Category: Leadership
What is it that makes leadership effective? What drives people to become leaders – whether intentional or accidental? Let’s explore these topics from a variety of angles: Business leadership, social leadership, school leadership, and more.
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The Cost of “Nice”: When Holding Back Is a Mistake
Moving from passive compliance to genuine ownership only happens when leaders stop holding back. The feedback traps that damage trust—often stemming from just trying to be “nice”—are usually the exact things stalling continuous growth.
Analysis in the Age of AI
AI-driven over-planning. When generating reports becomes effortless, analysis paralysis can quietly stall your organizational momentum. Here’s why easy analysis might actually be slowing you down.
Planning Paralysis and Building for Flux
Discover why rigid strategic roadmaps are a liability in 2026. Learn how to use AI agents and “Velocity” to build marketing systems designed for flux and rapid pivots. Planning Paralysis vs. Building for Flux.
AI Decision Errors: The New Navigator’s Mindset
Small business owners should replace rigid business plans with a flexible compass for navigating the ever-changing market. Relying on average, public AI data leads to mediocre results. Instead, they should use unique, first-party data to accurately calibrate their direction, ensuring tailored strategies that reflect their specific business needs and market nuances.
The Growth Canvas: Designing Your Next Breakthrough
Small Business Owner, you’ve done remarkable work. You’ve navigated the early days, built a team of 3 to 20 dedicated individuals, and scaled your small business to a significant milestone – perhaps hitting that $1 million mark, or even pushing towards $5 or $10 million.
Embracing the Flux: Lessons from Life at Sea
As creators, organizational leaders, or business owners, we often strive for stability and predictability in our businesses and personal lives. However, the reality is that change is the only constant. Living on land, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that things are permanent and unchanging. We surround ourselves with structures that have…
Starting Over is Smart
Imagine climbing a mountain your whole life only to make it 2/3 of the way up at the age of 70. You look up and notice the peak is still steep and far away. But the nature of life is that you also know time is limited. It’s further to go back down and find…
When the Wind Blows
When the wind blows, like really blows, and you’re in a boat, you have two options – go back in or head out away land. Option 1 has the dangers of strong currents pushing you into the shore or into structures. Option 2 helps you avoid the danger of land but introduces the danger of…
When Holding Back is a Mistake
Sometimes it’s timidity, sometimes fear. Occasionally it’s lack of skill, and usually it’s just trying to be nice – trying to maintain relationships. Because relationships matter, as you well know. Real trust isn’t built by avoiding hard conversations—it’s built by navigating them together. That’s why Dr. TJ Vari and Dr. Joseph Jones are targeting 9…
Masterclass Is Now Open!
This is a limited seating professional learning opportunity. It’s a Masterclass from Principals’ Seminar featuring authors, superintendents, and educational leaders TJ Vari and Joseph Jones. You should consider registering. Here’s why. Compassionate Candor Creates Success You have audacious goals. But the reality is – you’re never going to accomplish them without mastering the craft of…
With Feedback, Less is More
As with most things, less is more. This is especially true with communication, but not less quantity of communication (redundancy is good). Less words is more effective. Think of this. Your communication includes numerous aspects beyond words: Eye contact Body language Attitude The delivery Listening (not just to the positive parts) Tone of voice What…
Landscape Scale Crisis
We’ve lived and worked in a landscape scale crisis – COVID 19. No matter where you are in Earth, you’ve been affected. Shutdowns, disinformation, threat of contracting, and unfortunately, human loss. A landscape scale crisis has the effect of changing how we work, create, and lead. It also has a keen way of giving us…
3 Simple Questions For Returning Staff
Yes, there are unprecedented changes that your school may not be ready for. However, there are also simple leadership moves you can take to lead during these times of change. One of these leadership moves involves leading with questions. Here are three simple questions to ask your teachers as they return to school this year.…
Change is a Product of Work
“Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of people working together everyday.” Frances Hesselbein To better understand change, and its 5 stages, read Readiness for Change a Principal’s First Step in Change Leadership.
Identity-Based Decision-Making
Often we contemplate our decisions based on benefits and costs. It’s a practical methodology. But it’s not the only way to make decisions. Another way is identity-based decision-making. This is an approach that helps you avoid distractions and stay focused on your vision. It’s the idea that you take on identities throughout life and during…
Environment Feeds The Change
Before March 2020, when we sought to create change, we would consider tweaking the environment to create the change. Environment feeds the change. But now, the environment is the change. Instead of envisioning a change and then tweaking the environment, we are in a place where the environment has changed and now we are adapting…
Going Against the Tide
I just returned from three days of offshore sailing. Among the many lessons learned, this lesson is for leaders, and it’s about going against the tide. Ships coming in with the tide have the benefit of being able to move: Faster with lesser effort Forward while remaining in idle speed. Seems good, right? Well, there’s…
For Those Who Dig Deeper
You find time to meet with one more person. You find the energy to write one more blog post. You do the things that fall outside of the calendar because those extra minutes are may be small now, but you know they compound. And it’s the compounding of your efforts that make the difference 6…
Management Before Leadership
Cults have leaders. Gangs have leaders. Dictatorships have leaders. Leaders wield influence, power, or other forms of socio-psychological leverage to achieve objectives. To be clear, leadership is not “bad”. But in schools and other social sector organizations, leadership is not the key to success. Management comes before leadership. And together, they form a foundation for…
3 Lenses to Build Self-Awareness
Daniel Goleman, in his ground-breaking book*, showed us three lenses or perspectives to consider when increasing self-awareness: Emotional Self-Awareness: Labeling one’s own emotions and measuring their impact. Accurate Self-Assessment: Reflection is not enough. This is about reflecting accurately on our strengths and limitations. Self-Confidence: Understanding your worth and the value you’re able to bring to…
Circles of Influence and Concern
There are ideas, processes, and people that are within your circle of influence. Those are deserving of your time and energy. Then there are those ideas, processes, and people that you might care about or are interested in, but they lay outside of your circle of influence. These are within your circle of concern. Your…
Why do schools struggle?
In a previous post, Frederick Douglass shared insights on the importance of struggling. Now, I’d like to share 2 pressures that cause nonproductive struggles in schools…and what you can do about them.
Leading As Yourself
Work personality, work demeanor, work mindset, workwear, work friends, work, work, work. Where are you? Sure there are clear lines between personal and professional. However, where is your self? Research has shown that leaders who are vulnerable tend to relate better and lead better. Yet, it’s hard to be vulnerable, let alone be yourself, when…
Systems Thinking in the Principal’s Office
Often we refer to systems in RTI or systems for data collection and analysis, however, we don’t often hear about systems thinking in the principal’s office as a key factor in improving schools. But the overwhelming number of emails, voice messages, due dates, agendas, meetings, and office work is best managed with systems. The simpler…
Look Past the Data
Sometimes looking at data is the wrong path to finding a solution. Sometimes you must look past the data to envision a new reality. Case in point: I know December is a slow revenue month for me. If I looked at the data it would be discouraging. It would say, “You’re not doing well!” Instead…
It’s Okay to Lose
10 students enter a competition, one wins. 20 teams start a tournament, one wins. 500 schools apply for a grant, one wins. If you compete, odds are against you. It’s just simple math. That knowledge can be liberating or debilitating. The great thing about school leadership is you don’t have to compete in someone else’s…
Finding Mistakes
When editing my writing, I love finding mistakes. A mistake is one step closer to excellence. The same is probably true in all aspects of life and learning. Not all mistakes need to be a stumbling experience. Finding mistakes is different than making mistakes. We can certainly learn from making mistakes, but it’s much cleaner…
Mistake Made Us Better
In this conversation, Elisabeth Bostwick, Chris Chappotin, Jon-Eric Ziaer, and Chris Legleiter share mistakes they made and lessons they learned from their experiences leading learning. Topics include: Asking for Help Context Switching – Finding Your Identity Priorities, Management vs Leadership Giving the Right Feedback after Walkthroughs Purchase Elisabeth’s Book, Take the Leap:…
Good Enough Continuum
The trap of perfectionism is on the same continuum as the trap of laziness. Basic dictionary definitions from Google state: “Perfectionism: refusal to accept any standard short of perfection. Laziness: the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy; idleness.” All tasks fall along this continuum. Let’s call it the Good Enough Continuum. It’s…
A Carpenter’s Belt for Principals
I remember growing up as my childhood home was being built. I loved watching the carpenters walk around constructing the walls and the cabinetry. They were like superheroes with all the tools and gadgets on their belts. The carpenter’s belt is a rugged piece of leather craftsmanship. Without it, I’d imagine the carpenter’s job would…