.google.com/kwingelevatesleaders.org/kwing-elevates-leaders/home We talked about many things...

Every Action Must Be Intentional: I met with the inspiring Jim Wichman recently for a conversation that left me with more energy than when I started! Jim is a longtime administrator with a strong track record of success in schools. Make sure you check out his website to see what he might be able to offer your school or district: https://linktr.ee/inspirededification We talked about many things, bu...

Teachers’ Emotional Wellness Impacts the Classroom: I met with Dr. Rana Razzaque for an awesome conversation about mindfulness and its impact on our educational system. This was a different conversation than my normal leadership focus, but I was so interested in the topic that I wanted to learn as much as I could during our time together! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to...

Journey to Your Own Brand of Excellence: I met with Matt Dixon, founder of Purple Patch Fitness. He has been extremely successful as a professional triathlete coach and as a business owner. He has written multiple books and hosts a weekly podcast as well. Check out his website: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/ . I cannot recommend highly enough his podcast and his book The Fast Track Triathlete...

Never Lose the Capacity for Bold, Audacious Ideas: I met with Dr. Brent Chrite, the president of Bentley University. I was fortunate to meet Dr. Chrite in person at the Global Minded Conference in June, and then I was able to listen to him speak on a keynote panel. What an inspiring leader! Make sure you check out the great things being done at Bentley University https://www.bentley.edu/ . We talk...

Get Your Ego Out the Door: I met with Bobby Dodd, a National Digital Principal of the Year and overall awesome school leader. I was able to hear him speak at the NASSP Ignite conference and we later met to talk about more specifics of leadership. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  What are your Protocols?  How can I Help Other People?  Get Organized

On the Other Side of Discomfort is Joy: I met with Dr. Colleen Kelley, an Army Veteran, college professor, and comic strip writer. Dr. Kelley not only writes comics, but they are about organic chemistry and they are geared towards kids aged 8-10! Check them out: https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/ She is passionate about creating equitable outcomes for all students, particularly around getting unde...

Be a Dream Maker for Kids:I met with Dr. Cynthia Clauson, a veteran administrator and superintendent from the state of Washington. Ted Howard connected us because Dr. Clauson has been such a good mentor to him and many other successful school leaders. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Your Family Cannot be Second Fiddle Listen and Learn Be a Dream Ma...

One Step at a Time: I met with Jenn David-Lang, a former teacher and administrator and now she writes the Main Idea. https://www.themainidea.net/ Jenn reads books and then writes detailed summaries so educators can still get the main idea without reading the entire thing. This is an extremely valuable tool for time-starved principals everywhere! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it...

Be Humble and Don’t be a Jerk!: I met with Kim Marshall, who writes the Marshall Memo each week. If you haven’t seen his work, I strongly suggest you check it out! https://marshallmemo.com/ He does an excellent job synthesizing a lot of work so we don’t have to! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Spread Your Net  What percentage of the time are you do...

Drink A Lot of Water: I met with Ted Howard, an assistant superintendent in Seattle. We had a great conversation that was extremely practical and filled with great tips to be successful in this work (like drinking a lot of water!) We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.  Find Sustainability as a Leader Be interested and really curious If you love kids, you...