I had the best conversation today with my friend Joshua Stamper. We were recording an episode for the podcast (coming soon) where we started talking about leadership vs management and how that can be a big challenge for new school leaders. Let’s be honest, stepping into a school leadership role is both exciting and challenging. […]
As a former principal and superintendent, I know firsthand the challenges that school leaders face daily. Now, running a business dedicated to coaching and supporting early career leaders, I see the same patterns of reactive management that once consumed my own days. Reactive management is a barrier to true leadership, preventing us from focusing on […]
I spent my week providing leadership training for a group of secondary school leaders in Nebraska. During our time, we discussed those dreaded ‘time bandits’, those things that pull you away from the work you really want to (and need to) be doing to lead your school. As an administrator, you know that coaching and […]
Late last week I got a text from someone I’ve been supporting on their leadership journey. She shared with me that she had landed her first principal position. I am so happy for her and stoked to see her get this opportunity. It took me back to when I got that call…the one where they […]
We had a massive storm hit the Omaha area on Tuesday night. Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. Winds were near 100 mph and consistent for nearly 20 minutes. It took a big tree limb down damaging my house but the heaviest damage was found throughout the neighborhood. Dozens of 90+ year old trees came down […]
I was up early. It was a beautiful morning, not too hot or humid. So I decided to get back to one of my favorite things…playing early morning golf. Mind you, I am not a good golfer by any measuring stick. If I make a few pars, or the occasional birdie, mixed in amongst bogeys […]
I spent a good portion of my week in Austin speaking at the Texas Secondary School Principal conference. I was quite inspired by the awesome school leaders in the state, and the similarities that we see across our country right now. While most of us are dealing with legislative overreach, greater teacher mobility than at […]
In a recent conversation with a new district-level leader, I was asked what might be one really important part of their role they might be overlooking. I think anytime we get a new position, we come in wanting to be good at the job, to make an impact, and to prove those who hired us […]
As I sit in the airport waiting for my flight home, I find myself reflecting on quite a year of work. For those of you who are new to the blog, I’m a veteran educator turned leadership coach and speaker. After 26 years of teaching, being a principal, and being a superintendent, I chose to […]
It’s that time of year again. I am wrapping up my in-person visits with schools around the country and having great discussions about our collective learnings. As I visited with a school leader earlier in the week who I won’t be working with again next year (she’s headed off to a different district), I asked […]
