Ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels trying to get your staff on the same page? In this week’s podcast, I’m breaking down what “staff alignment” really means—and why so many traditional leadership strategies fail to achieve it. We’ll explore why compliance isn’t enough, the four key actions that actually drive alignment, and how small shifts in feedback, support, accountability, and culture can transform your team. If you’re ready to stop wasting time on ineffective strategies and start bu...
Jan 15, 2025•33 min
I’m pulling back the curtain on how to transform walkthroughs from a dreaded chore into a powerful leadership tool that builds trust, empowers teachers, and drives school-wide success. I’ll share my personal journey of reimagining the walkthrough process—turning it into a meaningful practice that delivers actionable insights, strengthens relationships, and creates a culture of collaboration. Whether walkthroughs feel like just another hoop to jump through or you’re ready to make them truly impac...
Jan 08, 2025•26 min
Happy New Year! This week, I’m sharing the biggest lessons of 2024 that I am taking with me into 2025. I say “lessons” but it’s really just one big lesson I had to learn over and over again. I’m hoping to save you the trouble by breaking down the lesson here so that you can learn from my mistakes and walk into 2025 more successful #LikeABuilder.
Jan 01, 2025•29 min
Today is Christmas and I am spending time with my family but I didn't want to leave you hanging. So here's one of my favorite episodes from last year. Do you feel like you’ve only got this ONE school year to make a difference? If so, you're probably chasing the quick wins, putting an enormous amount of pressure on yourself and your teachers, and staying on the school improvement hamster wheel. Builders don’t operate under that kind of pressure. Instead, Builders play the long game. They think in...
Dec 25, 2024•24 min
This week, we’re wrapping up our series on Questions Worth Asking with the hardest one yet: Do you REALLY believe in your 100% vision? It seems like a simple question on the surface. You might even be thinking “of course I do!” but let me ask you this: If you truly believed in your vision, would you be doing what you’re doing in your school right now? You see, it’s one thing to believe that your 100% vision is admirable or even desirable. It’s another thing to be convicted that your vision is po...
Dec 18, 2024•31 min
Do you know your 80/20? In other words, do you know what work you do that is primarily responsible for the success you’ve gained? And more important, are you investing most of your time and energy in the 20% or are you wasting time on work that is giving you little in return. That’s the question we’re examining as we continue our series on Questions that are worth asking. If you want to see more results for your efforts, it’s critical that you understand your 80/20. So tune in to today’s podcast...
Dec 11, 2024•29 min
Do you know the impact that every position in your school has on your ability to achieve your 100% vision? It’s a question most administrators never ask themselves even though your ability to achieve your vision relies on the answer to this question. In today’s episode, I’ll talk about why this question is so important and walk you through some examples to help you answer this question for yourself #LikeABuilder.
Dec 04, 2024•29 min
What rules are you following that no longer apply? That’s the question we’re considering this week and it’s important because too many of us are being held hostage by rules that no longer apply. But, because Builders question everything, you don’t have to stay trapped by outdated rules. Tune into today’s episode to discover how you can free yourself of the weight of old rules #LikeABuilder.
Nov 27, 2024•27 min
Have you ever felt trapped, like your options are limited and you really don’t like any of the options available? Usually, we feel like our only recourse is to hold our noses and choose the least offensive option. But, that’s not what Builders do. You see, if you are a Builder and you don’t like your options, instead of settling for what’s in front of you, you change the game by asking different questions. That’s why this week, we’re starting a brand new series about a few questions that help yo...
Nov 20, 2024•35 min
So many leaders complain that they feel constantly overwhelmed. But, when you become a Builder, you realize that it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to live in a state of overwhelm. On today’s episode, I’m sharing how Builders escape feeling overwhelmed. Once you know and live this secret, you’ll know how to eliminate overwhelm from your work. And the more you practice it, the less you’ll be able to remember or relate to the feeling of overwhelm so many administrators experience becau...
Nov 13, 2024•34 min
Have you ever thought about your job and wondered, “Is this really all there is?”If so, then today’s episode is for you. You see, the reason we can sometimes feel that way has to do with a myth we were all taught to believe about leadership. Today, I’m going to expose that myth and show you how Builders find deep fulfillment in their work. Even if you are completely happy in your role, this episode will protect you from falling into the trap of excellence and help you remain happy and fulfilled ...
Nov 06, 2024•29 min
One of the more misguided pieces of leadership advice out there is that you need to set boundaries with people. I understand the thinking behind the advice, but in practice, boundaries are more designed to keep people out than invite them to partner with you towards a common goal. Plus, the requirement that you “enforce” your boundaries puts all the onus on you. Builders are less concerned about boundaries and more focused on creating shared agreements. That way, both parties are responsible and...
Oct 30, 2024•25 min
There are a lot of principals who say they want 100%, but in reality, they have gotten pretty comfortable where they are. They’re not the worst school in the district they reason, and they are at least making some tiny incremental gains. So although they would LOVE to do better, things could be worse. Frankly, the system is set up to make us comfortable with “good enough.” But it’s all a trap. On today’s episode, I want to challenge this idea of good enough and shake us all out of our comfort zo...
Oct 23, 2024•29 min
There are few things in our jobs more frustrating than having a teacher completely ignore our feedback, especially when we know that things need to improve in their classrooms. The problem isn’t you, it’s the way we were trained. In fact, there are 3 things we were trained to do when giving teachers feedback that actually make our feedback EASY to ignore. On today’s podcast, I’m breaking down those 3 things and show you how to fix them so that you can give teachers feedback that they will embrac...
Oct 16, 2024•29 min
This is part 2 of a 2-part series on how to build true accountability with teachers. In this episode, discover the 3-step process Builders use to handle it when someone breaks an agreement. Find out how to quickly repair the break and get back on track, how to handle a pattern of agreement breaking without destroying your school culture, and how to use even a tough situation to keep building #LikeABuilder.
Oct 09, 2024•24 min
This is part 1 of a 2-part series on how to build true accountability with teachers where you’ll discover the powerful tool Builders use to build true accountability with their staff. Find out the specific 6 steps you need to take to create an accountable agreement and learn why we were trained to “hold teachers accountable” is a trap. By the time you’re done, you’ll know exactly how to set teachers up to do the right work the right way even when you’re not looking #LikeABuilder.
Oct 02, 2024•36 min
If you’re looking for a solution to a BIG problem or challenge in your school, discover the simple question I use time and time again to help me solve my most persistent student, teacher, and school issues Then find out how you can use this same question to stopIt working so hard trying to tweak your way to your goals and and instead find the ONE thing that creates tangible and dramatic growth for your school #LikeABuilder.
Sep 25, 2024•31 min
Most of us were trained that our job as administrators is to be a problem solver. So we dutifully go into work and spend all our time trying to solve problems. Except, that means… We spend all our time trying to get teachers to implement our solutions “with fidelity.” Everyone comes to us to solve their problems and no one is taking ownership. We feel pressure to always have the answers. The work seems never-ending. Builders know that being a problem solver is a trap. That’s why Builders don’t w...
Sep 18, 2024•29 min
We hear a lot about how principals should take time for self care, but in this week’s episode, we explore what true self care looks like. While spa appointments, massages, and lattes are great, they don’t solve the issues of an overcrowded schedule, intense pressure, and demands on your time -- they merely medicate them. So, on today’s episode, we’re breaking down 2 secrets Builders use to ensure that no matter how packed their schedules are, they don’t end the day depleted. In fact, if you do t...
Sep 11, 2024•29 min
The school year has just begun and already, principals are worried about staff morale. Sure, everyone was excited by the first days of school hype, but now that things have died down a little, the complaints are already starting. On today’s podcast, we’ll look at why every year it seems people are getting more and more burned out, and more importantly, the ONE thing you can do that can turn things around immediately.Instead of going through the same cycle of excitement, reality setting in, compl...
Sep 04, 2024•24 min
Now that most of us are back in school, we're all pretty busy with all the tasks that inevitably demand our attention at the beginning of the year. And while those tasks are often important, there are 4 things you may not realize you should be doing in the next month in order to create momentum for the year. In this episode, we'll dive into what those 4 things are, why they're important, and the specific impact they will have on your effectiveness throughout the year. Do these 4 things now to se...
Aug 28, 2024•24 min
I don’t know anyone who LOVES a meeting. That’s because most meetings feel like a waste of time. On today’s episode, you’ll discover 5 meetings that should be on every principal’s calendar each week and NONE of these meetings will waste your time. In fact, these meetings will make you more productive, make your team more accountable, and create real momentum in your work so much so, that you really can’t afford NOT to have these meetings. So tune in today to find out how you can use 5 simple mee...
Aug 21, 2024•28 min
We’ve all heard the advice that we need to “inspect what we expect.” But, the way that our training has weaponized this advice in schools is pretty awful. We see the word “inspect” and are told it means that if we want good instruction to happen in our schools, we need to show up with a clipboard and a walkthrough instrument in at least 3 classrooms per day or our entire instructional program will collapse. Builders do walkthrough feedback differently. Discover how to give walkthrough feedback t...
Aug 14, 2024•31 min
In this final episode of the Summer Success Secrets Series you’ll discover the difference between the duties of administration and the work of true Buildership. You see, we were told that the duties of administration were all that we needed to be good principals. But while the duties are necessary to maintain our schools, they aren’t enough to make lasting change. So in this episode I delineate the difference between the chores of our jobs and the true work. This one concept, if you understood i...
Aug 07, 2024•24 min
In this penultimate episode of the Summer Success Secrets Series we’re going to take a deep dive into the Theory of Diffusion of Innovation to discover a secret Builders know about how to get their entire staff to embrace their vision. We’ll leverage what science tells us about how people deal with change to meet people where they are and help each one of them to not only take ownership of our vision, but to build their capacity to successfully achieve our vision #LikeABuilder.
Jul 31, 2024•36 min
What would you do if you had an extra half day per week to work on the things you never get to work on during the school year? I’m not talking about emptying your email inbox, returning calls, or catching up on all those post-observation write ups. I’m talking about 4 hours per week to think, plan, strategize, reflect, and do the deep work of being a principal. If that seems too good to be true, then you’ll want to listen to today’s episode where I’m going to break down exactly how you can get a...
Jul 24, 2024•31 min
What do you do when someone tries to attack your vision? They say it’s too big, or too much too fast. Or, they act as if they support your vision but they raise questions that shake your confidence or try to delay your vision until later. Or, sometimes they just ignore your vision altogether. Today’s installment in the Summer Success Series will show you how to fend off attacks on your vision and help you fight for your vision #LikeABuilder.
Jul 17, 2024•26 min
For years we’ve been taught that if we just believed in our people enough, they would rise to the level of our expectations. So why is it that when we set high expectations of our staff, we are often accused of wanting too much, pushing too hard, and being unreasonable? It all has to do with how we were trained. On today’s episode, we’ll unpack some of the myths around high expectations that create friction in our schools and you’ll discover how to set and uphold high expectations without making...
Jul 10, 2024•34 min
You've probably heard the advice before to be proactive rather than reactive. It's really a no brainer. It's much easier to prepare than to repair. And yet, it's easier said than done. "Emergencies," crop up (that could be prevented), people hijack your time (and keep you from the work you want to focus on), and then there's your own personal challenges to stay organized and focused (sometimes we're our own worst enemies smh). So in on today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the hidden re...
Jul 03, 2024•32 min
Have you ever felt stuck? Not only is it frustrating, but it can be downright demoralizing, especially if you are doing everything you know to get unstuck and still feel trapped. In this next installment of the summer of success series, discover my secret to getting myself unstuck. By using this simple 3 part paradigm, you can uncover the root reason you feel stuck and discover the very steps you need to get (and stay!) unstuck for good #LikeABuilder.
Jun 26, 2024•36 min
