The Assistant Principal Podcast

 | A couple weeks ago in one of my daily emails I asked for people’s experiences, perspectives, and questions about culture. A reader responded:  As far as culture , my main frustration is a lack of initiative I notice in some of our adult, professional faculty members...  Behaviors like not arriving on time for a duty, being unwilling to contact parents (or reply to parent contacts), and walking...

In May, on episode 199, I had Jamie Brown on the show and he took us through a very simple but effective script for having a restorative conversation with a student. That show was re-aired at the end of December as my favorite show of 2024. After the show, Jamie and I discussed how APs can help new teachers become better at conversation – not just with students, but also with parents. We decided t...

236: Culture Questions From Claude Part II Show Description:  | Last week I asked Claude AI to give me 12 questions I could answer that would help elaborate on school culture. We answered the first six questions last week and will do the second batch of six this week.   I have to say, I was quite impressed by the quality of the questions. As was the case last week, I have not read or prepped for t...

235: Culture Questions From Claude Part I Show Description: Two weeks ago, I did a show that described how school culture is a byproduct of the degree of alignment between people, purpose, structures, and resources. High alignment – good culture. Low alignment – poor culture. I also shared in that episode that I have begun working on my next book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Culture, so...

#234:  Leading an Ethical School with Dr. Nason Lollar   Description: Today’s guest has developed a framework and language around professional conduct, which he defines as “my contribution to our culture of learning.” Cool. And what else is cool, is that you will hear, in slightly different terms, some of my core talking points around supporting and growing teachers, being present and listening, a...

#233: Imposter Syndrome (Greatest Episode of All Time)   There is a very brief intro to this, my favorite episode of all time!   Originally released in May, 2023…     Let’s face it, you aren’t cut out for this job. You are in over your head, and soon everyone will discover it! What were you even thinking? You can’t help your teachers grow. You should never have done this, and you will certainly ne...

#232: 2024’s BEST Podcast!   Power Quote: “Every kid has a story”   Jamie’s Student Debrief Protocol: 1.     Are you okay? 2.     What was the trigger? 3.     How did the behavior impact others? 4.     What could you have done differently?   Description: This is a replay of my favorite interview form 2024, PLUS a few new minutes at the beginning with more wisdom from Jamie Brown.   Guest Bio: Jami...

A School Leader’s Guide to Building Culture    Show Description: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” - Peter Drucker, Author “Culture is like the wind. It is invisible; yet its effect can be seen and felt.” - Bryan Walker, Partner and Managing Director, Ideo “Corporate culture is really hard to define; it’s the side effects of working for your organization.” - Jacob Morgan, Author, The Future o...

#330: Email Sucks   Show Description: Last week, Darrin Peppard and I went over some of our favorite time hacks. Towards the end of the show, we talked about email. Today, I’m devoting a whole show to email. I’ll share some tips and tricks, but how we manage email is as much about our mindset as it is the clock. As we get going, I want you to seriously play with an idea: what if email went away? W...

#229 Outline and Show Notes   Show Title: 10 Awesome Time Hacks with Darrin Peppard   Power Quote:   Description: Time. The most limited resource (along with attention). Many leaders feel if they can better manage their time, they can become better leaders. Yes… and no. The big secret to time management isn’t actually about time. In today’s episode, my good friend Darrin Peppard and I discuss abou...

228: The Blueprint with Todd Bloomer   Power Quote: The further you are from classrooms… the easier it is to become jaded.     Description: If I said I knew a principal who was in classrooms all day Monday, would you believe me? I hope so, because you are about to know him too.   Guest Bio: Todd Bloomer was born & raised in New York, He got to Texas as fast as he could. This is his 29th year i...

Should We Give Teachers Matches? With Alex Auriemma     Description: Back in September I released episode 218 titled “Teacher Evaluation is Broken.” Before I recorded that episode I had been thinking about the topic, and today’s guest and I actually recorded the conversation you are about to listen to prior to me recording number 218. I’m not sure why I decided to hold onto this episode so long, b...

Win the Morning, Win the Day with Johnathan Cranford     Description: If your ISS program runs like clockwork and results in increased academic achievement and fewer misbehaviors, then feel free to skip today’s episode. If you attend one of the 99% of schools that struggle to fully leverage ISS, you will profit from investing some time in today’s show.   Guest Bio: Johnathan has seven years of exp...

Silence is Golden   Show Description: I teased this show on this morning’s daily email message, in which I suggested I might release a podcast episode that was all silence, to drive home the message that when it comes to helping people reflect, our silence is golden. Of course, the point would be lost if it was only silence as many listeners may not make the connection. That said, be forewarned, t...

#224: The Power of Reflection   Show Description: We are over half-way through the Good Enough October Challenge. Remember, the big idea here is that you don’t have to be a great leader, you just need to be good enough. Specifically, good enough leaders consistently help the people around them grow by doing four simple things:·      Intentionally choosing to show up·      Being fully present·     ...

Presence Shouldn’t Wait for Christmas   Power Quote: Once you embrace how valuable your full presence is, you will be more motivated to share it with others.   Description: This week we continue looking at what it takes to be a good enough leader. Last week we established that being able to consistently observe and work with your teachers to grow their craft is great leadership, but so many of you...

222: How will you show up?     The Big Idea What if the person you are trying to grow knows more about what they need than you do?   This is perspective shift #1: They know more than you ●      Stop trying to diagnose what’s wrong ●      Assume people want to be really good at what they do ●      Ask them what outcomes they want to see improve ●      Help them develop the knowledge and skills to g...

Show Title: What is Leadership? with Mara and Frederick    Helene Rebuild Collaborative link:  https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/gallery     Description: Leadership takes many forms. In this episode we discuss some of these different forms. We’ve tried to highlight a variety of ways people lead, especially those leadership forms that aren’t always recognized or valued.   Guest Bio: Mara Buskey is the...

#219 Good Enough October Challenge If you'd like to donate to Helene relief, here is the link to Lance's team: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/ Facebook page to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey Show Description: The difference between great, good enough, and not good enoughUpdate from AppalachiaMVP show – we’ll see how deep we go! The Big Idea Leaders three responsibilities The Six...

WNC Links: Accurate Local News (radio): https://www.bpr.org/   Local donation options: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene Lance Buskey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey Lance’s Venmo: Lance-buskey Frederick’s links: frederick@frederickbuskey.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleader...

Teacher Evaluation is Broken   Show Description: Assuming you were a teacher, and assuming you were evaluated from time to time:·      Did your evaluations ever result in termination?·      Did the ever result in you getting a big raise or promotion?·      Were they part of a process that helped you grow into a better teacher? For me, the answers are no, no, and no. If your experience is similar,...

Show Title: O Captain, My Captain with Michael Miller   Power Quote: “Let there be joy!”     Description: Today’s show is like a voyage. We’ll begin in one port, set a course, examine the voyage, and anchor at our destination. This episode is expansive and there are lots of wonderful insights into leadership. We use the metaphor of being a ship captain, so without further introductions, let’s set...

Show Title: The Principal’s GREAT Assistant Principal with John Hinds   Power Quote: “There’s a system for that”     Description: You’ll hear the word “systems” quite a bit in today’s show. Today’s guest will paraphrase a quote attributed to Edwards Deming, one of the titans of process improvement from the 20th Century. The quote goes "Every system is perfectly designed to get the result that it d...

  10 Ways in 10 Days Part 2   Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d58fd6430f   Show Description: According to a recent ASCD article synthesizing the recent research on early career teacher retention, 29% of first year teachers will leave the school they are in , to either exit the profession or go to another school. Three common challenges emerged from the re...

10 Ways in 10 Days: Easy Activities for Supporting New Teachers, Part 1   Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d58fd6430f   Show Description: According to a recent ASCD article synthesizing the recent research on early career teacher retention, 29% of first year teachers will leave the school they are in , to either exit the profession or go to another school....