As a new principal, I had an abundance of energy, ambition, and the firm belief that I could handle anything. Like many leaders, I was driven by a desire to make a difference, to support my staff and students, and to be the superhero my school needed. But what I didn’t realize was that in […]
The holiday break is a rare opportunity for school leaders to pause, recharge, and invest in their growth. Leadership, like any skill, requires ongoing reflection and renewal to stay sharp. Drawing from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, sharpening the saw means prioritizing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being to lead with clarity […]
I read recently the post of another leadership coach sharing her experience working with a coach. I believe so strongly in the value of having a coach that I currently work with two of them (one as an entrepreneur, one as a keynote speaker). Coaching is game changing so I felt it was important for […]
As a high school principal, I often started my day with the best of intentions—to be in classrooms, connect with students, and focus on the work that mattered most. But before I knew it, my day would get hijacked. A staff member would drop by my office with an “urgent” issue. An email thread would […]
As a high school principal, my days often began with ambitious plans: visiting classrooms, engaging with teachers, and pushing forward the big-picture goals for our school. But all too often, conflicts derailed those intentions. Whether it was mediating a disagreement between staff members, addressing a parent’s concerns, or resolving a student issue, I found myself […]
As a high school principal, I remember many sleepless nights during the holiday season. The stress of trying to balance staff morale, student behavior, and community needs often felt overwhelming. I worried about everything—how to support staff stretched thin by illness, how to keep students focused when their energy was through the roof, and how […]
In the work I do today, I am frequently on zoom with or in person with school leaders. The most common challenge that school leaders seem to face today, as I see it, is not being intentional with their time. We all have goals and aspirations in our role, but often those get set aside […]
I spent the week at the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) conference in Nashville. I had the opportunity to speak to about 250 school and district level leaders sharing my insights on clarity and intentionality in leadership. Upon the conclusion of my session, about 10-12 people hung around wanting to talk more with me. […]
As is true in most weeks, I had several conversations this week with leaders who are interested in working with me through either coaching or my leadership speaking and training. In each case, a consistent theme came through…the need for clarity in their day to day work. Leaders can easily get pulled off the tracks […]
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to work with a handful of school leaders. They talked with me a lot, asking questions as well, about how to best communicate with staff. If I asked, most school staff groups would tell me they would love to see better communication from their leaders. It doesn’t mean […]
