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A Superintendent’s Guide to Succession Planning: Developing Leaders to Continue Your Success

A succession plan is more than just a list of job responsibilities. It captures the essential skills and key work that can only be defined by the person serving in the role. So, if you wait for that critical team member to leave before you plan for a successor, it might be too late.

EP332: Amplify Student Voice

How can school districts prioritize amplifying student voice? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she explores the impact of student feedback with Dr. Candace Pelt-Perez, Superintendent of Central Linn School District, and Celeste Van Cleave, District Business Manager.

Studer Education Partners at Carnegie Summit 2024

The Carnegie Foundation is a pioneer in education improvement science. Each year, our coaches and partners join thought leaders and difference makers at the Carnegie Summit to share discoveries, success stories, and advancements in practices of excellence.

Creating the Momentum to Achieve Organizational Excellence in Education Systems

Discover the keys to creating momentum and achieving organizational excellence in education systems. Explore how aligning with core values, fostering an inspiring workplace culture, and strengthening leadership can drive accelerated results and sustained progress.

EP331: Plan and Execute for Organizational Excellence

It’s one thing to create a strategic plan, but it’s another altogether to execute it with precision. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she speaks with Superintendent Brian Sica of Banks School District to hear how he initiated the strategic planning process and began regularly implementing short cycles of improvement during his first year as superintendent. Listen as Dr. Sica highlights specific needs and challenges his district faced as well as the critical role of balancing culture and strategy throughout the process of achieving organizational excellence.

Onboarding New Team Members to Live Your Values and Contribute to Organizational Success

Discover how the El Dorado County Office of Education in California transformed its onboarding process, emphasizing values alignment, strategic planning, and proactive action for organizational success.

EP330: The Power of Collaboration in Strategic Planning

As a companion to last week’s high-level overview of strategic planning, this week’s episode dives into crucial aspects like how to form a strong steering committee and the pivotal role of executive leadership throughout the planning process.

Harnessing Continuous Improvement: PDSA from School Districts to Student-Owned Learning Cycles

Incorporating PDSA throughout the entire educational system supports a resolute commitment to intentional problem-solving and continuous learning. Leaders are seeing the results. The system-wide commitment to use regular and frequent PDSA cycles is the driving force behind positive change, enhanced student and staff engagement, and a culture of learning.

EP329: Plan Strategically for Success

Balancing the emotional and rational aspects of leadership is complex, but with strategic planning, organizations can build alignment to drive success.

EP328: Provide Excellent Service

Service excellence is a cornerstone of thriving organizations. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she revisits past episodes with Donna Kirby, Vice President of Experience at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, to hear how she’s created a culture of service excellence within her team.

Case Study: Burton Middle School Improves Reputation and Enrollment Through Transformational Leadership Practices

Explore how Burton Middle School improved leader engagement, increased enrollment, decreased staff turnover, achieved academic excellence, and enhanced its reputation by fostering individual connections with students.

Simple Recognition Ideas that Create Meaningful Experiences for Employees

Elevate your workplace culture with insightful strategies for meaningful employee recognition, fostering engagement, boosting morale, and driving exceptional performance.

EP327: Unleash Potential Through Constructive Feedback

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, wraps up her deep dive into mastering the art of constructive feedback. Joining her on this episode is Jon Malone, the Director and CEO of the Northwestern Illinois Association, to discuss the use of the three to one ratio in providing positive reinforcement while also challenging employees to distribute their high performance.

Case Study: Burton School District — A Culture of Trust Impacts Student Success

Read the case study to learn how Burton School District Superintendent David Shimer sought an unconventional solution that would work for teachers and
students when his schools faced critically low math proficiency. Download the full case study and the improvement toolkit here.

EP326: Master the Art of Feedback

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, continues the conversation from last week about the pivotal role of feedback in achieving important people outcomes within organizations. Joining her is Dr. KK Owen, a leader coach at Studer Education, to explore effective tactics for delivering genuine, timely, and specific feedback to employees.

Transform Feedback into Action: Engage Stakeholders by “Rolling Out” Results

This toolkit will guide you through the rollout process after a survey is completed to make positive changes by sharing the results and effectively communicating action plans. The toolkit will help you train team leaders in the rollout process that our partners use, get valuable input from stakeholders and make improvement decisions based on the data.

EP325: Foster Confidence with Constructive Feedback

Receiving positive feedback is transformative. It builds confidence, reduces anxiety, and helps individuals improve.

Building Bridges: A Superintendent’s Journey to Create a Community-Driven Strategic Plan

At our annual education leadership conference, What’s Right in Education, Dr. Candace Pelt, Superintendent of Central Linn School District in Halsey, Oregon, shared insights into her transformative leadership and strategic planning approach. Emphasizing the power of strategic planning, Dr. Pelt highlights its role as a roadmap guiding decision-making and ensuring alignment with community values.

Cascading Scorecards to Achieve Continuous Improvement: The Oxford School District’s Journey

Superintendent Bradley Roberson shares the transformative continuous improvement journey of the Oxford School District in Mississippi. Confronting challenges in an inflexible system, Roberson works to shift from ambitious goals to practical strategies. The process involves cascading the strategic plan through scorecards and action plans, ensuring engagement and validation across all levels.

Mastering the Art of Reflection: A Superintendent’s Guide to Progress, Strategic Planning, and Impact

Mark Martin, Superintendent of Meade County Schools in Kentucky, shares valuable insights into the strategic planning and progress monitoring practices that have propelled his district forward. Mark emphasizes the significance of intentional pauses and reflections to assess progress and maintain a steady course toward long-term goals.

EP324: Practice Goodwill Intentionally

What is goodwill, and how do we know if we’re practicing it? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she guides us through the journey of measuring our own personal goodwill and explains how we can radiate it to others, even during the busiest season of the year.

EP323: Spur Success with Audacious Goals

How can leaders use Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs) as a strategic tool to achieve successful outcomes? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher for the latest episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast where she defines what a BHAG is and urges organizations to set such long-term goals guided by core values and purpose.

Building Trust with the Community Yields High Dividends: Lessons from a Superintendent

Dr. Michael Barnes, Superintendent of Mayfield City Schools, shares insights on building trust, redefining success, and implementing innovative education practices for lasting impact.

Rounding for Success: A Superintendent’s Journey from Skepticism to Impact

Dave Kline, Superintendent of the Colton School District in Oregon, shares an inspiring journey from skepticism to success with the implementation of rounding as a strategic leadership tool. Initially cautious, Kline embraced rounding, recognizing its transformative power beyond routine check-ins.

EP322: Align Systems to Streamline Success

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she engages in a conversation with Dr. Shelly Viramontez, Superintendent, and Ms. Whitney Holton, Associate Superintendent, of Campbell Union School District in Campbell, California.

EP321: Pursue Gratitude and Goodwill

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she invites us to reflect on the power of small acts that, when multiplied, shape a more harmonious and compassionate world.

EP320: Build Trust to Strengthen Culture

Join us for part two of Dr. Janet Pilcher’s thought-provoking conversation with Superintendent Rob Clayton of Warren County Public Schools. In this episode, they dive into how Mr. Clayton has built trust, courage, ownership, and commitment with his team by leading with intention and transparency to achieve organizational excellence.

Case Study: From CSI to a Top 5 School – Erwin Middle, a Jefferson County Success Story

A school in crisis was turned around by a dedicated leadership team led by Principal Dr. Angela Bush who was committed to encouraging cultural change, leadership empowerment, communication improvements, and student achievement all while engaging the broader community in the success of Erwin Middle School. | Download the Case Study and School Improvement Toolkit >>

EP319: Achieve Accountability Through Consistency and Communication

Join us as Dr. Janet Pilcher sits down with Mr. Rob Clayton of Warren County Public Schools for a compelling conversation about accountability, leadership consistency, and the transformative power of intentional communication.

Leadership Tip: Break Down Your Strategic Plan into Short Cycles

Effective leadership is pivotal to student achievement and overall success. District and school leaders understand the unique challenges they face in ensuring quality learning outcomes. Short cycle planning and leader action strategies provide the necessary framework for leaders at all levels to navigate these challenges, driving academic excellence and organizational improvement.

EP318: Empower Your Team by Embracing Accountability

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she delves into the core principle of leadership accountability from her book, “Hardwiring Excellence in Education.”

Celebrating Extraordinary Leaders: Meet the 2023 Difference Maker Award Recipients

At the 12th annual WRIE conference, the Difference Maker Award, a nationwide recognition of bold leadership, was given to two honored K-12 superintendents making significant impacts in their districts and organizations: Matt Hillmann and Terrie Morgan.

EP317: Transform Culture with Reward and Recognition

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Jennifer Lowery from the Tea Area School District to dig into the core principle of Reward and Recognition from Dr. Pilcher’s new book, “Hardwiring Excellence in Education.”

Measuring Progress and Fostering Excellence: The Power of Scorecards

In every partnership, our coaches work with leaders to develop an organizational scorecard that identifies the most important measures of school, department, and district success. Each scorecard defines which progress monitoring tools will best predict success. Additionally, the scorecard defines what strategic actions will be taken to achieve goals.

EP316: Shape Culture Through Connection

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Mr. Al Betry of CESA 9 to discuss the strategies he uses to drive improvement, achieve remarkable outcomes, and create a culture where people want to come to work.

Tools to Monitor Progress and Connect Employees to Results

Consistent communication and connections with employees through leader huddles and rounding increase employee engagement and keep teams focused on goals.

EP315: Embracing Mentorship: A Tribute to Georgia Blackmon

Join us for a special episode where Dr. Janet Pilcher shares four valuable life lessons from one of her most influential mentors and friends, Ms. Georgia Blackmon.

Empower Your Team: Using Plus/Delta as a Template for Making Improvement Decisions

The Plus Delta process is a valuable tool for continuous improvement because it helps to identify areas for improvement, prioritize action items, and foster a culture of learning.

EP314: Enhance Communication with Scorecards and Huddles

Would you like to strengthen communication within your organization? Listen along as Dr. Ryan Carpenter of the Estacada School District discusses how he establishes effective two-way communication through his implementation of daily huddles and scorecards.

EP313: Communicate at All Levels

In this Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Ryan Carpenter, Superintendent of the Estacada School District, to discuss his efforts at enhancing communication at all levels in his district.

EP312: Align Behaviors with Goals and Values

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Angela Bush, principal of Erwin Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss how she has moved her school from low-performing to now the top-ranked school in the Jefferson County School District for attendance.

EP311: Develop Accountability to Develop Leadership

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Nannette Johnston, former Studer Education Leader Coach and 2014 Superintendent of the Year, awarded by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. She joins us to discuss what it takes to succeed in the continually changing K12 education landscape and also share her experience serving one of our partners, Rob Clayton, Superintendent of Warren County Public Schools in Kentucky.

EP310: Facilitate Meetings People Want to Attend

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses her approach to designing better meeting agendas and strategies that have helped her become a better coach and facilitator.

Case Study: Sand Creek Zone-School District 49 Sets the Standard in Employee Engagement

Sand Creek Zone strives to provide quality education by developing tools and systems that allow their staff to focus on the people they serve. By adopting Huron Rounding, Sand Creek Zone improved their ability to connect often with staff and collect feedback to remove barriers and recognize colleagues who were making impact.

EP309: Boost Employee Retention Through Leadership Development

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses how professional development for leaders can impact employee retention and workplace environments.

EP308: Focus on Employee Engagement

Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses how leaders can foster a workplace environment where employees feel engaged and connected to their work in this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast.

The Value of Excellent Service

Great leaders place importance on how to become the best service provider for what they do. Donna Kirby, the Vice President of Operations at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos AA Baseball team, joins Dr. Janet Pilcher in this three-part podcast series to discuss building a culture around service. Listen as Donna discusses the value of customer service and how to treat your organization like a living room.

EP307: Continuous Improvement Through Leadership

Dr. Janet Pilcher interviews Superintendent Dr. Christi Barrett, of Hemet Unified School District in Hemet, California, on this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode.

EP306: Be a High-Performing Leader

Featured in this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast is Superintendent Matt Hillmann of the Northfield Public School System in Northfield, Minnesota to discuss leadership development.

EP305: Continuous Improvement to Support Students

Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Amy Mikesell, principal of Estacada High School, and Kate Dean, instructional coach, as guests on this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast.

EP304: Story Behind the Story: Hardwiring Excellence in Education

Recently, Dr. Janet Pilcher participated in a podcast hosted by Dr. Brendan Kelly, University of West Georgia President, called Off the Cuff. Dr. Kelly is featured in the second chapter of Janet’s newly released book “Hardwiring Excellence in Education.” In today’s episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, we share the recording of their conversation.

Guest Podcast: Dr. Janet Pilcher on Off the Cuff Podcast with Dr. Brendan Kelly

Dr. Brendan Kelly, host of Off the Cuff Podcast and President of the University of West Georgia, recently invited Dr. Janet Pilcher as a guest on his podcast. Their conversation details Dr. Pilcher’s leadership journey and how Studer Education partners in achieving organizational excellence.

EP303: Measures that Matter

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes Dale Shaver, Director of the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use in Wisconsin.

EP302: Commit to Excellence

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Janet invites two leaders who exhibit the first principle in the Nine Principles Framework, Commit to Excellence.

EP301: Develop and Apply Standards of Excellence

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Jon Malone, Regional Director and Chief Executive for the Northwestern Illinois Association, and Alicia Hulin, Executive Director for Human Resources and Strategic Engagement at South Louisiana Community College, as guests.

EP300: Recruit and Retain Excellent Teachers

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Matt Renaud and Dr. Kyle Thompson, who both serve as Regional Superintendents for the Regional Offices of Education in Illinois, to discuss how they each work to help recruit and retain teachers in their districts.

EP299: Getting Better at Getting Better

This episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast will be the first in a series to highlight some of the stories and results chronicled in Dr. Janet Pilcher’s newly released book “Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework.” The first guest to be interviewed is Dr. Pat Greco, Senior Director of Thought Leadership at Studer Education.

EP298: Journey to Excellence

Listen to this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast where Janet discusses her newly released book and how it can help leaders on their journey to excellence.

EP297: Prioritize Student Health

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites CheyAnne Fant, Director of Nutrition Services at Barren County Schools in Glasgow, Kentucky, to the show.

EP296: Reflect to Improve Your Leadership

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Janet models how employees on every level in an organization can go about self-reflection to improve.

EP295: Ignite Your Passion

Dr. Janet Pilcher invites a multi-international award-winning photographer, author, and soon-to-be teacher, Mary Davis, as a guest on this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast.

The Importance of Grow Your Own Programs in Addressing Teacher Shortages and Increasing Diversity in Education

Grow Your Own programs can address teacher shortages and increase diversity in education. These programs provide more effective instruction and better academic outcomes. See the challenges school districts face in creating and sustaining GYO programs, and how to overcome them.

EP294: Creating Healthy Schools and Communities

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses these questions posed by Frances Hesselbein in order to understand the importance of creating healthy schools and communities.

EP293: Create Impact that Endures

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Sergio Mendoza, Superintendent of Burton School District in Porterville, California, to discuss his retirement announcement and journey as a leader in education.

EP292: Mindfulness and Reflection Practices for Leaders and Teams

Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Casey Blochowiak, Director Coach, as a guest on this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast.

EP291: Recruit and Retain Successful Teachers

Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Sarah Miller, Senior Director of TeacherReady, as a guest on this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast to discuss how the TeacherReady program can be a tool for districts to recruit and retain successful teachers.

EP290: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework

In this Accelerate Your Performance Podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses her soon-to-be-released book, Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework.

Retain Employees in Education using Leadership Rounding

By rounding with employees, leaders can better understand their needs. Rounding also builds trust and shows employees that they are valued, resulting in better engagement, loyalty, and retention.

EP289: Create a Positive School Culture

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Matt Hillmann, Superintendent of Northfield Public Schools, to discuss the progress and successes his district has had along their continuous improvement journey

EP288: Build a Culture of Improvement

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Bradley Roberson, Superintendent of Oxford School District in Oxford, Mississippi, to share how he implements intentional systems with tactics such as rounding and scorecards to further continuous improvement in his district.

EP287: Rounding for Results

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum, Superintendent of San Benito High School District, and the district’s Board President, John Corrigan, to discuss the great impact leader rounding has had on their district.

EP286: Students are Treasures

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Lupita Hightower, Superintendent of Tolleson Elementary School District, to share about her district’s successes and learnings from their continuous improvement journey.

EP285: Go All In to Improve

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Sergio Mendoza, David Shimer, and Julissa Leyva, to discuss their improvement journey and the tactics they used to reach successful outcomes in their district.

EP284: Effective Leaders are Consistent

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites back Terrie Morgan, Superintendent of Hardin County Schools, to discuss how she uses different leadership and strategic tactics to improve her district.

2023 Superintendents of the Year

This year, we are proud to share that three superintendents from our partner organizations have been named Superintendent of the Year in Arizona, Kentucky and Minnesota. Join us in congratulating these outstanding education leaders for the contributions they make every day advocating for public education, our students and their futures.

EP283: Inspiring Young Futures

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Terrie Morgan, Superintendent of Hardin County Schools, as a guest on the Accelerate Your Performance podcast.

EP282: Building Transparency and Trust

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Rob Clayton, Superintendent of Warren County Public Schools, to discuss how he effectively models “cascading information” and leads with transparency and trust.

EP281: The Shift From Doing to Leading

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher utilizes this article to discuss the importance of a leader’s understanding of how to effectively delegate.

EP280: Bridging Community Divides

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Ed Manansala, County Superintendent of Schools for El Dorado County in California, and Dr. Ken Futernick, writer and educational consultant, to discuss how they worked together to find solutions for these issues.

2022 Difference Maker Awards

At the 11th annual WRIE conference, the Difference Maker Award, a nationwide recognition of bold leadership, was given to three honored K-12 superintendents and education leaders making significant impacts in their districts and organizations.

EP279: What Can I Stop Doing for a Strong New Year?

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses how starting the year with a “stop doing,” or bad habit to break, can help you be a better leader, employee, and person.

EP278: Preparing Students for Success from Kindergarten and Beyond

In this episode, Rina Irwin, CEO of the Child Development Centers, Inc. and a 2022 Difference Maker Award winner joins us to discuss her passion and commitment to preparing children for a successful educational experience as they transition into Kindergarten and beyond.

EP277: Great Leaders are Learning Leaders

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Mark Bielang, Superintendent of Portage Public Schools and winner of a 2022 Difference Maker award, to be a guest.

EP276: Be the Best Leader You Can Be

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Xavier De La Torre, Superintendent of Ysleta Independent School District and recent recipient of a 2022 Difference Maker Award, to share about his district’s improvement journey.

EP275: Lead Collaboratively and Transparently

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Jeff Dellutri, Superintendent of Fox Point-Bayside School District, to discuss his ‘why’ for committing to the work of improvement.

EP274: What it Really Takes to Prevail

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Pilcher discusses how you must often be a realist and address the hard facts while continuing to be persistent and motivated in your problem-solving.

EP273: From Input to Action: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Angela Frazier Arthur, Vice President of Student Services at Waukesha County Technical College, and Sherry Simmons, Chief Diversity and Compliance Officer at Waukesha County Technical College, to discuss how they gathered data through surveys and translated it into actions to improve campus diversity and inclusion.

EP272: Excellent Leaders are Intentional

In today’s Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher summarizes some of her favorite parts of WRIE and reflects on one of the key takeaways that surfaced throughout the two-day conference.

EP271: Unrelenting Commitment to Improvement

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites back a guest we have had the pleasure of hosting before, Dr. Jennifer Lowery, Superintendent of Tea Area School District in South Dakota.

EP270: Passion and Perseverance

According to Dr. Janet Pilcher in this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, you need passion to fuel your perseverance and enhance your skills as a leader.

EP269: Collaborate and Innovate With Your School Board Members

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Nate Nelson, Superintendent of the Porterville Unified School District, and Lillian Durbin, President of Trustees at the district, to share with us how they foster a strong relationship and communication between school leaders and the board.

EP268: Communicate Clearly, With Simplicity

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares several tips on how leaders can work towards being better communicators.

EP267: Running Plays to Achieve Success

This week on our Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites back Dale Shaver, Director of Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, and Laura Catherman, Director of the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board, to continue their discussion on how they implement their Playbook for Success to continuously build trust and enable success between boards and leaders.

EP266: The Value of Kindness

In this Accelerate Your Performance episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher explains the value of kindness and the profound impact it can have on ourselves and those around us.

EP265: Building Trust to Enable Success for Boards and Leaders

Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dale Shaver, Director of Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, and Laura Catherman, Director of the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board, to discuss how to build trust between the leaderships within schools, such as superintendents and principals, and their school boards.

EP264: Stomp Out We/They Culture

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses tactics on how to overcome We/They communication and examples of how to identify and adjust your communication in ways that promote unity.

EP263: Essentials for Developing Leaders

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast Dr. Sally Sugg, the Superintendent of Shelby County Public Schools in Shelbyville, Kentucky, joins us as our guest. Dr. Janet Pilcher Interviews Dr. Sugg on the importance of Leadership Development.

EP262: Highly Effective Teachers Need Highly Effective Leaders

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses the importance of cultivating a highly effective school under a highly effective leader to retain highly effective teachers.

EP261: Building Trust with Teachers and Supporting Them

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Justin Barlow, a middle school teacher who has worked in the academic world for over two decades, to share his insights into why teachers are exiting the profession and ways leaders can work to support and retain teachers.

EP260: Creating a Great Place to Work for Teachers

In this week’s Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses the importance of cultivating a positive and supportive work environment for teachers.

EP259: Increase Teacher Job Satisfaction and Retention

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Sarah Miller, Director of Partnership and Student Services for TeacherReady, and Dr. Amy Fowler, Coach Director Studer Education Team join us to talk about teacher retention and recruitment.

EP258: Rethinking School Safety

In today’s episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Deanna Ashby, who recently celebrated her one-year anniversary as a Studer coach, to discuss the topic of school safety, why it’s so important, and her personal experience.

EP257: Stay Interviews

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher explains how Stay Interviews can contribute positively to an organization and how they are more than simply convincing high performers to stay.

EP256: Dare to Lead Boldly

Listen as Dr. Mark Martin discusses with Dr. Janet Pilcher a program he’s launched called Close the Gap Kentucky and how it’s helping other school districts succeed.

EP255: The Big Picture: Synthesizing

In today’s episode, Dr. Pilcher helps explain how synthesis can help guide leaders forward with the big picture in mind.

EP254: Listen Intently

Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher interviews the 2022 recipient of the Human Rights Award, Matt Hillman, the Superintendent of Northfield’s Public Schools.

Progress Not Perfection: Find the Wins and Capture the Learning from this Year

In this webinar, Leader Coach Kathy Oropallo shares how to target short-range outputs that align with our big annual goals and offer celebration opportunities throughout next year.

EP253: Fire Up Your Inner Drive

Our drive will get us through most anything. Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher shares tips for fanning the flame of our inner drive.

EP252: Supporting Employee Health and Wellness

In this podcast, episode listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Krystal Lomanto to discuss her journey in becoming an elected superintendent as well as some of her firsthand results from and ways to implement health and wellness ideals.

EP251: Belgium-Based TeacherReady Candidate Shares About Housing Ukranian Family

In this episode we hear as Max Bobbit talks about both his time as a TeacherReady student and how he is currently housing 3 refugees from Ukraine.

EP250: Stop Placing Blame

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares how you can stop placing blame in your organization with key tips and examples of alternative, positive communication approaches.

Rebuilding Trust with our Communities

In this webinar, leader coach Melissa Matarazzo shares concrete ideas to tackle the challenge of rebuilding trust and strengthening relationships with community partners and stakeholders amidst conflicts beyond our control.

EP249: The Power of Collaboration

Listen now as the Superintendent of Daviess County Public Schools, Matt Robbins, and the Superintendent of Owensboro Public Schools, Dr. Matthew Constant, have a conversation with Dr. Janet Pilcher about how they partner together for their community.

EP248: Why it’s Important to be an Owner of Your Work

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares key characteristics of those who own their work as well as tips for living this idea out in the workplace.

EP247: Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Today, Tom Livezey, Superintendent of Oakridge Public Schools in Muskegon, Michigan, joins us. Listen as he shares about what it takes to create this kind of culture.

Solve Problems with Community Collaboration

Institutions and community organizations have a unique opportunity for greater collaboration as they navigate similar challenges while leading change.

EP246: Let Your Leaders Lead

Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher references an article written by this former park ranger who offers leaders five tips and discusses why leaders will want to rethink swooping in to save people “lost in the forest.”

The Maturity Model: Phases of Improvement in Organizational Excellence

Implementing five phases of improvement to achieve organizational maturity and excellence.

Impactful Irreplaceables: Recruit and Re-recruit the Best

In this webinar, leader coach Deanna Ashby shares helpful tips for re-recruiting those you have and for attracting your next, best team members. Through intentional performance feedback for current employees and behavior-based interviewing aligned to values for the next ones, you’ll be equipped to staff the most impactful team ever.

EP245: Stay the Course

In today’s conversation, Dr. Kelly Thompson and Jeff Petersen from Muskego-Norway Schools in Muskego, Wisconsin discuss what has enabled their success.

EP244: Build a Sense of Belonging

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares practical actions leaders can take to help create a culture of belonging.

Case Study: Improving Culture and Performance Through Feedback

A case study on how the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District leadership team approached their ailing culture with feedback from all stakeholder groups.

EP243: Make Way for Improvement

Today, the Superintendent of the Estacada School District, Ryan Carpenter, joins us, along with Studer Education Leader Coach, Dr. Kathy Oropallo. Ryan and Kathy recently co-authored a chapter in Teaching Improvement Science in Educational Leadership, which they will share about.

EP242: Rethinking Teacher Preparation Programs

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Miller, Director of Partnership and Student Services for TeacherReady, joins us to discuss the impact of alternative teacher credentialing and what she and the TeacherReady team has learned is creating access for a diverse range of candidates.

Analyze Impact to Accelerate Forward

In this webinar, leader coach Amy Fowler shares how to analyze impact during this current year to accelerate performance in the future using PDSA cycles.

EP241: Creating a Culture of Recognition

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher talks about the power of sincere appreciation and discusses how we can establish recognition systems in our organizations.

EP240: Champions for Improvement

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher and our guest, Senior Director of Thought Leadership, Dr. Pat Greco, discuss great improvement work currently taking place across the nation, why committing to this process is so important, and what attendees can expect from this year’s conference.

EP239: Analyze Impact to Accelerate Forward

In this episode, listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher and our guest, Leader Coach, Amy Fowler, discuss how leaders can harness their learnings over this past year to make even more progress moving forward.

EP238: The Power of Reward and Recognition

In this episode, listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher explains why now is a great time to revisit Episode 50, Increase Employee Engagement with Recognition.

Case Study: Creating a Culture of Unmistakable Value at Northwestern Illinois Association

Northwestern Illinois Association embarked on a new journey to increase their value. These are the steps they took to create a culture of “unmistakable value”.

EP237: Build Culture Through Authentic Leadership

Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher asks Heidi to share what the other biggest difference makers have been for creating a strong workplace culture.

Leader Superpowers: Culture and Communication

In this webinar, leader coach Tim Wyrosdick shares helpful tips on using your superpowers of culture and communication to improve student and family experiences and make for a better workplace for all.

EP236: Communicate With Precision

In this episode, we offer tips for crafting messages that will help leaders communicate more precisely, clearly, and effectively.

EP235: Harness Your Superpowers of Culture and Communication

In this episode, find out practical ways you can activate your superpowers of culture and communication.

How One School District Hardwired Continuous Improvement Practices to Change their Culture and Adjust through Disruption

To execute continuous improvement well, continuous learning is a must. Learn how a school district used disruption as the greatest innovator to achieve results.

EP234: Balance the Heart and Mind to Thrive at Work

In this episode, find 9 tips for creating a better heart and mind balance to help us thrive at work.

EP233: Essential Components of Healthy Workplace Cultures

In this episode, find out simple actions you can take to create healthier workplace cultures.

A Six-Step Process to Improvement that School Districts Can Replicate

How well does your team execute on improvement plans? Don’t plan just to plan. Bring improvement plans to life by monitoring, adjusting and reflecting.

EP232: How to be Proactive at Work

In this episode, learn about the qualities of proactive leaders and how cultivating more of this spirit can impact workplace culture for the better.

Making the Most of Mid-year Adjustments

In this webinar, leader coach Wanda Creel talks about how to identify, communicate and reinforce mid-year adjustments to reduce anxiety, increase implementation and have a great second half of the academic year.

EP231: Lead Boldly and Authentically

In this episode, learn what it means to lead authentically and how it looks in action.

EP230: Be Happy at Work

In this episode, find out actions you can take action to manage your happiness at work.

EP229: Strategic Moves for Impact

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Herring, the Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, joins us for a candid conversation about overcoming challenges.

The Nine Principles Framework: A Foundational Guide to Organizational Excellence

These components of excellence that are consistently present in high-performing organizations provide a roadmap for organizations on a transformational journey.

EP227: New Year, Positive Mindset

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher challenges us to shift to a positive mindset. Listen as she shares tips on how we can shift our minds to focus on the positive and to find the good in every situation.

EP228: Be Curious

Through the experiences Mary shares about her path from TV news anchor and reporter to her current role as Creative Content Analyst, we’re reminded of the value of being curious.

Pause, Reflect and Plan

In this webinar, leader coach Deanna Ashby shares new ways to slow down, reflect and reset to make the most of mid-year check-ins.

EP226: The Best Gift We Can Give

In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher challenges us to get creative. Listen as she shares ideas for making memorable experiences with others as well as examples of spending quality time with team members at work.

EP225: Getting the Groove Back

In this episode, Student Orchestra Director Christina Clark Frierdich joins us to share about overcoming challenges, finding creative opportunities and staying fueled with purpose in difficult times.

EP224: The Winning Mindset

Listen as Janet shares some powerful takeaways we can put into action to help us commit to a winner’s mindset and overcome adversity.

EP223: Using Student Voice to Help Shape District Plans

In this episode, listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher and Gayle discuss how to effectively gather and use student input as well as the norms and considerations for these conversations.

EP222: The Danger of Victim Mentality

Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses what victim thinking can look and sound like and why it’s toxic to workplace cultures. Listen as she shares action steps for identifying and overcoming victim thinking.

EP221: Finding Purpose Outside of Work

Dr. Janet Pilcher and Whitney discuss what she’s learned from the experience and what others can do to find a little spark in their lives.

EP220: Reflect to Overpower Hate

Dr. Janet Pilcher reflects on her recent experiences and leads listeners through a loving kindness mediation to break the barriers we feel inwardly and outwardly.

EP219: Find Your Pack & Find Your Voice

To become a first-choice University requires winning the hearts and the minds of young people. While this is no easy feat, Universities are filled with untapped talent and resources.

Sustain Yourself and Your Leaders

In this webinar, Leader Coach Gayle Juneau-Butler shares practices to sustain yourself and other leaders through challenges and seasons of continuous change.

EP218: That ‘Blah’ Feeling

Using this article, our host, Dr. Janet Pilcher, helps us name this blah feeling and provides tips to help individuals go from languishing to potentially flourishing.

EP217: Changing Education Through Improvement Science

Hear about bright spots in education who are making improvement simple and sharing their work to fundamentally change education in America.

EP216: Commit to Excellence: Be the Best

As Dr. Janet Pilcher reflects on What’s Right in Education, she reminds listeners to never lose the purpose of helping students be their best.

EP215: Critical Communication in Times of Crisis

Listen as Superintendent Ryan Carpenter shares the most important communication tactic in times of crisis.

Prioritize to Achieve Small Wins

In this webinar, Leader Coach Melissa Matarazzo shares tips on how to narrow your focus, meet important goals and celebrate wins, even amidst the whirlwind of daily operations.

EP214: How to Collect the Student Voice

We often think about how students are feeling from our adult lens, yet they don’t have the adult experiences we’ve gained. How do we really know how our students are feeling?

EP213: Using Local Culture to Improve the Student Experience

During this conversation, we discuss how the local Native American Ojibwe Tribe is an integral piece of Lac du Flambeau’s history and the ties between its school system and local cultural values.

EP212: Break Down the Disconnect Between School Leaders and Teachers

Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses why there is a disconnect between school leaders and teachers, and what administrators can do to get teachers to stay.

EP211: Focus on the Fundamentals to Improve

This episode revisits an interview with Dr. Pat Greco, who shares how the School District of Menomonee Falls stayed 8 months ahead of other districts.

How Estacada Schools Delivers Best-in-Class Communication

To meet the needs of today’s families, schools must be laser-focused and innovative in how they communicate with stakeholders. This is why, in Estacada, best-in-class communication isn’t just an always action, it’s a core pillar of the strategic plan.

EP210: When It Comes to Change, Less is More

Janet shares three important suggestions to apply 100% of the time to best manage change.

EP209: Define Values to Guide Your Decisions

Our school systems, leaders and educators have role-modeled tremendous resiliency since March of 2020. Despite the challenges the pandemic has brought, there have also been bright spots and bold leaders encouraging their teams to thrive. Today, we revisit a conversation with Tea Area Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Lowery, to highlight the difference their district makes by leaning on its values and focusing on its entire community.

Provide Performance Feedback Aligned to Values

In the roundtable and the discussion, Leader Coach and former Florida Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick shares how to provide effective feedback that supports and challenges each employee to achieve better outcomes for students.

Let the Student Voice Be Your Guide

How do education leaders create a school culture that prioritizes students? By collecting and acting on student feedback to shape the district’s values.

EP208: Bold Leaders, Bold Decisions, Bold Results

Bold leadership isn’t about a position. Bold leaders use their hearts and minds to make a difference in the lives of others. Our professional calls on you to help young people realize their hopes and dreams – that is where educators find purpose. Bold leaders focus on the right small things that make a difference for employees, students and their communities. In this episode, hear how our host, Dr. Janet Pilcher recommends you connect to purpose through continuous learning and improvement.

EP207: Save Time with Proactive Communication

Have you ever felt like you’re running around your organization putting out fires? Today, Superintendent Ryan Carpenter, Estacada School District shares the communication tactics his team has in place that help him feel less like a firefighter. You’ll also hear how these decisions were deeply rooted in data and continue to be analyzed on a consistent basis. As a result, people in Estacada are jumping ALL IN on the decisions its school district is making. Listen as Janet and Ryan discuss why his team stays laser-focused on communicating innovatively with their community and employees.

Organizational Values Are More Than Words on a Wall

Education leaders diligently seek organizations with strong organizational values to align with as a driving force to serve students. Use these five tactics to bring your organizational values to life.

EP206: Ask Yourself These 5 Questions

We all know that a leader’s behavior has a significant influence on the employees of an organization. Great leaders are reflective, have self-awareness and are connected to the people they serve. On the other hand, bad leaders often cause employees to seek out another work environment. How can we become the type of leader that contributes to building an inspiring workplace? To answer this, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares the 5 Questions Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Ask Themselves Every Day written by Harvey Deutschendorf.

EP205: Hiring the Right Principal

Hiring a High School Principal is a can’t-miss situation. Due to decreases in qualified applicants for these positions, one school district found a unique way to find the best candidate. Joining Janet today is Sand Creek Zone District 49, Superintendent Sean Dorsey, who shares how to hire boldly and authentically engage staff and students through challenging times.

Drive Employee Actions that Support a Culture of Belonging

In the roundtable and the discussion, Leader Coach and former Kentucky Superintendent Deanna Ashby shares how to drive employee actions that support a culture of belonging.

Process Improvement Tool: Stoplight Report

The Stoplight Report is a way to communicate how ideas, concerns, and barriers are being resolved. Items added to the Stoplight Report might be collected during check-in conversations, team meetings, or a process audit. The Stoplight Report is shared to keep the team informed of priorities for improvement and progress.

EP204: Sending Hope to Louisiana

The northern gulf coast is home to millions of residents who are no strangers to natural disasters. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher reflects on our education partners who have suffered tremendous damage due to Hurricane Ida. The storm has brought major loss to the students, employees, and community members of Fletcher Technical Community College and Nunez Community College in southeastern Louisiana.

EP203: Tackle Student Learning Gaps

Ensuring learning progress despite disruptions to learning has been no easy feat since the pandemic began. However, at Erwin Middle School leaders worked together to decrease student absences by over 40% and decrease the number of F’s and incomplete assignments by 51%. Today, Principal Dr. Angela Bush joins Janet to share how her team continues to close the academic achievement gap and move students forward.

Do You Want a Culture of Belonging? Start with Employees

As we kick off the school year and communicate expectations, what better time to offer about how each employee can contribute positively to every student’s daily experiences in schools? With a combination of leader modeling and communication of what’s expected, organizational culture can provide a powerful growth environment for all.

EP202: Do What’s Right for Students

The skills that students need to be successful after school ends are rapidly changing. What it means to be career-ready tomorrow, will look different in 2025. To best support students for the future, leaders and community members in Oak Ridge School District have made a collective commitment to advance their strategic plan and include a focus on college, career and life success. Listen as Dr. Bruce Borchers shares how his district aligns its Portrait of a Graduate from Pre-K to Graduation using the district’s strategic plan.

Plan for the Unexpected

Use scenario thinking to calm uncertainties and move quickly to action when the unexpected occurs. You can’t predict the future, but you can plan for it.

EP201: How to Dodge Those Silver Bullets

Are you trying to find the next silver bullet solution? Or are you focused on evidence-based leadership and improvement practices? Focusing on the next shiny silver bullet will often lead to organizational chaos. Today, Janet shares another way leaders can prepare their teams for change and build leadership capabilities to improve organizational systems.

EP200: How Leaders Stay Grounded

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” It’s a saying you’ve likely heard before, and one that today’s guest says applies to being a Superintendent. As an educator for 29 years, Deanna (Dede) Ashby, recently retired Superintendent of Hopkins County Schools joins Janet again to share how she helps others develop a vision and mission that leaves a huge impact on their community. Listen as Dede explains why it’s important to have the right people around you and stay grounded as a Superintendent.

Realigning with our Values and Expectations in our “New Normal”

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Dr. Gayle Juneau Butler shares tools, tactics and resources for sustaining your organizational commitments to core values and expectations as we transition to a “new normal.”

Build a Strategic Plan Around Educational Equity

Participating in conversations about equity isn’t enough. School leaders must design a more equitable learning environment starting with the strategic plan.

EP199: Two Tactics to Hardwire for the New School Year

New academic years begin with new faces everywhere you look. Whether people are new to the organization or new to their role, Janet recommends two tactics that build confidence and support employees in a new position. To be an excellent organization, we strive to apply these practices and train all of our team members to do the same.

EP198: Even Rockstar Leaders Need Development

Being a Superintendent can bring out the best in people, as well as highlight our most glaring mistakes and blindspots. Today, retired Superintendent, Tim Wyrosdick joins Dr. Janet Pilcher to share what he has learned from 36 years as an educator in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Listen as Tim explains why it’s important to embrace new challenges and never be satisfied.

How to Reinforce Traditional Values in the ‘New Normal’

An organization’s traditional values are core to its culture. As we approach the ‘new normal’ guide employees by realigning to these values.

EP197: Unlearn to Improve

How can we tackle declining student performance? After over a year of difficult transitions and decisions, Janet shares why we need to rethink and unlearn what schools have done in the past. Most people in our educational systems want to contribute to student success – it is our purpose. Using the book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant, Janet explains how we can question and challenge our current thinking to prepare students to perform at the highest levels.

EP196: Leadership Development is a Lifeline

Leadership development is often viewed as a “nice to have” in organizations. Today’s guest, Dr. Pat Greco, shares why leadership development is core to the capacity of the organization and a lifeline to everyone it supports. School systems aren’t static – they are continuously changing with new students, teachers, leaders, support staff and board members. Listen as Pat and Janet discuss why building leadership capabilities across all team members is a must-do.

How to Create a Culture of Belonging for All Students

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Dr. Kathy Oropallo shares research from NASP and asset-based teaching tactics that educators can use to provide the best support possible through a culture of care that heightens students’ sense of belonging.

Onboarding for Success in a Virtual Work Environment

You’ve interviewed and hired the perfect candidate. Next, review these four tips to virtually onboard new employees in a meaningful way.

EP195: Count Your Words

The words we use matter. Messages that focus on the customer’s perspective build relationships and reinforce how important the customer is to an organization. Customers are always seeking to understand, ‘what’s in it for me?’ Communication with this as the focus engages the people we serve. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares four steps to address customer questions and respond with a focus on the customer.

EP194: Pay Attention to the Right Work

Organizations sustain high performance when people are aligned and understand where the organization is headed. Although there will always be people who are resistant to change, the best leaders persevere through pushback to help create incredible results in our school systems. Such as, Hudson School District Superintendent Nick Ouellette, PhD, who understands that even though reaching agreement is important, so are his non-negotiables, as well as the ability to move quickly to positively impact the students we serve.

Create a Culture of Belonging for All Students

Our students have an innate need for connection and belonging. Try these four tips to create a culture of belonging and connection for student success.

EP193: Families are Valuable Team Members

Families are a great resource for educators. They offer a unique perspective and window into the life of our students. When we approach building relationships with families the same way we approach building a team within our organization, students are more successful. Today’s guest, Dr. Holly Ellis shares how leaders can invest their effort into relationships that increase student engagement and confidence.

EP192: What do Employees Need from Leaders?

Leaders want employees who are happy, productive and invested in the organization’s future. However, retaining these people requires leaders to become aware of what it takes to meet employee’s needs in the workplace. Hear about those needs and the fundamentals we use to support confident and engaged employees from Leader Coach and employee engagement expert, Dr. KK Owen. Today, KK and Janet discuss what leaders can do to increase confidence and engagement on their team – and what we might be doing that causes employee engagement to decrease.

Build (or Rebuild) a Powerful Leadership Team

In this roundtable, Dr. Julie Kunselman shares examples and lessons learned from partner organizations on building powerful leadership teams and ensuring that your team models the way for everyone else’s success.

EP191: Saying ‘No’ to Manipulators

What can we do when an individual hoards conversation time, constantly interrupts, provides unsolicited advice and puts others down? These behaviors can be interpreted as manipulative and can damage individuals on our teams and organizations. To maintain working relationships, and be authentic to ourselves and those we lead, we have to firmly and diplomatically say no to manipulators. Today Janet shares examples of how to take control when working with a manipulator.

Leading Boldly in a Rural Community

Rural leadership isn’t for the faint of heart. Students are most successful when bold leaders like Superintendent Drost connect people to embrace change.

EP190: Simple Strategies for Classroom Improvement

As educators, it’s our goal to help students progress, achieve, and build confidence in themselves and their learning. We are witnessing schools do so by using simple continuous improvement strategies in the classroom. To share what this looks like, we’ve interviewed Leader Coach, Dr. Kathleen Orapollo, an expert in designing unique adult and student learning experiences. Today, Kathy and Janet discuss why classroom improvement is critical for students and staff, simple strategies to implement, and how a middle school is actively using improvement cycles.

Build a Bold Leadership Team

A leadership team is the foundation of successful school districts. Use these nine tips to start building a bold leadership team with your leaders.

EP189: Dealing with Manipulators

Within our organizations, there are people who will do whatever it takes to be successful. Sometimes people who we believe are high performers are actually lethal employees and manipulators. To gain power, people hoard information, shut others down, avoid seeking input and insist on always have control. Saving employees from manipulators in our organizations is one of the most difficult aspects of being a leader – especially if the manipulator is an executive leader. Today, Janet shares 8 tips for dealing with manipulators on our teams.

Empower the Board to Lead through Challenges

In this roundtable, Dr. Melissa Matarazzo shares how to support your board members to sustain themselves and serve effectively during times of community division.

Why Does Recognition Matter?

If employees don’t feel valued for their work they’re more likely to become disengaged. People may become unmotivated to put forth their best effort thinking, what’s the point? The good news is engaging employees isn’t complicated. Most of the time, people just want appreciation for the effort.

Communication Tips for School Board Members

When and how can school board members best communicate with the community? Offer school board members support with these four tips.

How Do You Answer That? Managing Tough Questions

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Dr. KK Owen shared a recording from a recent Destination High Performance conference where she was joined by Dr. Janet Pilcher to tackle tough questions with effective responses.

What is Bold Leadership?

As society evolves, education is always needed to transform to help students prepare for the workforce. Equally so, this evolution creates demand for leaders to respond and empower people on their teams to make a bigger impact. The type of leadership required today looks different than it did a decade ago. Leading a team into the future requires bold action and the following characteristics.

EP188: Are You a High Performer?

What does it mean to be a high performing employee? What if we all had an athlete’s mindset at work? Today Janet closes this series about defining high performance by discussing the final 8 personality traits of high-performing athletes from the Sports Management Degree Guide. Ultimately, it takes hard work and commitment to grow ourselves to be the best we can be. Do you see that commitment on your team?

EP187: Connecting Operations to Student Success

We all want to attain excellence – some of us are just more systematic and focused on how to get there. Today’s guest, Dr. JoAnn Sternke cautions, “You’ll never achieve excellence if you don’t have purpose, focus and alignment.” In this episode, Janet and JoAnn discuss how to better align operational leaders and teams to realize their impacts in academic organizations. When we bring operational and department leaders together with school and classroom leaders, good things happen.

Effectively Using Data to Make Tough Decisions

In this roundtable, Dr. Pat Greco was joined by SDMF Superintendent Cory Golla, Director of Teaching and Learning Casey Blochowiak, and Leader Coach Robin Largue for a roundtable discussion to learn from in-the-field experts have built an “army of improvers” in the district, where staff are learning how to increase student engagement, improve parent confidence, keep their people safe and sustain learning outcomes in 45-day cycles of improvement.

Did That Question Catch You Off Guard?

From the executive level to the front-line manager level, leaders are confronted with tough questions often. Although we can’t eliminate tough questions altogether, we can communicate effectively and prepare to answer the questions that remain.

EP186: The Winning Trait Behind Underdog Teams

What if we all had an athlete’s mindset at work? What would that look like? Today Janet discusses 6 more personality traits of high-performing athletes and how we can use those to assess ourselves and further define high performance in the workplace. The best teams provide opportunities for people to feel connected to the work and each other to achieve results. It’s the responsibility of every team member to ensure that no one feels alone when we are working as a team.

EP185: Strong Teams Don’t Happen by Chance

How can we really make improvement work across an organization? What enables people to solve problems and make the best decisions at every level? We begin by helping people understand improvement is a connected, system-wide process deeply rooted in the capabilities of the people within the organization. Today, we hear from an award-winning Superintendent, and our Director of Thought Leadership, Dr. Pat Greco, who has supported an organization through hardwiring improvement from the boardroom to the classroom. Listen as Pat and Janet discuss the fundamentals of classroom improvement and the problem with viewing people as job titles in our organizations.

Powerful Communication Practices that Build Connection

In this roundtable, Dr. Gayle Juneau-Butler was joined by Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Lowery and Business Manager Chris Esping to share how Tea Area School District is using powerful communication practices and focusing on decision-making that sustains people and deepens relationships.

EP184: Be Dedicated to Being the Best

What if we all had an athlete’s mindset at work? What would that look like? Today Janet discusses 6 personality traits of high-performing athletes and how we can use those to assess ourselves and further define high performance in the workplace. To be a high-performing team, we need all people engaging in the self-discovery work required to be their best every day.

EP183: Prioritizing Local Culture in Schools

Why is it important to align your district values to the values found in the homes of students in the community? Today, Superintendent Dr. Larry Ouimette shares how his small northern Wisconsin school district incorporates the local Native American Ojibwe Tribe into all aspects of education. Dr. Ouimette explains that public respect of local culture has a significant bearing on the success of his students. Listen to learn more about how the Lac du Flambeau School District prioritizes community values in its mission, vision and strategic plan.

Improving Outcomes: Align, Empower, Persist

In this roundtable, Dr. Melissa Matarazzo was joined by West Allis-West Milwaukee School District leaders to share how the district has laid the foundational building blocks that support improving student outcomes with consistent leadership, aligned action and systemic persistence

The Key To Success: Continuous Leader Development

The constant change we are facing in our industry calls for bold leadership. Oftentimes we see rapid change cause leaders to pause on leader development activities. While it’s valid to think that focusing on managing change itself is most important, there is another way.

EP182: What Makes an Employee a Productive One?

What makes an employee a productive one? To garner our high-performing team, all employees are expected to be productive – and we say all very purposefully. Chris Porteous outlines 7 Traits of Supremely Productive Employees in Entrepreneur, that we can use to communicate expectations to everyone on our team. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses these traits and what we can do this week to be more productive employees.

EP181: How Can We Improve Employee Engagement and Communication?

Last September, one of the largest wildfires in central Oregon’s history came within a mile of schools and downtown Estacada. While still navigating the ever-changing Covid-19 pandemic, all 1800 of Estacada School District’s students, families, and employees were evacuated from their homes. However, Superintendent Ryan Carpenter and his team prepare proactively to prepare for these events and were able to quickly move to action. As he joins Janet today, he shares how his team collected data to make the best decisions for their district and community.

Productivity, Engagement and Culture: The Trifecta of Resilient Organizations

In this roundtable, Dr. Kathy Oropallo was joined by Oregon Superintendent Ryan Carpenter to share how the Estacada School District focuses on productivity, engagement and culture to create resilient leaders in a resilient organization. 

EP180: Powerful Practices That Build Connection

There is no greater compliment than trust. As educators, we have a great responsibility to do what is best for children entrusted to us. This is the foundation of the moral compass used by the Tea Area School District team led by Superintendent Jennifer Lowery. In this episode, Dr. Lowery shares how her team created a central location to connect its community and the sometimes heartbreaking burdens of leadership.

Integrating Local Culture into Student Learning

In this roundtable, Dr. Gayle Juneau Butler was joined by Superintendent Larry Ouimette to share how the Lac du Flambeau Public School district authentically engages in partnership across cultures to create a safe and productive school environment for all. 

Does Local Culture Have a Purpose in Schools?

INTEGRATING LOCAL CULTURE TO INCREASE STUDENT LEARNING Are culture and context of learning really that important? Yes, absolutely! Yet in traditional academic settings, culture is often presented as a series of facts separate from students and their lived experiences. Hence, this disconnect is a dire opportunity lost in and of itself. Did you know that […]

EP179: Rounding with Purpose

The time has come in which organizations are thinking about how to return to work with a new perspective and understanding. As we begin to engage with each other again in person and come to work in new ways, one simple tactic will be more important than ever. Rounding with purpose results in a better culture of engaged employees and leaders working together. Today, Janet shares 8 steps to create an approach for applying rounding with purpose in your organization.

EP178: Measures That Matter and Decision Rules

How can we engage people to become champions of improvement? Today, we share how one school district stayed eight months ahead of the national conversation by investing in the brainpower of its people to solve its toughest challenges. Listen as Dr. Pat Greco and Janet discuss how the right measures and processes support an army of improvers in the School District of Menomonee Falls.

Strong Leaders Manage Change Effectively

5 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER Those who work in education and those who are leaders in other industries have at least one thing in common. People are our greatest assets. It’s our responsibility to develop students, employees and the future leaders of our workforce. Education systems need strong leaders who know how to […]

EP177: Leading Change with Creative Tension

Change has accelerated for all of us over this past year. External demands and pressures are calling for leaders to change the way they do business. While the majority of our employees want to help the organization achieve excellence, not everyone feels this way. Our responsibility as leaders is to focus on building work environments that empower solid and high performers to be accountable and see their value to the organization. Today, Janet shares how leaders can master the ability to lead and manage with creative tension.

EP176: Accountability in Closely Connected Communities

Leadership is a full-time job that requires relentless commitment. For leaders in rural communities, there is an added challenge of everyone knowing you personally as well. Today, Randy Drost, Superintendent of Rice Lake School District joins Janet to share about leading in his hometown community, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Listen as Randy and Janet discuss the connectedness, challenges and role school leaders play in rural communities.

Improving from Here: How Systems Can Accelerate Student Progress

In this roundtable, Dr. Kathy Oropallo shares stories of improvement and progress that took place during the most challenging times we’ve faced in education.

Move Students Forward with a Focus on Strengths

USE AN ASSET-BASED APPROACH FOR POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT It’s our mission as educators to keep students engaged and accelerate learning. We strive to create the best learning environments for student success. We want to help low performers excel and progress. It’s time to pause and ask ourselves, what are we really doing to focus on progress? […]

EP175: Being Aware of Our Cognitive Biases

A goal of many organizations is to build an inclusive, positive workplace culture that achieves positive results. Doing so requires us to address how our individual behavior contributes to the culture. The truth is, we are all biased at times, and those biases can cause conflict and even toxicity in the workplace. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher will discuss two cognitive biases we all experience from time to time and four ways to assess ourselves.

EP174: Lead Through Mission and Values

It’s no secret that higher ed hasn’t worked at the speed of business. Yet the past year left institutions with no choice other than to transform – and transform quickly. This week, Georgia Southern University President, Dr. Kyle Marrero joins Janet to discuss how his institution has used its mission and values to maintain focus through the uncertainty. With accelerated communication, self-reflection and leadership transparency GSU invests in the success of people.

Build an Army of Improvers to Achieve Student Success

In this roundtable, Dr. Janet Pilcher and Dr. Pat Greco highlight how specific organizational teams are using the Organizational Excellence and Improvement Maturity Model to align to what matters most, care for their people and keep their students learning in all conditions.

Building the Conditions for a Learning Culture

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT STUDENT AND ADULT LEARNING? When was the last time you tried something new? New experiences such as tasting foreign cuisine or starting a job forced us to leave our comfort zones. We may not know what to expect and may even be curious or excited to try something new. In contrast, […]

EP173: Symptoms of Low Emotional Intelligence

Do you know someone who seems to be unable to control their emotions? Maybe you feel this way yourself at times. We all have varying degrees of emotional intelligence. Although it’s difficult to face our challenges and shift our behaviors, it can be done. During today’s episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares 9 Signs of Low Emotional Intelligence from Kendra Cherry via Very Well Mind as well as her own reflections about how we compensate for these behaviors. When we commit to a defined change in behavior, we make a difference in the way we interact with others.

EP172: Higher Ed Isn’t One Size Fits All

How do we maintain the momentum and elevate an already outstanding higher education institution? The way we’ve defined transformation in the past has been put to the test over the past year. Today’s guest, South Louisiana Community College Chancellor, Dr. Vincent June, explains to become the best resource for his community takes more creativity than he anticipated. Listen as he shares about leading a multi-campus organization during a global pandemic, leadership transition and transformational change.

From Conversation to Action for an Inclusive Environment

In this roundtable, Dr. Gayle Juneau-Butler shares specific examples, key questions to ask, a shift in language and other tools to guide leaders to a place to start and continue creating an environment of inclusion.

Five Questions to Create an Inclusive Environment

DIVERSITY. EQUITY. INCLUSION. Although these are independent, all-encompassing nouns, their interconnected success relies on the transformation of the words from nouns to verbs — from serving as thoughts to becoming actions. We want to create space for more and deeper inclusivity. This requires us to shift from examination of thinking to the work of belongingness […]

EP171: We Are All Connected

Although there are differences between rural and urban communities, many of our problems are the same. We are all interconnected as we are solving these critical issues in America. As Janet reflects on our Strengthening Rural America event, she explains, “the quality of life in our country is dependent on our ability to connect with each other and strengthen America.” Our communities are relying on professionals in healthcare and education to create places where we care and love each other – where no one problem is too big to solve.

EP170: Embrace the Call for Transformation in Higher Ed

How can higher education transform to inspire a new generation of learning, thinking, and imaginative invention? We can start by listening to those we serve and embracing the call for diverse learning and experiences to overcome the status quo. Today, Dr. Brendan Kelly, University of West Georgia President, joins Dr. Janet Pilcher to discuss the positive progress UWG has made despite a year of challenges, criticism, and anxiety. President Kelly shares the actions UWG is taking to position their institution for the future and his relentless commitment to making higher education better for the people we serve.

EP26: Coaching Friendship

Children need social connections in order to be successful in school and in life. Amid the shifts from building to at-home learning, the opportunity to build social skills and make new friends have taken a hit. It’s important for parents to remember that, like everything else, children LEARN how to be social. They learn by watching the example adults set for them in their own friendships. In this episode, we share specific actions parents can take to teach friendship and how they can coach children to be a good friend.

Using Key Words at Key Times

CREATE CLEAR MESSAGES THAT ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING When used incorrectly, communication can build a barrier between people in the workplace. Time is often wasted trying to clarify and reiterate information. Meanwhile, employees become frustrated and disengaged due to lack of understanding. People depend on leaders to deliver clear, effective messages that inspire a vision and drive […]

EP169: The Harmful Effects of Absentee Leaders

Have you ever worked with a leader who is physically there, yet psychologically absent? Someone who avoids ownership, meaningful engagement, and shifts the blame to others? This type of leader can be difficult, if not impossible to please – slowly killing productivity and engagement in the workplace. While an absentee leader’s behavior may not come across as toxic, it can be more harmful than it appears on the surface. Today, Janet discusses the impact of absentee leadership and how we can instead build a community of great leaders.

EP168: Now is the Time to be Bold and Courageous

Conversations about the need for transformation in education aren’t new. However, this past year has demonstrated that transformation is possible – and at greater speeds than we ever realized. As we look ahead to the future of higher education, it’s filled with both excitement and uncertainty. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher is joined by Dr. Natalie Harder, President of Coker University, to discuss leadership, transformation, and the importance of integrity and excellence in higher education.

Empower Your Teams with Purpose and Pride

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Sabrina Hebeler shared tactics to connect purpose and five key focus areas to re-empower our teams with pride and purpose.

EP25: Student-led Conversations

The events of last spring and the pandemic exposed a role in the parenting gig most of us rarely considered – the parent as learning coach. Many parents have now been up close and personal with what goes into making sure their children are successful in school and they want to know if they are “doing it right.” In this episode, we introduce School House as the space where school and house meet. You’ll also hear why consistency is foundational to the learning process. Children thrive when they know what to expect and what’s expected of them.

I believed there was no “I” in team – I was wrong

HOW CAN LEADERS BRING TEAMS TOGETHER? Over the course of our careers, whether in our foundational education or our first “real” jobs, we all remember hearing one particular quote – There’s no I in team. In fact, I said it many times myself as a young leader. Well, we were wrong. Teams, whether made up […]

EP167: The Ingredients for a Winning Team

Loyalty and trust go hand and hand. Great teammates have both loyalty OF the team and create loyalty TO the team. Listen as Janet shares insights from the article, Why Loyalty is Crucial to Basketball Excellence and how we can transfer those to our work teams. A good coach can’t play the game with their team, but a good coach can set the team up for success. Create winning teams with the right talent and connections to become unstoppable.

EP166: Refresh Strategic Goals to Move Forward

Strategic plans and goals are created with the best intentions to propel an organization into the future. There are also situations that require us to refresh these goals and readjust the next steps. Today, Dr. Sue Savaglio-Jarvis, Superintendent of the third-largest school district in Wisconsin, Kenosha Unified School District, joins Janet to share how her leadership team made the decision to refresh their goals with a strong focus on measures to drive success.

News of Relief Funds, Now What? Build Foundations for Sustainable Impact

How can we best build sustainability with one-time funds? What impact are we striving for? In this roundtable, Dr. Melissa Matarazzo shared important principles for decision-making and achieving the best return on investment with federal relief funds.

EP24: 4 Tips for a Schoolwork Meltdown

When it comes to schoolwork, meltdowns happen sometimes! In this episode we share four tips to help make meltdowns less frequent and also discuss how you can help your child move through them faster.

Plan Strategically to Make a Lasting Impact

THROUGH INTENTIONAL ALLOCATION OF FEDERAL RELIEF FUNDS As news of the latest COVID relief package from Congress trickles into the inboxes of superintendents across the country, it can be tempting to move quickly with these funds to shore up immediate needs and return our school systems to as “normal” as we can in a continuing […]

EP165: The Fragile Line Between Trust and Distrust

As leaders of teams and organizations, it is never our intent to create distrust. However, there are times when employees will observe our behavior and distrust can ensue. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher, continues her conversation from episode 163 Lead by Example, to reflect on what leader actions contribute to team mistrust.

EP164: One Team One Purpose: Rural America

Rural communities are inspiring places to live – people are always there to lend a hand and support one another through challenges and disasters. Rural communities also face unique challenges – the outmigration of talented workers, aging infrastructures, and consolidation into larger, less local systems. A Huron senior director, Tad Hunt, who oversees the rural and critical access segment, discusses with Janet how we can collaborate to overcome the challenges facing rural America, ultimately creating stronger communities for people to live and work.

EP23: STEAM-powered Learning

STEAM-based learning is an integrated approach to learning that prepares students for success beyond the classroom. It stands for Science, Technology, engineering, arts, and math. Integrating STEAM-powered learning activities into children’s day to day can be easy– and a lot of fun to do! In this episode, our Studer Education colleague, Basil Kuloba, who is also Executive Director of Inertia, joins us to share tips for parents to help bring learning to life and make it fun for children.

The Future Looks…? Planning Amidst Uncertainty

As leaders, we must organize and prepare for the future, even when future conditions are unclear, unknown or uncertain. In this roundtable, Dr. Pat Greco shared how best to apply the tool of scenario planning to make forward progress when multiple possibilities are still ahead.

Remain Confident Despite an Uncertain Future

ANTICIPATE AND GUIDE YOUR TEAM THROUGH CHANGE Anticipating and leading change isn’t a new concept for most leaders. For decades now, John Kotter’s work has encouraged leaders to lead organizations through increasingly rapid changes. We know it’s our role as leaders to anticipate the future and help our teams navigate through change. However, if we’ve […]

EP163: Lead by Example

People in leadership and government roles, teachers, and sports coaches have one thing in common: their roles are positions of power. People look to leaders like these for inspiration and to provide guidance and direction. Just like leaders in society, if we say one thing and then do another, we may lose our team’s trust in our organization. Today, Dr. Janet Pilcher reflects on the importance of organizational values and operationalizing these values into standards of excellence.

EP162: The Intersection of Healthcare and Education

n rural areas and small communities, we often find health and school systems are the largest employers. These industries are more alike than different in several ways. Today, Quint Studer and Janet Pilcher discuss the intersection between healthcare and education, and how these two industries have the power to transform their communities into successful, thriving places filled with talented workers.

EP22: Teachable Moments

With learning at home being something so many students and parents are doing, there are now more opportunities than ever to turn regular experiences into learning experiences. In this episode, we’re hoping to help you know when you might be in the middle of a teachable moment and what to do in that moment. Our guest and colleague, Dr. Holly Ellis, joins us to break down teachable moments and how to seize those opportunities.

How are our Students Doing? Student Learning Despite Disruption

What do we do when students’ learning slows or regresses? What do we do if that doesn’t work? In this roundtable, Dr. Kathy Oropallo shares how to apply an improvement cycle to address learning gaps that have arisen this year, especially to inform your plans for the year ahead.

Improvement Cycles to Sustain Progress

HOW ARE THE STUDENTS? As leaders make difficult decisions to create the best possible conditions for learning during constant change and disruption, we also face another emerging challenge. There is growing fear among the public that students may be experiencing irreparable learning loss. This fear, however, is not a new concept. Districts have historically grappled […]

EP161: 5 Leadership Lessons for the Future

As we progress through phases of transitioning back into something that resembles life before the pandemic, people will need their leaders to lean into the emotional side of the workplace more than ever. This change won’t happen overnight, rather we will move through stage after stage – each requiring us to build energy into our workplaces. To help teams thrive on the other side, Janet shares 5 lessons for leaders to carry into the future.

EP160: Creating a Culture of Shared Leadership

Inspiring an entire organization of people to commit to continuous improvement and service excellence is an admirable goal – one that will also pay off through challenging situations. Returning from episode #158, three leaders from the School District of Menomonee Falls share how a foundational culture of shared leadership and consistent communication empowered people to collaborate and transform their school system.

Lessons From a Virtual World

What have we learned about leadership in a virtual world? What have we transformed for a virtual setting that we’ll want to continue for the future? In this roundtable, Dr. Janet Pilcher was joined by Dr. Melissa Matarazzo to reflect and share five lessons learned from recent months as take-aways for how we lead, every day.

EP21: Coaching Kids to Identify Emotions

It’s natural for kids to experience different emotions as they learn. When they have the ability to identify and process emotions, it enables them to move through those experiences so that they don’t get stuck in a negative or unhealthy space. This is a skill that sets up kids for success in the classroom and later in life. In this episode, our Studer Education colleague and Leader Coach, Dr. Gayle Juneau-Butler, joins us to share tips for parents who want to coach their children to identify emotions. Gayle works with leaders in school systems and other organizations all over the country. She has a background in higher education and she also has two children, who light up her life.

Keep the Team Connected in a Virtual World

To support the basic needs or our employees, our workplaces must prioritize conversations that honor all employees.  

EP159: Blending 80% Emotional 20% Rational

Change is continuous, and in our organizations, leaders have the responsibility of balancing employees’ emotions with the rational side of work. This past year has taught us that it’s easier to lead with agility to manage change when we hardwire leadership fundamentals in our organizations. Today, Janet shares the foundational tools and tactics to advance our leadership and provides the framework we use to do just that – the Nine Principles for Organizational Excellence give teams an opportunity to thrive and truly accelerate performance.

EP158: Listen to People to Continuously Improve

What happens when an organization committed to improvement has to transform everything they do in 5 days? People let go of being perfect and rely on their relationships, values, and communication to achieve results. Joining Janet today are three leaders from the School District of Menomonee Falls; Casey Blochowiak, Tina Posnanski, and Sue Lee. Listen as they share how their team has remained agile, aligned, and committed to SDMF’s values, from the district, school, and classroom perspective.

EP20: Movement and Learning

Movement is fuel for the brain. Is your child getting enough of it? In this episode, we give you ways to get your child moving through play and coordinated activity.

EP157: DHP West Coast 2021 Kick Off

As the world continues to change at a rapid pace we need to help people in our organizations more than ever hardwire leadership fundamentals. To do so, we focus on the Nine Principles for Organizational Excellence. The best organizations continuously transform and review their practices to identify opportunities to improve, because we are only at our best when we strive for excellence in everything that we do. Today, Janet shares a preview of the Destination High Performance West Coast virtual experience over the next two days.

Focus on Employee Satisfaction

DEVELOP PEOPLE, RECOGNIZE WHAT MATTERS AND SHOW GRATITUDE You’re likely familiar with the saying people don’t leave their jobs, people leave their leaders. Although it may be overused, there is ample evidence to support that the relationship between an individual and their leader is key to employee satisfaction and engagement. There are many reasons for […]

EP156: Transform Culture with Communication

What makes employees engage, commit, and connect with their organization? Leaders that listen and use feedback to transform the culture of the organization. Today’s guest, Tim Hire, Superintendent of Schools, Tulare County Office of Education reminds us that there will always be plenty of work to do – make sure it’s the right work. If your organization doesn’t live by its values – that’s a great place to start. Listen as Tim shares the process their team used to develop core values and break down silos to truly engage employees.

Relentless Resilience: How to Finish Strong

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Sabrina Hebeler shared the key components of resilience and tactics to practice the pause to build the resiliency muscle.

EP19: Overcoming Overwhelm as a Parent

Most children can relate to feeling stressed or overwhelmed at some point in school, and amid a pandemic, parents are experiencing these exact feelings. In the previous episode, our social worker friend who works with students joined us to share tips for parents looking to coach their kids through tough moments. In this episode, Robin Matarazzo returns to share tips for parents who are feeling overwhelmed as they try to support their child’s learning. Listen as Robin discusses ways parents can overcome overwhelm.

The Power of Pause

The power of pause is an essential component of building our resilience muscle. Practice pausing before you respond using this simple tactic.

EP155: Reduce Exhaustion with Time Batching

How can we leave our workdays feeling less stressed and exhausted? This is a common question for many leaders. After days filled with meetings and unexpected interruptions, there is often little time left over for deep-thinking or other critical tasks that contribute to our organization. In today’s episode, Janet reflects on this challenge, sharing her own exhaustion and desire to manage time efficiently and productively. With gratitude for the advice from Mark Murphy, Janet shares the research and technique behind “time batching” to help us balance our lives and feel energized.

EP154: Different Types of Leaders

Sports and athletics have offered many of us an opportunity to develop critical leadership and life skills. Today’s episode features a special guest who faced a unique set of circumstances requiring him to remain agile and authentic to himself throughout his childhood and young career. His focus on being persistant and developing personal relationships recently paid off as he was selected in the 2020 NFL draft. Listen as New Orleans Saints Rookie, Zack Baun, shares his take on leadership, a few of his goals, and inspiring messages for us all.

Purpose + Process to Accelerate Improvement

In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke shares how to align your purpose to the best process that will drive the improvements that matter most.

EP18: Overcoming Overwhelm as a Child

School can be overwhelming for children at times. Amid a pandemic, feelings of stress and anxiety are understandably heightened. In this episode, a social worker who works with elementary, middle and high school students joins us to share insights for parents looking to coach their children through these tough moments. Listen as our guest, Robin Matarazzo, offers valuable tips that can help you help your child overcome overwhelm.

Purpose, Personalities and Personalization at Work

LEADING A 5-GENERATION WORKFORCE Recently a new generation of young professionals has begun to enter the workforce. With the broadest range of ages than ever before in the workforce, this presents new challenges for today’s leaders. Organizations have the responsibility of engaging employees who are in different stages of their careers and with a variety […]

EP153: Shifting Workplace Culture

What are the signs of a workplace culture in need of shifting? Are you noticing a disconnect between what leaders are trying to accomplish and what employees are internalizing? Do your employees continue to ask questions about what the organization can do for them, rather than speaking to how their lives are better because they work there? Today Janet provides 6 actions to stop doing and 6 actions to start doing to positively accelerate your culture

EP152: Monitoring Covid Transmission in Schools P2

Dale Shaver returns from epsiode #151 to share the biggest challenges their data reveal and key takeaways for all leaders willing to collaborate to find creative solutions to community wide problems. Waukesha County Government was no stranger to partnering with schools, however, this pandemic brought about an opportunity Dale refers to as, “Snow days on steroids.” Through their collaborative community effort, Waukesha County has safely returned students to in-person learning and put 13 thousand people back to work.

Sustaining Trust Through Difficult Decisions

In this roundtable, Dr. Kathy Oropallo shared tips and practical examples of how to sustain your stakeholders’ confidence and commitment, even through hard decisions.

EP17: Communicating Concerns to the Teacher

Communicating concerns to the teacher can be nerve-racking. Parents sometimes avoid bringing things up because it’s uncomfortable. Every teacher wants every parent to feel good about their child’s learning experience. In this episode, we give parents a framework for communicating concerns. This solution-seeking conversation leaves both parent and teacher feeling clear and confident about next steps to support the learning.

Communication that Increases Support of Decisions

People want to know how decisions are made. Communicate about decisions in clear and transparent ways to increase trust and support.

EP151: Monitoring Covid Transmission in Schools P1

Recently we’ve been hearing conversations around data demonstrating that with certain approaches to safety, students can return back to school in classrooms. Dale Shaver from the Waukesha County Government returns to the podcast to share the strategic efforts their county has applied to connect public health and k12 education. The results of this high-performing, collaborative community effort reveal incredibly positive outcomes for their surrounding school districts in Wisconsin – one we can all learn from and model in our regions.

EP150: How Can We Build Strategic Agility for Continuous Change?

A leader’s most important challenge is to keep the organization from falling. To remain good, or even great depends on how we roll strategy, people, and service into how we approach leadership in the next decade. As change becomes ongoing and more complex, a traditional strategic plan will no longer suffice. To continuously improve and continuously adapt to change we need a fluid, dynamic, agile strategy and a workplace focused on continuous learning. Listen as Janet shares 5 ways to lead and work differently as learning organizations of the future.

EP16: Build Ownership of Learning

Taking ownership and initiative can be taught. It might take time, but it is possible. In this episode, we talk about reflection, self-assessment, and small wins as keys for parents who want to build ownership of learning.

Courageous Leadership for Inclusive Conversations

In this roundtable, Dr. Gayle Juneau-Butler shared tips on preparing and facilitating inclusive conversations while navigating the compelling and emotional topics that impact our teams and those we serve.

Conversations that Honor All Employees

To support the basic needs or our employees, our workplaces must prioritize conversations that honor all employees.  

EP149: The 3-Stage Framework for Inclusive Conversations

Some topics are easier to approach in the workplace than others. Conflicting issues and viewpoints often leave leaders stuck between a rock and a hard place. Discussing topics like diversity and inclusion can feel risky for leaders who don’t know how their teams will react. With these leaders in mind, Dr. Gayle Juneau Butler and Dr. Janet Pilcher collaborated to develop a 3-stage framework to have positive, inclusive conversations. Listen as Gayle joins Janet to walk us through that approach.

EP148: Feedback is a Gift…or is it?

Reflect on the last time someone gave you constructive feedback… did it feel like a gift? That likely depends on the intent of the person providing the feedback. Within our own teams and organizations providing constructive feedback to one another is a necessary step in the improvement process. Yet feedback that is littered with generalizations does little to help others improve. Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher describes how to provide feedback as a gift, instead of an insult.

Lead the RIGHT Actions: How to Maximize Stakeholder Feedback

In this roundtable, Dr. Julie Kunselman and Melissa Matarazzo share tips to maximize stakeholder feedback using the results rollout process.

EP15: It’s All Great Until I’m on a Call

Working from home while your child is learning from home has its ups and downs. We invited our virtual colleague and parent-friend, Dee Dee Thompkins to give us her best tips for minimizing interruptions during work calls and meetings. Her ideas are mind-blowingly good.

Are We Leading People or Managing Problems?

DEVELOP A TEAM OF PROBLEM-SOLVERS  When we are approached with a problem by an employee, it can be tempting to rush in and be their hero. We may even feel like it’s our job as a leader to run around managing emergencies and obstacles. This can be exhausting. Additionally, if we are always swooping in to solve people’s problems, how will they grow to become […]

EP147: Modernizing the Learning Pathways of New Teachers

To have any chance at alleviating the growing number of teacher shortages, traditional and nontraditional institutions responsible for educating teachers have to consider new business models that meet potential teachers where they are in their lives, careers and educational journeys. It’s time for a wholesale rethinking of how we recruit, educate and support teachers for the workforce of the future. Today, Janet shares how she brought this vision to life, and how other leaders can approach innovative solutions to meet people where they are.

EP146: The Ritual that Keeps People Aligned

Routines provide structure and comfort within our teams. Rituals go beyond providing structure to instill a deeper meaning behind a sequence of actions. As we continuously navigate change, we need structure to reduce people’s anxiety and increase their confidence. People need to know their work has purpose and is worthwhile in helping an organization achieve results. Today, Janet shares one of the most important rituals we can instill in our teams along with 6 suggestions to consider.

Breaking Down Silos, Building Agile Teams

In this roundtable, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares tips to build cross-functional, agile teams to follow an iterative approach to getting things done without going through layers of review and approval.

EP14: Keeping Up with Schoolwork

Does your child need help keeping up with schoolwork? Coach your child to keep track of the work and to figure out when to do it. In this episode, we break down two ways to get your child organized and set up for schoolwork success.

EP145: 3 Changes to the Major Role of Leadership

What skills do we need to cultivate now to lead our organizations into the future? In this episode, Janet challenges the solution of reorganizing the hierarchical structures within our organizations and recommends we focus on increasing agility to manage through consistent and continuous change. As leaders our most important job is to develop and coach employees to work across boundaries, transforming people into leaders.

A Roadmap to Break Down Barriers

CREATING A CULTURE OF CAMPUS INNOVATION AND OWNERSHIP We recruit and hire talented people to generate new ideas, solve complex problems and help us achieve our mission. Yet within large organizations and systems, our employees may find there are barriers to communication and inefficiencies in processes. They also may lack the resources they seek to […]

EP144: Employees are Waiting to Hear from You

Politics, violence, hate… These topics aren’t often discussed in our workplaces. Yet people on our teams are feeling pain, disbelief, fear, anger, confusion, and frustration. As leaders, our teams are looking to us to lean in and provide support to manage these feelings. In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares an approach she created and followed to encourage inclusive conversations on her team.

3 Qualities of High Performing Education Professionals

More than ever, educators face continuous pressure to reform established practices in order to improve outcomes. For many organizations, this means moving from an episodic to a continuous approach to improvement. This can be difficult for education professionals who have only ever seen improvement addressed with a variety of initiatives that put out disparate fires. There are three qualities that most high performing […]

EP13: Boost Learner Confidence

“I’m just not good at it.” If you’ve ever heard this statement, your child might need a confidence boost. In this episode, we offer parents 5 tips for boosting learner confidence, especially when they are working on new skills.

Listening to Parents and Students via Pulse Surveys

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Nannette Johnston was joined by Kentucky Superintendent Deanna Ashby to discuss the power of seeing your system through the eyes of the closest to the work and the ripple effect that taking action can have on your school and district culture.

EP143: Avoid Choosing the Status Quo

Continuous improvement is a process, a mindset, and a set of tools. It’s organization-wide and specific to each individual. At its core are the people who do the work. Through sustained, system-wide improvement, teams can deeply understand and solve problems, while thriving through crises. Two experts in continuous improvement, Dr. John Toussaint and Dr. Christina Dixon join us again to discuss the biggest obstacles to sustaining improved results over time, and how to prioritize improvement as the real work to be done.

EP142: The 5 Behavioral Traits for Sustaining Improvement

John and Christina will be back in episode 143 to share more about their experience using continuous improvement to eliminate gaps in student achievement and their recommendations for leaders who are struggling to prioritize improvement.

EP12: When Homework Is A Challenge

Does homework feel like a struggle for you and your child? In this episode, we discuss 3 common reasons for homework reluctance. We also give tips to help you overcome this challenge with your child.

Agility and Pulse Survey Success

In this roundtable, Dr. KK Owen was joined by Superintendent Matt Hillmann to share the pulse survey process and strategies for success.

EP141: Becoming an Improvement Organization

In this ever-changing climate, continuous improvement is more vital than ever, and it’s something today’s guest, Dr. Ed Manansala, County Superintendent of Schools at El Dorado COE, and the President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association are deeply committed to. Listen as Janet and Ed discuss how to engage people in continuous improvement, 5 bold steps for implementation, and why it makes a difference in critical times.

Hope as a Strategy: Leading with Resilience

In this roundtable, Leader Coach Sabrina Hebeler shared a four frame approach to lead with resilience to navigate organizational trauma.

EP140: The Little Things Pay Great Dividends

Have you ever felt a particular duty or aspect of your work was insignificant, small, or maybe even meaningless? No matter how small, every action has a ripple effect and contributes to the greater good for our organizations and teams. In this episode, our host Dr. Janet Pilcher shares a story that exemplifies this– the humble beginnings that led to Kyle Johnston becoming the head athletic trainer for the Miami Dolphins. Listen as Janet shares key takeaways from Kyle’s journey to success.

Leading People in Times of Stress

HOW CAN LEADERS BUILD RESILIENCE TO STRESS AND CHANGE? The events that unfolded in 2020 were unexpected by most. People experienced an array of disruptions including job loss, work or school relocation and additional responsibilities at home and at work. Many of us have suffered from a lack of in person connection and have likely […]

Great Leaders Listen

Good leaders make it a priority to hear from their people. However, in most workplaces, people don’t feel heard. According to Gallup data, three out of ten employees in the US agree strongly that their opinions don’t matter at work. The reality is we all want to be heard. We want our voices to matter. Effective listening is essential for successful leadership, and it is a key part in meeting 5 critical employee needs. Listening helps your people feel valued. When your people feel valued, they will be more engaged and will go above and beyond.

Start With an Organizational Assessment to Make Measurable Improvement in Culture

When organizations take an honest look at where they have the greatest oportunity for improvement, they take a real step toward making continuous improvement a part of their culture. Learn how a small Missouri school district use an organizational assessment as the first step in a journey to become a top place to work and learn.

EP139: Are We Energizing Others?

2020 has been the kind of year where we’ve all felt more stress and anxiety due to continuous change and uncertainty. As we turn our heads to 2021 now is a good time to reflect and self-assess. Has the stress we’ve understandably felt led us to be impatient with others? What kind of energy are we bringing home and to our workplaces? Do we drain energy from others, or do we energize others? In this episode, listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher dives into this topic.

This will be our last episode of 2020. We will take a break and resume releasing episodes beginning on Thursday, January 7th. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Vulnerability and Leadership

In this roundtable, Dr. Janet Pilcher shared tips for vulnerable leaders to create ways to let others in their heads and hearts, especially in difficult situations.

EP11: A Case For Curiosity

Humans are curious beings. Coach your child’s curiosity and open their minds to new learning. In this episode, we talk about 3 ways to help your child tap into their natural curiosity. As a bonus, these tips relieve adult stress, too!

EP138: Take Off the Armor

“When you shut down vulnerability you shut down opportunity”– the words of Brene Brown challenge us to get honest with ourselves and self-reflect. What does vulnerable leadership look like? We know it involves opening up and being real, but how do we approach vulnerability in our organizations? In this episode, Janet shares characteristics of vulnerable leadership and practical tips for leading with vulnerability.

Celebrate Your Heroes

Showing your team members you care about them as individuals and value their great work is a powerful way to boost morale and increase employee engagement. Create heroes of those employees going above and beyond in their service, and celebrate their great work as a team.

EP137: Are You A Curious Leader?

Great leaders are curious leaders. Curiosity makes us more aware, opens our minds to new possibilities and solutions, and leads to better communication between people and teams. In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses why curiosity is critical in our workplaces and what we can do to increase our curiosity.

EP10: Whose Project Is This?

It’s your child’s project. Every parent wants their child to be successful, especially when it comes to big school projects. In this episode, Annie, Kate, and Reggie are back to weigh in on why and how parents can slowly back away from the project table.

Reward and Recognition: Connecting to Mission and Values

In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke shares gratitude tools and examples for how leaders can apply award and recognition tactics that will sustain your team’s motivation to give their best every day. 

Educating Students for a Lifetime of Opportunity

A MULTI-YEAR IMPROVEMENT FOCUSED APPROACH Based on the average human lifespan, most students will spend 60 years beyond their K-12 education. Therefore, high school graduation is actually the starting line for students, not the finish line, explains Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District (CFAUSD) Director of Educational Technology Sarah Radcliff during her What’s Right in […]

EP136: How Can We Help Our Colleagues?

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, let’s rate ourselves for each statement: I make a difference on my team, I’m refreshing to work with, and I’m always willing to lend a hand. Now, how would your coworkers rate you? When it comes to relationships with colleagues, every interaction counts. In this episode, our host Dr. Janet Pilcher shares tips for managing good working relationships with those we work with.

Inclusion Improves Results for Special Education

One district’s shift to an inclusion model for special education services has resulted in success for students, teachers, and leaders.

EP135: Questions for Continuous Improvement

The end of a year is a great time to reflect. How far have we gone over the year? Did we hit our goals? If not, what kept us from achieving them? In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher describes a process that engages employees in reflective conversations to keep our organizations moving in the right direction.

EP09: When Your Child Struggles

It’s hard to watch your child struggle. It’s also an important part of the learning and growing process. In this episode, we talk about why and when to let struggle happen. We also provide you with 4 tips on how to coach your child as they face a new challenge.

Connect to Purpose

In challenging times, connecting our teams to their core purpose will sustain and empower their continued effort. A combination of the head and the heart are critical to successful leadership, especially in unprecedented and challenging times. In this roundtable, Dr. Melissa Matarazzo shares tools and tips for integrating this core leadership tactic in your practice.

Creating a Collaborative Network to Improve Performance

A NOVEL APPROACH TO FAMILIAR CHALLENGES: CREATING A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK Situated in rural California, Tulare County faced some challenges that are not too unfamiliar to many districts. In addition to experiencing a siloed effect due to decentralization, 83 percent of students were not meeting fifth grade math standards. Using a collaborative approach with a cadre […]

EP134: We are Headed to a New Place

While the holidays are often times of joy, they can also be difficult times for some, and this year has sure brought challenges for all of us. With this in mind, let’s consider how we can recognize the people in our lives and how we can effectively express our appreciation. In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares tips for practicing gratitude and creating an environment where people feel valued.

EP08: Coaching Kids To Be Grateful

“Gratitude helps us create and spread meaning out of the goodness and kindness we experience.” In this episode, Dr. Giacomo Bono describes how gratitude is “growable.” He explains the relationship between gratitude and learning, and provides practical tips for parents who want to coach their kids to be grateful.

“Thank You” is Powerful

GRATITUDE IS A GAME CHANGER Think about the last time you received a thank you note. It probably felt good, right? When we are thanked it makes us feel appreciated and valued. It sparks a desire in us to want to help more. As the late Randy Pausch put it, “Gratitude is one of the […]

The Beginning of an Improvement Journey

USING A SINGLE PILLAR SCORECARD TO DRIVE SUCCESS Jefferson County School District in Alabama serves over 36,000 students and is the second largest school district in the state. Considering their large number of students, it’s no surprise Jefferson County focused on student success as their starting point for their improvement journey. At What’s Right in […]

EP133: Give the Simple Gifts

Since March, we’ve all understandably felt more stressed at times. Research shows gratitude can help balance out the impacts of uncertainty on our wellbeing. In this episode, listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher shares ideas for how we can cultivate more gratitude on our teams after weathering a long year of living in a constant state of uncertainty.

EP07: How Does My Child Actually Learn?

“Parents are brain changers.” In this episode, Dr. Anne Gutshall joins us to break down the learning process. She describes how connections form in the brain when we learn something new. She also gives us simple steps parents can take to support this important brain work. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

EP132: Connecting to Purpose Gives Us Courage

When challenges seem numerous or even insurmountable, it’s important we stay connected to our purpose and that we help our teams do the same. It is the fuel that will keep us going and infuses meaning into our work. Having a sense of purpose calls us to growth and to step out of our comfort zones. Staying connected to our purpose is so vital, we’ve chosen it as the theme of this year’s What’s Right in Education virtual conference. During this free conference, you’ll have the opportunity to hear stories from leaders and partners who are living out their purpose and making a difference. In this episode, listen as our host Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses how we can cultivate a fresh sense of purpose in our work.

EP131: How to Ask Meaningful Rounding Questions

When humans are faced with change, we often deny, rationalize, and negotiate before we accept our newly found situation. Within our organizations, change can amplify stress and hinder productivity. Our goal as leaders is to build relationships and help individuals move through their anxiety. We do this by asking meaningful questions that connect our organization’s standards of behavior to the work people are engaged with daily. Today our host, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares her framework for connecting with employees.

Using Purpose to Inspire Action

HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE WITH PURPOSE TO INCREASE MOTIVATION? One of the many benefits of working in education and service organizations is the ability to see there is a deeper meaning, beyond profits, for our organization’s existence. It’s likely many of our employees draw a connection to the impact on children and communities. People who […]

EP06: Is My Child On Track at School?

Most of us are non-stop throughout the week and none of us want to be blindsided at report card time. This episode is all about helping you get a better grasp on how your child is doing with schoolwork. We offer busy parents three tips for keeping track and a bonus tip about celebrating progress.

EP130: Innovation for the Whole Child

Children who experience a strong early education are more likely to be successful in life. This is why today’s guests strive to support families and seek out innovation for children and early childhood education. In this episode, Rina Irwin, CEO of Child Development Centers (CDC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Scott Cartwright, Director of Medical Services share about how they do things differently to lead a change in culture and mindset within the CDC.

EP129: Education Will Never Look the Same

When we are faced with change we have an opportunity to respond with creative solutions. Today, our guest shares how her organization is inspired to navigate change by the vision: one team, one mission, one community. Superintendent of Hopkins County Schools, Deanna Ashby explains, “our mess has become our unified message together.” Listen as Deanna and our host discuss how this district has become more than just a part of their community, and the deeper connections they’ve made as a result.

Find Harmony Between Prioritizing People and Organizational Outcomes

IT’S POSSIBLE TO BALANCE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MAINTAINING A FOCUS ON IMPROVEMENT If there is only one lesson we could all learn from a year like 2020, Casey Blochowiak, Director of Curriculum and Learning at the School District of Menomonee Falls, identified it precisely during podcast interview #76 Make Decisions that Build People and Sustain […]

EP128: Service in the Relationship Business

Building relationships with our people is more important than ever as many are working in virtual environments. Not only are relationships key, they also help us all get through crisis times. In this episode, we are joined by Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Chris Hartly, and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Colby Smart, from Humboldt County Office of Education in Northern California. Listen as our host Dr. Janet Pilcher asks them about overcoming the challenges that come with improvement work and how they’re developing relationship capacity within their organizations.

EP127: Vulnerability is at the Heart of Service Excellence

To deliver exceptional service we need to embrace vulnerability and courage. When leaders model this behavior in organizations, employees are encouraged to take risks and know that it’s okay to fail. Today, Jon Malone, Director and CEO of Northwestern Illinois Association discusses his organization’s commitment to service and how vulnerability impacts trust and accountability on his team.

EP04: Am I Bugging the Teacher?

“Teachers are busy. I don’t want to add to the load.” Our parent-friend, Kate Hendrickson, tells us she has these thoughts every time she reaches out to the teacher. Rest assured, “You are not bugging the teacher,” says educator, Dr. Reggie Todd. In this episode, Kate and Reggie, offer reassurance and tips for reaching out. They also share some key words you can use in your next message to the teacher.

Waukesha County: A Model for Collaboration in a Crisis

SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH COMMUNITY COLLABORATION Times of crisis can bring out the best or the worst in people and organizations. How successfully we navigate disruption will depend on our preparation, response and ability to solve problems. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer new to us, we have an opportunity to garner lessons from this […]

EP126: QuintEssential: Tips to Become a Great Leader

Quint Studer has joined us as a guest on our podcast throughout 2020, sharing his stories and experiences from his career that we can learn and grow from. In this episode, we have collected highlights from these interviews and we revisit some of Quint’s top tips and advice for leaders who want to be their best.

EP125: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference P3

Is your workplace culture vibrant? Is it a place your people want to stay and work in? Is it a place that attracts new talent? In this episode, Quint Studer is back to share more about his experience in education and healthcare, and his current focus-communities. Listen as our host Dr. Janet Pilcher asks Quint about lessons learned in his work to make communities vibrant places to live work and play.

Don’t Get Stuck, Adjust Wisely: How to Execute 30-Day Cycles of Improvement

How do you help your team get unstuck when they get stuck? In this roundtable, Dr. Pat Greco shares tools and templates for executing improvement cycles.

EP03: Making Friends While Learning Remotely

Are you concerned about your child’s social connections? You’re not alone. With a new school year underway and a persistent pandemic, parents want to make sure their children aren’t missing out on the social aspect of learning. In this episode, we talk to two parent friends, Tera Ali and Annie Nihls, about their concerns and how they’re creating opportunities for their children to socialize.

Continuous Improvement: Adjusting Through Disruption

Before joining Studer Education as partners on their continuous improvement journey, Superintendent Ryan Carpenter and his team at Estacada School District understood the impact evidence-based leadership can have in education organizations. Their team became exposed to improvement science by attending events such as the Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education and through leaders like Tony Bryk, Pat Greco and Corey Golla.

EP124: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference P2

How did Quint advance his career from a High School Special Education Teacher to a Hospital President to a Founder and CEO? In this episode, we continue Quint Studer’s story from episode #122 and hear about one of his major life transitions– a key moment when he took a risk and followed his heart. Listen as Quint and Janet discuss the part of his journey that fueled the creation for some of his greatest accomplishments.

EP123: Manage Disruption: Adjust Quickly & Communicate Transparently

2020 has been a psychologically challenging year for leaders and employees across all organizations. At the same time, disruption can be our greatest innovator, and we’ve all learned important lessons from this year that will stick with us. In this episode, Ocean Springs School District Superintendent, Dr. Bonita Coleman and Janet discuss balancing the burden of keeping people safe with the responsibility for student achievement.

Disseminate is Not a Dirty Word: Communicating Results Throughout Your Organization

How prepared are you for crisis communication? Communicate with high reliability, consistency and accountability. In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke introduced our newest leadership toolkit and focused on the importance of having a plan in place to deliver messages, especially when they follow a crisis, incident or tragedy.

EP02: The Emotional Side of Learning

Learning is an emotional experience. It’s hard to not know something, and especially hard when you know you don’t know. In this episode, hear what you can do to support your child’s emotions when they are learning. Find out how to help your child confidently move from the emotional place of not knowing to knowing.

EP122: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference Part 1

We all want to make a difference in our work. Whatever the path maybe that has brought us to this point in our careers, our experiences along the way are valuable and have shaped who we are. In this episode, we take a look at Quint Studer’s path—from his childhood to his journey in education and healthcare. Listen as our host Dr. Janet Pilcher asks Quint about his journey, stories about those who impacted him along the way, as well as valuable lessons he learned.

EP121: Elevate Your Communication

How do we speak our truth, while deepening our connection with others? Executive leader coach and author, Terre Short joins us to discuss more mindful, communication that comes from the heart. In episode 120 Janet and Quint discussed Terre’s book The Words We Choose: Your Guide to How and Why Words Matter. Today, listen as Terre shares tools from her book focused on how we can elevate our communication at work—making it more values-based and intentional— while remaining true to who we are.

It’s a Waterfall: The Power of Cascading Communication with Care

How prepared are you for crisis communication? Communicate with high reliability, consistency and accountability. In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke introduced our newest leadership toolkit and focused on the importance of having a plan in place to deliver messages, especially when they follow a crisis, incident or tragedy.

EP01: Structure to Help Your Child Thrive

Did you know your child actually wants rules, routines and procedures? That’s right. Your child’s brain thrives on structure. In this episode, hear how creating routines and procedures allows your child to focus on learning new things. You’ll hear a few ways you can immediately add structure to support your child’s learning.

Build Stakeholder Trust in Uncharted Times

6 TIPS TO ALIGN COMMUNICATION The demands of the external environment in 2020 have forced leaders to make quick decisions to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of their employees, students and communities. At the same time, we know many employees and students are facing tremendous pressure, and for some, fear and anxiety. To help calm […]

EP120: Why do Words Matter?

Words help us get where we want to go. Our words can make others feel better, or worse. Our words can diffuse difficult situations, or escalate them. This is why effective communication is so vital in every workplace. In this episode, listen as Quint Studer and our host Dr. Janet Pilcher discuss what leaders should avoid when it comes to communicating, and examples of ways words can be used effectively in a variety of workplace situations.

EP119: What it Really Means to be Thoughtful

Hurricane Sally recently impacted our local area in Pensacola, leaving thousands with damage, flooding, and even the loss of an essential bridge between our communities. But what left the greatest impression on our host, Janet Pilcher, was the small, yet powerful acts of thoughtfulness that emerged among the mess. Striking acts of thoughtfulness were not only seen within our team but across our city. Being thoughtful is so much more than being nice. It requires more reflection and consideration. In this episode, listen as our Host Janet Pilcher discusses how being thoughtful can be a real difference-maker in our organizations.

Using the Execution Triangle to Get Communication Right

To execute your communication with fidelity, use the Execution Triangle. Communicate with high reliability, consistency and accountability. In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke shared tools and tactics for high consistency communication.

EP118: How Do We Achieve Team Success?

How can our teams reach the goals we set out to accomplish? What does it mean for our teams to be successful? Using the right metrics to track progress and engaging in conversations to problem-solve are keys to helping us get there. In this episode, listen as our host Janet Pilcher discusses tools and tactics to help our teams reach our goals and be successful.

EP117: What is Micromanagement?

When we think of micromanaging, we typically think of it as a negative thing. But the reality is, extra supervision and coaching is sometimes necessary before some leaders are ready to leave the nest. In today’s episode, Quint Studer and Janet dive into the topic—discussing what micromanaging is, when it’s necessary, and how leaders can communicate effectively with employees who may need extra support and supervision.

EP0: Parent As Learning Coach

The events of last spring and the pandemic exposed a role in the parenting gig most of us rarely considered – the parent as learning coach. Many parents have now been up close and personal with what goes into making sure their children are successful in school and they want to know if they are “doing it right.” In this episode, we introduce School House as the space where school and house meet. You’ll also hear why consistency is foundational to the learning process. Children thrive when they know what to expect and what’s expected of them.

Keeping Score: What Can We Learn from Using Our Scorecards and Short Improvement Cycles?

What are the best metrics to track progress and make improvements? In this roundtable, Dr. Janet Pilcher shared tools and tactics for short cycle improvement and scorecard alignment.

EP116: The Partnership Between Schools and Families

2020 has intensified the need for a partnership to exist between teachers and parents. While parents are appreciating the role of teacher now more than ever, today’s guest explains, the role of learning coach has always belonged to parents. In today’s episode, listen as Dr. Erica Karr and Janet discuss practical tips that will help leaders build parent confidence and support for students in these uncertain times and beyond.

EP115: How Can We Stop Complaining, Comparing, and Criticizing?

What kind of impact does the energy we bring to work have on others? There are three things leaders will want to avoid in order to inspire positive attitudes and productivity on their teams. In today’s episode, Quint Studer and Janet discuss seemingly harmless, yet dangerous patterns of thinking that can be destructive to our organizations. Listen as we share practical tips that will help us frame our messages and take ownership.

Measures that Matter: Will Our Daily Actions Keep Students Learning?

Do parents and caregivers have confidence in our actions? Are students and staff confident in our support? In this roundtable, Dr. Pat Greco and Nannette Johnston shared tools and resources on daily actions to improve.

EP114: Words Have Power

“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.” — Nat Turner
That’s how our guest, Leader Coach Dr. JoAnn Sternke started today’s episode. Due to uncertainty and a rapidly changing external environment, leaders are being bombarded with questions. It’s critical for us to respond with messages that are well-framed to enhance clarity, build trust, and reduce anxiety. On the other hand, poor communication can result in the exact opposite. Listen as JoAnn Sternke and our host Dr. Janet Pilcher discuss how we can deploy communication that’s consistent and reliable.

EP113: The Advantage of Being Yourself

We all have preconceived notions of what a CEO should look like, or act like. But the truth is, the best leaders have a variety of qualities and no two are the same. There is one thing successful leaders have in common: they are true to themselves. We have to know who we are as leaders, and most importantly, we have to know who we are not. In this episode, listen as Quint Studer and our host Dr. Janet Pilcher discuss why leadership is an inside job and how we can develop greater self-awareness to remove the baggage preventing us from becoming great leaders.

EP112: How Can We Manage Indefinite Despair?

Feeling depleted is something many of us have probably experienced at some point during 2020. Maybe you’ve heard others you work with say they feel tired or burnt out. Can you relate? In the midst of COVID-19, a Presidential election, and racial tensions we face an ambiguous loss. We are not in control. There have been drastic changes to our way of life and what was familiar to us. In this episode, our Host Janet Pilcher shares reflections inspired by a recent article in Elemental, “Your Surge Capacity is Depleted—It’s Why You Feel Awful” by Tara Haelle. Listen as Janet shares her candid thoughts and ideas to help leaders and their people to keep pressing on when it’s hard.

EP111: Supporting People Who Leave

It’s not easy when employees leave. Sometimes people leave to advance their careers in another organization. Sometimes they leave because we are forced to make layoffs. Other times, it may be because it’s time to let a low-performer go. Whatever the reason, people are watching how leaders treat those who exit. In this episode, our Host Janet Pilcher and Quint Studer discuss how we can support people who leave and why it is so critical to set the right example for those who stay. 

The Power of a Single Word: Communicating with Intentionality

In this roundtable, Dr. JoAnn Sternke shares tools and resources on how to make your communication highly reliable by being intentional in the words you choose and crafting your message with empathy, transparency, timeliness and follow-through. 

Leading Students Back to Learning

HOW CAN WE KEEP STUDENTS SAFE AND ON TRACK AS WE START A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR? The start of this school year has been unfamiliar to us all – students, teachers, parents, administration, and every school employee. Some won’t be sure what to expect, others expect more uncertainty and change ahead. People are experiencing more [...]

EP110: Be Ready to Return to Learning

We’ve finally reached the start of a new school semester and with that comes the execution of new plans. On today’s episode, Studer Education Coach Dr. Melissa Matarazzo, and Studer Education Coach Dr. KK Owen, join Janet to discuss their perspective around returning to learn based on their experiences with school leaders across the country. While it will be essential to build confidence that students and employees are safe, we have to get back to our core business: student learning.

EP109: Leading a Successful First Day Back to School

At the beginning of any academic year, students, families, and school personnel experience an array of emotions. However we all know by now, 2020 has come with a unique set of challenges and emotions to manage. Today, Principal MaryJo Raczkowski-Shannon, describes the excitement students and teachers are feeling during their first week of re-opening Hunt Elementary School. In this episode, Janet and MaryJo discuss how her team built parent confidence and prioritized student and employee safety.

Building Confidence and Achieving Results with the Measures that Matter Most

In this roundtable, Dr. Pat Greco shares tools and resources to build confidence and achieve results in student learning and staff and student safety.

EP108: The Behavior That’s Holding Leaders Back

It seems right now there are no easy decisions. It’s uncomfortable for us as leaders to be living in a place of uncertainty. But as today’s guest explains, leadership isn’t comfortable. When faced with a crossroads of choosing character over comfort, most leaders will say they choose character however, subconsciously we are often choosing comfort. In order to create better communities, we’ll need to embrace the discomfort of doing what’s right. Listen as Quint Studer and Dr. Janet Pilcher discuss examples of the subtle behavior of choosing comfort and what it takes for us to overcome it.

EP107: Stories of Purpose P4: Every Student is Unique

When Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents work together, every child has the best chance to be prepared for their future. In this episode, we hear a story that testifies the powerful role school personnel play in students’ success. Enga McClendon, a former teacher at N.B. Cook Elementary School, shares how two students overcame personal challenges and went on to graduate. Studer Education Leader Coach, Dr. KK Owen, Principal of N.B. Cook at the time, also joins us to share the impact this family had on her and how their experience taught KK to become a better leader.

Staying Aware: Taking The “Pulse” of Stakeholders During Reentry

In this roundtable, Dr. KK Owen challenged us to consider what awareness really means to us. Can we really be aware of our stakeholders’ experience – of their perspective and needs – if we don’t ask?

Culture: The Foundation to Withstand Disruption

I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW IF WE COULD HAVE DONE THIS AS WELL IF WE DIDN’T HAVE SOME FOUNDATIONAL PIECES FOR US TO GO BACK TO. – Dr. Natalie Harder, Community College Executive Leader | EP 67: Move Forward by Doing the Next Right Thing Throughout these challenging uncertain times, one thing has consistently proven true: […]

To Increase Motivation Show More Apprecation

Recognize and Reward Success: Value and Appreciate People Working Together to Get Results.  We often hear leaders ask, “How can I keep people motivated?” The truth is, we can’t make people feel motivated, but we can create an environment that motivates and engages employees. People are more likely to be motivated about their work when […]

EP106: Strive for Equity and to Serve the Most Vulnerable

As we start to welcome students back to school, leaders are focused on how to help ease the anxieties of students and families. Dr. Michelle Rodriguez and her team at Pajaro Valley Unified School District have built systems and processes to do just that. This school district exemplifies how a heart service can help lead to swift, decisive action. Listen as Michelle and Janet discuss how a strong commitment to service has helped the district get ready for fall, enabling teachers and administration to serve their most vulnerable students.

Resilience: The New Leadership Superpower

In this roundtable, Dr. Kathy Oropallo shares some inspiring perspectives on what it means to be a resilient leader and how you can find resilience within.

The Right Communication Builds Trust

Communicate at all Levels: People know why what they do matters. It’s not just approaching it with intentionality but focused intentionality around this simple thing: what is the outcome of the message that I desire? What is the outcome? Why am I writing this message? What is it I want people to both feel and […]

EP105: Listen for Ideas, Perspective, and Connection

Some leaders may find themselves agonizing over decisions that will impact students, families, and communities this fall. This is a time where there are no easy choices or decisions. Yet, when we collaborate with others, we can help ease the weight and also discover victories worth celebrating. In this episode, Dr. Tim Dilg, Superintendent of Valley Park School District in Missouri, shares how the district is accomplishing more by working together and stimulating positive thoughts and workplace culture.

Use Clear Expectations to Bring Teams Together

Align Behaviors with Goals and Values: Apply consistent practices to move the organization in a positive direction. As each principle works together to build a best place to work culture in organizations, alignment to goals and values is the grease necessary for all organizations who want to sustain success or continue improving their results. Alignment […]

EP104: Anticipating Community Fear and Building Trust

School leaders are facing multiple angles ahead of the fall semester. Strategies for instruction, how to screen students, and manage transportation are just some of the decisions being made right now as leaders plan for multiple scenarios amid uncertainty. Today’s guest represents a school district planning for four scenarios ahead of reentry this fall. Dr. Matt Hillmann, Superintendent of Northfield Public Schools, shares how the district is getting ready for reentry and what has helped make communication around reentry successful for them thus far.

EP103: The Responsibility of Recognition

People may come to work for a paycheck, but they’re motivated to work where they feel valued. As we’re working with others, overcoming obstacles we’ve never seen before, we must remember to recognize our people. Studer Group Flame Award winner, Paige Bindi, joins Janet on today’s episode to discuss what recognizing success means for employees and why it’s an important practice for leaders to master.

Empower People to do Whatever it Takes

Be Accountable: Commit to individual accountability to achieve organizational goals. When we align individual goals to organizational goals, we connect employees to the organization’s purpose through their daily work. People contribute and are accountable when they understand their work matters and they’re making progress. Leaders who set aligned goals for individuals increase employee engagement, collective […]

Are Your Employees Being Heard?

Focus on Employee Engagement: Attend to aspirations and desires in the workplace. What makes an organization a “best place to work”? The benefits? The facilities? The answer is communication. By analyzing employee engagement surveys, Inc. and Quantum Workplace identified the Best Workplaces in 2020 and reported that the major theme among this year’s highest-scoring organizations […]

EP102: Stories of Purpose P3

In our work and personal lives we all want to feel that what we do matters. Staying connected to our purpose can infuse meaning into all that we do. Giving, serving, leaning into our values, and thinking about others can all help fuel us with a sense of purpose, as our guests today share. In this episode, listen as Leader Coach Nannette Johnston, Digital and Software Analyst Basil Kuloba, and TeacherReady Director of Enrollment and Relationship Management Dr. Sarah Miller, share what drives them and brings meaning to the work they do.

Build an Army of Improvers

Develop Leaders to Develop People: Coach people to be their best at work. Recently, Gallup reported that engagement levels in the US have reached the highest level they’ve ever been, revealing there are approximately 10 million more people engaged at work. Intrigued by the recent spark in engagement over the past decade, Gallup dug deeper […]

EP101: Stories of Purpose P2

We often hear about purpose talked about it in a singular way. For many of us, this may resonate—we know beyond a shadow of a doubt what drives us and why we find meaning in our work—but that’s not always the case for everyone. Perhaps we have many interests and our work roles have evolved and taken many different forms over the years. This rings true for today’s guest, Casey Kuktelionis, our Strategic Communication and Public Relations associate and producer of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast. In this episode, Casey discusses how a broader purpose can still drive us and bring us meaning to our roles both in and outside of work.

Define Guiding Actions to Live By

Build a Culture Around Service: Connect services to organizational values. Organizations aren’t providing excellent service by accident. The organizations that provide the best service recognize why service excellence is their most important value. It isn’t enough to tell employees to “provide excellent service.” Excellent service is provided when we define as a team what success […]

EP100: Stories of Purpose P1

In uncertain times, it’s more important than ever that we stay connected to our purpose. Staying connected to the meaning behind our work keeps us going. Purpose keeps us motivated and fulfilled in our work, despite the obstacles that come along. As leaders, we can encourage individuals to find meaning to invigorate their work and demonstrate they are valued. In this episode, listen as our host, Dr. Janet Pilcher, shares about how she is staying connected to her purpose and inspiring others to do the same.

Effectively Use Data to Build Trust and Improve

Measure the Important Things: Continuously track progress to achieve results with an improvement mindset. How do we know if a change or decision is providing the intended result? How do we know when our systems and processes are improving outcomes or if we are just implementing initiative after infinitive with little to show for it? […]

EP99: Make Complex Work Simple

With many schools re-opening in a few weeks, school leaders across the country are busy finalizing reentry plans and making decisions. Change often comes with pressure and stress, but as today’s guest points out, change also brings opportunity for creativity. In this episode, listen as Sergio Mendoza, Superintendent of Burton School District, shares about the difference that implementing Evidence-Based Leadership℠ has made since the district first implemented it in March.

What Does Success Look Like?

Commit to Excellence: Set high expectations to achieve results while living out mission and values Cultures are built by setting expectations, describing specific behaviors, consistent leadership practices and aligned systems and processes. Leaders and employees have to agree to commit to the same standards and expectations to create a collaborative, high-performing culture. It is critical […]

EP98: Jump All-In to Improve

Establishing a system of continuous improvement doesn’t have to be complicated. Our partner, Ryan Carpenter shares how the Estacada School District started slow to go fast while implementing Evidence-Based Leadership℠. Hear how their team improved results by developing deeper relationships and including community voices. While there is no playbook for leaders right now, in this episode, Ryan discusses how you can be the best for your team and reflects over his district’s first year using an improvement framework.

EP97: Continuous Improvement: Where Do You Start?

Most would agree adopting a continuous improvement effort is good for a team or an organization. However, after implementing improvement science, many leaders find themselves wondering if they are in fact making any improvements and find it difficult to define and sustain progress. In this episode, Superintendent Ryan Carpenter, Estacada School District, discusses why his team made a commitment to adopting a continuous improvement mindset and implementing Evidence-Based Leadership℠ framework across the school system, and the difference it has made a year later. Ryan’s approach to starting small and putting people first not only transformed their lives and work environment, it also prepared them to collectively face the challenge COVID-19 would bring to their community.

EP96: Who Hears What When?

As fall quickly approaches we are seeing that school leaders are in various stages of planning and communicating to their communities. Some are still waiting for answers and guidelines from local agencies and organizations, some have begun announcing plans for the 2020-2021 school year. In this episode, Dr. JoAnn Sternke, Studer Education Senior Director and Leader Coach, reminds us, it’s not just the message, but how the message is communicated that matters. We want to make sure we build trust through communication using empathy. Listen as JoAnn shares how you can use the Communication template from our free Re-entry Toolkit to help you achieve clear and simple communication.

EP95: Schools are Essential

Leading through challenges requires honest conversations, resiliency, and a positive outlook. Currently, leaders are facing pressure to make difficult decisions regarding the health and safety of their communities. Recommendations are uncertain and ever-changing. In episodes 93 and 94 we heard Waukesha County Government leaders explain how they’re collaborating with schools in their community. This week, Superintendent Corey Golla, who leads a school district in Waukesha County, joins us to discuss how his team is managing the urgency and uncertainty around returning to school. Listen as Corey describes how his team incorporates Lean thinking and reviewing key questions to reduce risk and avoid the check-off.

EP94: Empower and Invest in Your Teams

Reentry is top of mind for school leaders across the country. Many of these leaders are struggling with how to move forward with little guidance. They’re preparing for best- and worst-case scenarios. As we work to keep employees and students safe, collaboration across communities is key. In this episode, Waukesha County Executive, Paul Farrow, and Waukesha County Director of Parks and Land Use, Dale Shaver are back to discuss how the county collaborated in their response to the pandemic. They’ll discuss their commitment to data-driven decisions, the importance of empowering people, and why culture is more important than ever in crisis times.

EP93: Make Silos Disappear

Crisis times expose who we are and what we’re made of. For those who have committed to relationships and the process of improvement work, crisis times can be an opportunity for an organization’s strengths to shine through. Our partners in Waukesha County exemplify this—having a foundation that has helped them thrive despite disruptive circumstances. Our guests today are Waukesha County Executive, Paul Farrow, and Waukesha County Director of Parks and Land Use, Dale Shaver. Listen as they discuss how their county has collaborated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how their commitment to data-driven decisions has been essential to managing their team’s response.

EP92: Manage Fears to Build Momentum

As schools and organizations across the country prepare for reentry, leaders are feeling the pressure to be decisive. We are facing a wide variety of scenarios—many unprecedented. Due to the uncertainty, emotions at the forefront for both leaders and their people. Dr. KK Owen is one of our coaches helping partners create a plan moving forward for reentry. In this episode, listen as KK shares about how we’re helping leaders manage fears while moving forward to get ready for reentry—and how leaders listening can benefit.

EP91: People Deserve Support

We’re in changing, challenging times, and the emotions that go along with that are very real. Our people are feeling them and need our support in order to thrive. That’s why it’s more important than ever for leaders to be intentional in how we support and serve our team members. In this episode, listen as Studer Education coach Dr. Melissa Matarazzo shares some game-changing practices that have helped her best support the coaches she leads as well as valuable tips leaders can put into action right now to help grow and develop their teams.

Communicating What Matters to the School Board Ahead of Reentry

A very different school environment is right around the corner. As schools and organizations prepare for reentry, communication around the changes we’ll see in classrooms and on campuses will be key. To successfully implement changes needed to make schools safer, while also driving progress, communication between the school district and school board will need to be effective and crystal clear.  An organizational scorecard is a tool […]

EP90: Developing People to Become the Best Leaders

The best leaders are always learning. They are curious. They seek to better understand. That hunger to constantly grow is crucial in order to lead at the highest level, and a focus on relationships is a critical part of that. In this episode, Studer Education coach Dr. Melissa Matarazzo weighs in on this topic, sharing the valuable lessons she has learned as a coach while supporting leaders and partners around the country. Her approach focuses on aligning powerful leader development with effective systems of internal accountability. Listen as Melissa reflects over key lessons she has learned over the years—and how those can help leaders today lead at the next level.

EP89: Improve by Measuring What Matters

The work of improvement creates the backbone for real change where it matters. Focus on continuous improvement yields valuable results and radically changes outcomes in a number of fields, but in education, momentum has struggled. In the words of today’s guest, the education field hasn’t hardwired the deep skillset of improvement and we have more work to do. In this episode, Dr. Pat Greco joins us to continue the conversation around improving school systems and organizations so leaders can accelerate results and sustain success over time.

Pat will also share about the chapter she contributed to in Tony Bryk’s book, Improvement in Action.

EP88: Improvement to Accelerate Learning – Part 2

Improvement work in organizations is not easy, but it’s essential for good organizations that strive to be great. Engaging in effective improvement work entails learning the basics of improvement—but also—learning from how others are doing it, as our guest in today’s episode, Tony Bryk, explains. Tony is the ninth president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and his contributions to improvement science as a whole make him one of the greatest educational professionals of all time. Listen as Tony discusses his newest book, Improvement in Action, where he offers a look at what actions six organizations have taken as they move through improvement work—with advice for leaders ready to commit to this process.

EP87: Improvement to Accelerate Learning – Part 1

In organizations where employee engagement and productivity is high and turnover is low, you’ll likely find trust is the foundation. But the reality is most employees don’t trust their leaders. According to Gallup data, only one in three employees trust their organization’s leadership. Trust is essential for organizations to thrive and continuously improve. This was a key finding in the research of this episode’s special guest. His contributions to the American Education Research Association and to improvement science overall make him one of the greatest educational professionals of all time. Listen as Tony Bryk, the ninth president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, shares about the role of nurturing relationships to sustain improvement in school systems at scale.

EP86: Building an Army of Improvers

Currently many of us are feeling the strain of change and transition. Doing improvement work in organizations is always important, and in times of disruption, we can’t let this work slip. Improvement work is more important than ever as funding is being cut in many organizations and systems are stressed. In this episode Dr. Pat Greco joins us to discuss how leaders and their team members can keep an improvement-mindset, despite the challenges of this crisis.

EP85: Innovation is Easier than Changing the World

Times of disruption bring opportunities to innovate. And innovation is easier than you may think. The reality is, it’s a matter of looking at doing things effectively and more efficiently. In this pandemic, Quint Studer says this is an ample opportunity to innovate that leaders should not miss. We often get paralyzed by thinking innovation needs to change the world. Listen as Quint shares his perspective on playing small ball and the innovative thinking that leads to the creation of a sense of place and a vibrant community.

EP84: Facing Community Resistance to Change

We’re right in the middle of changing, challenging times, and most industries are feeling it. Often, change comes with some resistance. It’s not always comfortable. When the Blue Wahoos baseball stadium was built on Studer Education’s property in downtown Pensacola about a decade ago, Quint Studer, who led the effort, faced tremendous resistance to change. Ultimately, the stadium and baseball team became a true catalyst for positive change in our community. Listen as Quint shares the lessons he learned while leading his organization through community resistance to change.

EP83: To Be Innovative Focus on Value

Innovation is a topic we hear a lot about in the workplace, but it’s often misunderstood. Being innovative means more than just coming up with cool things to do. Innovation doesn’t have to be big and different, and it’s not something only geniuses do. Innovation comes as we look at who and how we serve as an organization and where we can improve on the value we deliver. Innovation comes as we look at our organization’s results. In this episode, listen as Dr. JoAnn Sternke discusses how true creativity and innovation can emerge as we focus on adding value—and how leaders can do this in crisis times.

5 Tips for Effective Virtual Job Interviews and Hiring

As school leaders prepare for the possibility of resuming classes virtually this fall, another process going virtual is hiring. In this climate of uncertainty, recruiting, interviewing and hiring candidates virtually will be the path forward for now for school districts. There are some things a district hiring team can keep in mind to create successful virtual interviewing and hiring experiences.

EP82: Transform Your Workplace

As organizations and schools prepare to re-open, the safety and wellbeing of employees is a top priority. With many anxious about returning to work and school, we need to think about how we can create spaces that reduce these tensions—to help our employees and students do their best work and be successful. In this episode, Rich Bluni shares recommendations for making work environments safer and more peaceful.

EP81: 3 Ways to Stay Inspired at Work

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve seen a heightened appreciation for teachers and nurses. Now quite often, we see love and gratitude and appreciation for them shared publicly on social media, in the news, in commercials, and on billboards. In our conversations, we talk about them and we share their stories. This pandemic has helped us all see even more the heroes they truly are—and really, have always been. Both the nursing and teaching professions are filled with servants who want to make a difference. While their work is rewarding, it can also be tiring and challenging. In this episode, listen as Rich Bluni shares tips from his book Inspired Nurse that both teachers and leaders can put into action to stay inspired at work.

EP80: Find Your Path & Pay it Forward

All leaders face challenges, but women in leadership roles experience unique obstacles. Our guest today, Jackie Gaines, who has more than 40 years of leadership experience, explains the importance of mentorship for women leaders. That’s why Jackie decided to write a book with “rules of the road” for women who aspire to be great leaders in business. Her bestseller, The Yellow Suit: A Guide for Women in Leadership, offers women a simple guide on how to be a highly effective leader in today’s world. In this episode, Jackie shares her story behind the “yellow suit,” how to find what brings you joy, and why any of us can be a leader.

EP79: The Middle is Hard, But it Doesn’t Have to Be

Leading from the middle is not easy. In the words of Quint Studer, middle managers have the “toughest job anywhere.” If you’re a mid-level leader who can relate to this feeling—good news—you don’t have to stay stuck here. In this episode, Quint shares practices from his book, The Busy Leader’s Handbook, to help guide leaders with the unique challenges they face.

Notice What’s Right

Where do you spend your time– focusing on what is right or focusing on what is wrong? When you reflect on your last meal at a restaurant or the hotel you last stayed in, what comes to mind first?

EP78: Ask the Right Questions

As schools and organizations across the country prepare to re-open, it won’t be business as usual. Safety will be front and center. While learning remains a priority, the safety, health, and well-being of students, teachers, and staff will be just as important. So what will it take to successfully transition back into schools after COVID-19? In this episode, Sabrina Hebeler—Chief of Staff with Infrastructure Planning and Facilities at Michigan State University—explains how asking the right questions to the right people has been an important key—not only in the university’s successful transition to virtual—but in getting ready for a very different fall semester.

EP77: Avoiding the Chaos

During times of crisis, it is easy to get caught up in feelings of chaos and confusion. The rapid spread of COVID-19 across our countries has forced organizations and leaders to adapt quickly and make tough decisions. Tea Area School District leaders, Dr. Jennifer Lowery, and Dr. Tonia Warzecha join Janet on today’s show to share how their district took action to stay focused and communicate clearly with their teams and the rapidly growing community they serve.

EP76: Make Decisions that Sustain People and Relationships

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented change for schools all over the country. Education has been forced to transform before our eyes. Our schools are rising to the challenge, serving as a model for change and transition, despite the obstacles. Casey Blochowiak shares how leaders in her district made decisions that prioritized service and learning to support their quick and successful transition to virtual learning and work.

EP75: Reinvent the Organization: Increase Efficiency While Reducing Costs

Times of crisis often come with tough decisions for leaders, like the pressure to cut costs. And while budget cuts are something no leader wants to have to do, Quint Studer points out there’s an opportunity here organizations will want to seize. In this episode, Janet and Quint discuss how leaders can cut costs in practical ways and the unique opportunities we can glean from crisis times.

EP74: Becoming an Authentic Leader

As a leader, authenticity increases the likelihood that those we lead will believe us and follow our requests. Becoming an authentic leader is not necessarily easy, but the concept is simple. People can be committed to and passionate about something, but this by itself is not enough. Authenticity is more than when we believe in what we say or act in a way that is consistent with our beliefs. We may stand up and say what we truly believe without being authentic if our actions are self-serving. Sometimes people who lead with strong beliefs can be inauthentic when they always see their way as the right way. During this episode, Janet connects to the foundation of authenticity: self-awareness and offers 6 actions to practice if you want to become an authentic leader.

EP73: Leading Change with Empathy

Nothing stays the same. In fact, if we keep doing things the same way we’ve always done them, it’s likely our performance will decline. Change is the only constant in our organizations and in life, and for most, change is uncomfortable. For organizations to stay relevant and innovative, teams must work through fears quickly, and to do so, leaders must make decisions and communicate these decisions by connecting the mind and the heart. On today’s show Janet discusses 3 leadership characteristics necessary for managing continuously changing organizations.

EP72: Intentional Communication Starts with Why

Dr. JoAnn Sternke returns from episode #35 Pursue Performance Excellence, to reveal the most common questions she is hearing from our education partners and share her expertise and experience around how to effectively communicate during difficult times. JoAnn explains in situations like we are currently facing, no one has all of the answers, leaders can be most impactful by focusing on what needs to be communicated most and be very intentional about that. She also shares a message from the perspective of a former Superintendent to the community, and her key words for leaders in all organizations right now.

5 Questions to Ask Employees Amid COVID-19

Helping team members thrive in a virtual work environment COVID-19 has transformed the world we live in and the way we work. Schools and businesses across the country have been operating virtually over the past several weeks as the pandemic continues with no clear end in sight. Our teams are dealing with the challenges of […]

EP71: Be Bold About Action

Quint Studer joins us on the podcast today to share his insight and talk about a recent article he wrote, What Churchill Can Teach Us About Defeating Coronavirus. Quint explains why leaders like Churchill are able to inspire and motivate their teams to keep going, even when the challenge they face seems impossible. From history to communication, Quint provides valuable leadership advice for those leading teams during uncertain times.

EP70: Cultivate a Can-Do Culture

As parents, students, and employees within the School District of Menomonee Falls began preparing for the effects of COVID19, Superintendent, Corey Golla, reflects on the remarkableness of his entire staff to come together and accept the challenges they were facing. Rather than focusing on their anxieties, teams across the entire school system got together to identify problems, solutions, and use their guiding principles to make decisions with student safety as their number one priority. Under Corey’s leadership, SDMF saw a culture of people that stepped up to write a beautiful story in a difficult time. But even Corey will tell you, there was no way they could have accomplished what they have if they were only reliant on their leadership team, the culture of their organization has been foundational for serving in times of rapid change and uncertainty.

EP69: Serving in Healthcare During a Crisis

Healthcare professionals across the country and the world are maintaining a “Warrior Mentality” as they head to the frontlines of the COVID19 pandemic. On today’s episode, Rich Bluni, Studer Group Speaker, and author of Inspired Nurse, who has more than 25 years of nursing, risk management, and leadership experience, shares his perspective on the frontline professionals who are committed to a heroic service during a very challenging time. Whether you work in healthcare, are close to someone who does, or are just feeling a little anxious about today’s environment, Rich shares his experience and honest advice for dealing with fear and anxiety.

Celebrate the Wins

“A little progress each day adds up to big results.” We all want to celebrate the successes and wins for our team or organization, but how do we know when and how we should celebrate? When to Celebrate Wins First, we need to be intentional about goal setting and ask “What does success look like […]

EP68: Focus on the Positive

How engaged is your workforce in times of crisis? Have you helped them define what success looks like? Have you defined what customer success looks like? In this episode, Dale Shaver, Director of Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land, reveals how his organization’s investment in culture has paid dividends during the uncertainty surrounding COVID 19. While people are feeling anxious and overwhelmed by change, Dale encourages leaders to be empathetic, trust your team, and make the best decisions you can.

EP67: Move Forward by Doing the Next Right Thing

As we all began to experience the COVID 19 pandemic, Dr. Natalie Harder and her team at South Louisiana Community College sprang into action. SLCC was able to have 95% of their courses online and ready for students within 48 hours and enabled 90% of their staff to work remotely within 24 hours. Natalie joins us on the podcast this week to discuss how her team was able to make the necessary shifts to support students and staff in the most efficient way.

A Time Sensitive Situation Analysis and Action Plan

Under normal circumstances planning is challenging. When decision making is critical, the processes and tools need to be seamless. Leaders have to make the best decisions possible and communicate them deeply to the full team. This Situation Analysis and action plan template can help in uncertain times.

EP66: INERTIA: A Force for Change

Basil Kuloba used his experience with math and science to develop a much-needed nonprofit organization, Inertia, which has quickly become the largest after school program in Escambia County Florida. Basil joins Janet on the show today to share his story of blending his passion and entrepreneurial skills to start a successful organization.

9 Tips for Leader Communication During Disruption

9 tips to stay connected with your team and creatively communicate during disruption.

EP65: 4 Questions to Plan a Meaningful Life

As we close the first quarter of a new decade, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on the past decade before planning for the next ten years in front of us. Are you where you thought you would be right now? As the decades keep passing by, what can we do to ensure we achieve the goals that will matter to us most in life? How do we know we are living a life we will one day look back on and be proud? Today, Janet Pilcher focuses on what to consider as we set goals for a meaningful life.

EP64: Anticipate a Continuously Evolving Future

While attending a company event, Janet Pilcher had the opportunity to sit down with Jim Roth, co-founder and CEO of Huron Consulting Group, to discuss how we prepare clients for their future. Jim’s leadership positions Huron to be highly committed to hiring talented people, building an engaged work environment, and serving clients with the highest level of service. Jim is a trusted advisor to many organizational CEOs around the world, and many of us at Huron.

EP63: Start Talking to People

In a world where we no longer view human connections as natural, and instead, insist on using technology, even in the presence of others, Dr. Janet Pilcher encourages her listeners to get off their devices and start talking to people. Research tells us that people in general feel worse and less connected when they mix face-to-face communication with digital socializing compared to solely socializing in person. When we intentionally create ways to engage with each other, learn from each other, and laugh with each other we are better able to build an innovative future together.

EP62: Give Your Brand a Personality

Utilizing social media platforms is a natural way to enhance transparency. On a personal level, people use social media to connect with others and stimulate conversations. In time, organizations have recognized the many benefits of using social media to humanize their brand and connect with their communities. If you’re wondering why using social media is critical for organizations, research reveals a lack of transparency on social media leaves 86% of people likely to choose a competitor. On the show today, Charleigh Kennedy joins Dr. Janet Pilcher to discuss how organizations build relationships with their community using open, honest, and authentic communication on social media.

EP61: What is Important to Us as Customers?

Every day we are customers to someone we do business with. We buy groceries, fill our cars with gas, dine at restaurants, engage with retail services, and do business with professional service firms. We often remember the negative interactions more than the positive ones, and it may only take one negative interaction for us to shift to another brand or company. As you listen to this episode and reflect on services you’ve received, ask yourself, how do our experiences as customers influence the work we do each day? What can we learn from those experiences to provide excellent customer service to those we serve?

EP60: Embracing the Customer Experience

The way people learn today is continuously evolving, and with the rise of technology people expect answers at their fingertips. The life of a professional skill is much shorter today than it was in the past. Mandy Gagliardi, the Senior Media Manager on our team joins Janet today to share the way she focuses on the customer experience to guide her work. As we design our digital learning system, Mandy listens to our partners and develops solutions for us to make their lives easier. Our team understands we are not only meeting the needs of today’s learners, but we are also anticipating the needs of tomorrow’s learners as well.

EP59: Lead with Courage

Does the path you are traveling have a heart? Courage is the quality that distinguishes great leaders from excellent managers. In this episode, Janet discusses why courage is vital to a leader’s success, what can happen when a leader lacks courage, and what we can do when we find ourselves on the wrong path.

EP58: Inspire Others to Achieve

John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid explains that leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. Today’s guest, Nannette Johnston, believes it’s true; people can only rise as high as the lid of their leader. Not only does she recognize the importance of professional development for herself, she knows the importance of building leadership in others. Nannette is an award-winning, retired Superintendent from Hardin County Schools in Kentucky. She was awarded Superintendent of the Year and continues to provide expert training and support through on-going leadership development programs. Under her leadership, the district developed and implemented the Work Ethic Certification Program which serves as the state model.

EP57: Don’t Keep Your Customers in the Dark

We all have our favorite brands, but what makes them our favorite? Is it because we place value in the organization? Is it the way we are treated by the company? How do we know if the company is accountable? More and more organizations have been making it a priority to increase connection and invite customers to take an inside look. Why? Because increasing transparency between an organization and its customers build trust and credibility increasing customer loyalty.

EP56: Working with the School Board

How can school districts and school boards work together to achieve the goals of the schools and the surrounding community? Faith VanderHorst, School Board President from the School District of Menomonee Falls, joins Janet on this episode to talk about how the relationship between the superintendent and the board significantly contributes to the success of the district.

EP141: Becoming an Improvement Organization

“When you shut down vulnerability you shut down opportunity”– the words of Brene Brown challenge us to get honest with ourselves and self-reflect. What does vulnerable leadership look like? We know it involves opening up and being real, but how do we approach vulnerability in our organizations? In this episode, Janet shares characteristics of vulnerable leadership and practical tips for leading with vulnerability.

EP55: Bringing an Executive Team Together

Sabrina Hebeler, Michigan native, and Chief of Staff at Michigan State University for the division of Infrastructure Planning and Facilities joins Janet Pilcher to discuss one of the key tenets of Sabrina’s role; to help everyone understand and follow the strategic direction of IPF. This comes from her passion for helping people feel successful, feel valued and love their job. Using specific tactics Sabrina supported the breaking down of silos on the executive team to help MSU do the most important things to achieve success.

EP54: Eight Things Dogs Teach Us

As you get ready to put 2019 to rest and welcome in 2020, Dr. Janet Pilcher reminds you to reflect on the moments of joy, and the moments of sorrow over the last year. It’s during those difficult times you can often learn the most about yourselves. This holiday season take a moment to appreciate and celebrate life and start the new year with great strength. If you don’t know where to start, you can’t go wrong with these 8 things dogs teach us!

Short-Cycle Planning: 8 Tips to Help You Better Plan for the Year Ahead

With a new year, comes a new plan. Planning is a great way to review and reflect on individual progress and progress within the organization. However, planning can be a waste of time unless we are using it to continuously review progress, or what we call short-cycle planning. Short-cycle planning is an opportune time for leaders […]

EP53: Building Strong Leadership Teams

Executive leaders are the role-models of an organization, responsible for establishing the culture and leading teams to be successful. During this episode, Dr. Natalie Harder, Chancellor of South Louisiana Community College joins Dr. Janet Pilcher to share her story and her secret for building kick-ass leadership teams. Dr. Harder has led her team through a historic merger with multiple campuses, successfully blended cultures, systems, processes, programs, and students all while maintaining a focus on making education available to everyone.

When to Push & When to Hold Back

Leading Employees in a Positive Direction Knowing when to push people or the organization forward, and when to hold back while still getting forward movement, is an important part of the art and science of leadership. Being a leader is about being able to manage the gap between where people are and where they need […]

EP52: Phases of Individual Change

As individuals strive for growth in their professional and personal lives, there is often a gap between where people are and where they want to be. While individuals are excited for growth and opportunities, this excitement can lead to anxiety and tension. These feelings can cause people to give up and ignore opportunities to grow, or instead for motivation to work through the personal discomfort to achieve their goals. In this episode, Janet discusses how to do this difficult improvement work by focusing on the 4 phases of individual change as we face creative tension.

EP51: Make Recognition a Habit

When we establish recognition systems in our organizations or on our teams, we focus on employees by understanding what makes them shine and what keeps them engaged. Focusing on expressing appreciation for the contributions people make to our organizations motivates individuals to continue their hard work. Sincere appreciation changes the culture of the organization. It takes little time and has a tremendous impact on others. A culture of recognition is powerful and contagious.

Managing Individual Change: Identify a Commitment to Improve

One thing is certain in leadership: wherever we are or whatever we are doing, we will always be leading and managing some sort of change. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, “People wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.” As leaders, a big part of what […]

EP50: Increase Employee Engagement with Recognition

Rewarding and recognizing the right behaviors and excellent performance isn’t just a nice thing to do. Lack of employee recognition is a top reason for employees leaving an organization. With recognition we are able to engage, retain, and motivate most employees to sustain high performance. Recognition is so important to an organization’s success, it’s our ninth principle and the glue that holds all of our principles together. Recognizing others takes little time and pays great dividends.

EP49: Transforming TeacherReady

Several years ago, the decision was made to transform TeacherReady, a Studer Education℠ online self-paced teacher certification program, to meet students where they are today. Transforming TeacherReady wasn’t something the organization took lightly, Dr. Julie Kunselman was instrumental in helping to review significant data and research to revolutionize this program for the future. As with any organization, they had to work through barriers to change to realize this incredible opportunity to serve more of their customers. Dr. Kunselman joins the show today to uncover how TeacherReady meets people where they are, rather than where it’s most convenient for them.

3 Things Employees Need to Feel Satisfied with their Work

A flywheel is a heavy wheel that regulates the speed of machinery. It takes awhile to get started. Once it gets going, it turns smoothly and efficiently. Momentum begins to takeover and the wheel turns almost effortlessly. It’s the same scenario with a symbolic flywheel powering an organization. Once the flywheel is moving, it spins […]

EP48: Identify Barriers to Change

Organizations are facing more pressure than ever to transform their practices in order to improve their outcomes. Competition is fierce. The speed of information and higher demands from consumers forces leaders to shift the way change is approached. Commonly, there is much anxiety attached to change, people like to do things, “the way they’ve always done it,” but that’s not the attitude that will achieve success in today OR tomorrow’s world. Individuals, leaders, and organizations need to view change as a positive opportunity to take their mission to a higher level. Focus on the goal, not the barrier.

EP47: Not Another Empty Promise

At some time in your professional or personal life, you have probably experienced the let down of an empty promise. It’s also likely you’ve promised a friend or a colleague something you’ve let slip through the cracks at least once or twice. These empty promises, no matter how small, erode trust and jeopardize relationships with others. In this episode, Dr. Pilcher digs deep into what causes us to make these empty promises and how we can choose our words and commitments carefully in the future.

EP46: Creating Cultures of Continuous Improvement

How do you turn passionate employees and leaders into people who have the ability to make a difference not only in their work, but in their communities? Janet is joined by Dr. Pat Greco today to talk about continuous improvement. Pat is an award-winning retired superintendent who served 38 years in public education and has been a champion of Evidence-Based Leadership℠. She shares her advice and experience on executing the process of improvement within organizations.

Continuous Improvement…It’s Not Just a Buzzword

Organizations in most industries are currently experiencing a rapid pace of change and increasing competition, forcing leaders to implement programs and initiatives designed for improvements. On the surface, implementing these initiatives is often on a case-by-case basis to address a specific need or area of improvement. However, it’s not uncommon for the new initiative to […]

Getting Better by Facing Failures

When Dr. Brendan Kelly arrived on the University of South Carolina Upstate scene to serve as chancellor, he quickly identified the need to establish an improvement mindset across the organization. “We didn’t talk about our future. We only talked about what we were.” During his recent presentation at Destination High Performance, Kelly described the culture […]

EP45: Presenting Problems as Opportunities

As a leader do you tell your teams, “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.”? Or maybe as an employee you’ve worked for a leader who believes in this philosophy. While presenting solutions to problems is ideal, it’s not always possible. So, what can leaders do to create safe environments for teams to bring problems forward, while avoiding being bombarded by complaints? In this episode, Dr. Pilcher encourages team members use key words, take ownership, and bring complex problems to their leaders for guidance.

Maintaining Momentum During Leadership Transitions

 IMPACT IN THE INTERIM From 2013 until 2019, University of West Georgia President, Dr. Kyle Marrero, led the University to achieve records in enrollment, graduation rates, and to develop new student-centered partnerships. He worked to develop a strategic plan within his first year and established Engage West, their continuous improvement movement. In 2015 UWG was selected as […]

Ocean Springs School District is Using Feedback to Improve Student and Parent Engagement

At our annual education leadership conference, What’s Right in Education, Dr. Candace Pelt, Superintendent of Central Linn School District in Halsey, Oregon, shared insights into her transformative leadership and strategic planning approach. Emphasizing the power of strategic planning, Dr. Pelt highlights its role as a roadmap guiding decision-making and ensuring alignment with community values.

EP44: From Problem to Solution

Changes in an organization can occur that team leaders may have little control over. What we can control is how we adapt and react to the change in our daily business. When we utilize team meetings with structured, thoughtful discussions, and analysis, someone will propose a winning solution or solutions for the team to agree on. Using a problem-solving agenda, conversations stay focused and teams can avoid falling into a pit of negativity and conflict.

Transforming Your Organizational Culture to Build a Great Team

“The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.”  – Gruenter & Whitaker As a leader of an organization, department or division, it is imperative that you have a great team to work with in order to succeed. It is equally imperative that you provide your team […]

Tips for Mentoring New Employees

Mentoring new employees is a must as the first few months are the most critical for new hires. Studies have consistently shown that a significant percentage of employees who leave an organization do so within the first 90 to 120 days. Starting on day one, it is nice for new employees to have a mentor […]

Lead by Permission

How do you become a leader that everyone wants to work for? Lead by permission and not by authority. Every boss has a title. That title gives them an authority to lead, make decisions, delegate, instruct and discipline. Successful leaders view their title and role as an honor given to them by their employees. Their […]

EP43: Connecting with Young Professionals

For the first time in history we are operating with five generations co-existing in the workforce, and there are more young professionals joining every day. Dr. Pilcher talks with Ruthie Christie, the Executive Director of Pensacola Young Professionals (PYP) about their mission and impact in our community. PYP provides young professionals with a community where they can make a difference, connect with like-minded individuals, and learn new skills. Ruthe also reveals the top three skills young professionals want to develop and the top three things they’re looking for in their work environments.

Key Drivers for Changing a Culture

Four years ago… you couldn’t get a group of people in the room to have a shared conversation and understanding about who we were, what our purpose was, and where we were headed. Sabrina Hebeler is the Chief of Staff for Michigan State University’s Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (MSU IPF) department. Her presentation at Destination […]

EP42: Focus on Service Excellence

Service excellence is more than just being polite or being ready to offer the unsatisfied customer a discount. Join Donna Kirby and Janet Pilcher this week as they conclude their conversation about the value of service excellence. Donna Kirby reveals her top 3 tactics for applying customer service excellence within your organization and how to treat your organization like a living room.

Lead with Purpose

A person’s motivations for working ties directly to purpose Think about where you work. Are your coworkers achieving their highest potential? Are you achieving your highest potential? Professionals spend a majority of their days logging hours at work; however, the vast majority are disengaged. According to a Gallup study, only 31% of the U.S. workforce […]

Create a Culture of Recognition

As humans, we all have emotions. We like to hear what we are good at. We love knowing that we are appreciated. It is important to know that our contributions are making a difference. Taking the time to recognize a job well done and to connect an employee’s performance with the organization’s goals, gives people […]

EP41: The Value of Great Service

Service Excellence differentiates your organization from others in your industry. Great leaders place importance on how to become the best service provider for what they do. Donna Kirby returns this week to discuss why prioritizing service excellence is necessary for success and what core drivers keep her focused on service excellence.

Eliminate We/They

As a leader, how you communicate matters. When you model positive communication, you not only set an example, but you also set an expectation for how to interact within your organization. What you permit, you promote. It’s vital to take necessary steps to avoid “We/They” behavior and communication. Quint Studer, the founder of Studer Group […]

EP40: Turn Customers into Loyal Fans

Donna Kirby, the Vice President of Operations at the Pensacola Blue Wahoo’s AA Baseball team, joins Janet Pilcher this week to talk about Donna’s journey to becoming a leader of best practices in minor league baseball. Donna and her team at the Blue Wahoo’s stadium are sought after as an example for creating the ultimate fan experience.

EP39: Stressed from Stress?

Many successful, hardworking Americans experience burnout more than once during their careers, even people who are passionate about what they do. High performers can be obsessed with achieving excellence and exceeding results to the point of exhaustion. And when the candles are burning at both ends for too long, we do ourselves, our clients, and our team a disservice. Begin reducing stress by taking small steps to prevent overload burnout.

Building an Emotional Bank Account

As leaders we hear things like applying “soft” skills is not as important as focusing on “hard” data, such as student achievement. Our collective work with district and school leaders shows us otherwise. We’ve found that employee and student achievement is difficult to improve without leaders building effective working relationships with employees (in school systems: […]

Succession Planning 101: Developing & Sustaining Excellence

“Organizations that extend development to all levels are 4.2 times more likely to outperform those that don’t.”  –Global Leader Forecast 2018 In order to thrive, organizations need to continuously develop people at all levels and across all teams. Success isn’t accidental. Intentionally assessing the capabilities needed and hardwiring learning opportunities builds competence, sustains personal commitment, […]

EP38: Deliver Productive Feedback

The way we provide feedback makes a difference in how people receive and act on the feedback. If our goal is to provide feedback to change behavior for the right reasons, we need to message our feedback in the right way. Dr. Pilcher dissects real-life situations where feedback was given that wasn’t asked for, or that hurts the receiver, and offers solutions and tips to improve the interaction.

Be Decisive

Be willing to make the tough decisions, and once you’ve made your decision, don’t go back on your word. Even if people are against you or disagree with you, it is important that you can confidently and decisively make smart decisions. – Like a Boss: Six Defining Characteristics that all Effective Leaders Have in Common […]

EP37: Do People Really Want Feedback?

There’s a fine line between giving feedback for improvements and leaving an employee feeling criticized and deflated. Few of us respond well to someone telling us what to do or how to fix ourselves. Yet when feedback is provided in the right way, individuals are motivated to learn and improve. To create excellent organizations providing others with feedback is necessary. Reshape your feedback conversations to focus on achieving a positive outcome.

Tips for New Leaders

In the beginning when a leader steps into a new role, everything is possible. Good leaders will take on new challenges in their careers with enthusiasm and optimism. Great leaders will do even more. If they want to have an impact in a new job, they know that they also need to push for greatness at […]

Succession Plan: A Key for Sustaining Organizational Excellence

The Evidence-Based LeadershipSM Framework creates the backbone for organizational success. The first two stages of the framework link intentionally building team capacity aligned to what is most important to accomplish in the succession plan. In the stage of identifying the measures that matter, leaders work with key stakeholders to define what success will look like. […]

EP36: Retain New Hires with 30- & 90-Day Conversations

Making intentional connections with employees is especially important when the employee is within the first 30 and 90 days. Research shows that up to 22% of turnover takes place within an employee’s first 45 days of employment. 30-day conversations reinforce that leaders are committed to retaining the new employee and provide leaders with a fresh perception of the organization. This week Dr. Pilcher dives into what a 30-day conversation is and then provides a real-life example with Studer Education℠ new hire Beka Padilla.

EP35: Pursue Performance Excellence

Why is a commitment to excellence important as a leader and as an organization? Dr. Janet Pilcher interviews Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award recipient, Dr. JoAnn Sternke, to get her perspective on what it takes to pursue performance excellence. As a superintendent of Pewaukee School District, JoAnn led the organization to receive a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In this episode, she reveals the key to seeing results and getting the entire group of leaders moving forward.

Preventing Burnout & Retaining Your Best

Jim Collins in Good to Great reinforces the importance of having the “right people in the right seats on the bus” within your organization. Strong team members bring specific knowledge, skills, and experiences to the team, while great organizations intentionally develop learning and leadership experiences long after great hires are made. Leadership is not always […]

Developing a Year at a Glance

It may take eight weeks or longer to replace a person leaving a position. During this transition, remaining team members are left filling the gaps. Therefore, preparing in advance for employee transitions is a direct benefit to every member of the team and the organization. Developing a “Year at a Glance” for each unique job role is a strong first step.

EP34: Get Up Before You Fall Too Far

It’s difficult to become a great organization, and even more difficult to sustain that success. This week, Dr. Pilcher explores the 5 stages of defeat as identified in Jim Collin’s book ‘How the Mighty Fall’ and what you can do as a leader to get up before you fall too far.

Cultivating a Culture of Unmistakable Value

How Can Organizations Set Themselves Apart? Effective, transparent leadership combined with a culture that’s focused on purpose is the key to delivering unmistakable value to those you serve. With thousands of brands competing for attention, it’s no surprise that organizations who prioritize customer experience are more likely to be successful. In fact, 86% of consumers […]

EP33: Unmistakable Value

How can organizations set themselves apart and provide their stakeholders with unmistakable value? It all starts with effective leadership and a culture focused on purpose. Dr. KK Owen joins Dr. Janet Pilcher to discuss how she helps organizations mold a culture around unmistakable value in real life.

Unleash the Power of Your People

When critical members of the team leave, it can be unsettling. Every organization has members who carry specific skills and knowledge that impact the entire organization. They know the technology systems, hold responsibility for major projects and understand the work flow to keep everything moving. They are the keepers of the history, working knowledge, and the processes often left undocumented. These employees are so good that the full team counts on them. Then, they decide to leave.

EP32: Turn Ideas into Action

Are you really listening to your employees? Many employees don’t think so, in fact, more than half of employees say their company fails to act on good ideas, and a third of employees feel their ideas are ignored. Why? Because leaders demand action without input, receive feedback and avoid making changes, and lack a clear process for managing ideas. It’s crucial for leaders to let employees speak and pay ridiculous attention to what they are saying so teams are motivated to collaborate towards a solution and action plan.

Plan Your Success, Then Celebrate the Win

All of us want to celebrate successes, wins for our team or organization. How do we know when we should celebrate? We must measure or track to our goals to truly have something to celebrate. What if we host a huge celebration mid-year and then do not hit the end of year goals?

EP31: What Questions Should I Be Asking My Employees?

One of a leader’s greatest responsibilities is to ensure teams are engaged and productive. People are motivated to increase productivity when leaders take time to get to know them personally, make them feel comfortable, and help remove barriers in the workplace. When we connect with employees in ways that are meaningful to them, they become more engaged, productivity and profits increase, meanwhile, turnover, absenteeism, and shrinkage decrease.

The Ultimate Equation: Strategy + Execution = Results

Strategy sessions can solve problems, as well as spark ideas and innovation that lead to business success. At the heart of all strategy is the drive and desire to be the BEST. “Strategy is not planning — it is the making of an integrated set of choices that collectively position the firm in its industry […]

EP30: Building Trust in the Workplace

Thriving workplaces depend on trust to continue to grow and excel. However, most of us can recognize; trust isn’t given, its earned. Building positive relationships in the workplace lays the groundwork for trusting teams that can perform and adapt at high levels. When leaders start prioritizing trust in the workplace, their teams will follow.

EP29: Keep Those Emotions in Check

Receiving feedback is an emotional experience, it’s often difficult to take in. Whether the feedback is positive or negative, we humans are quick to respond emotionally, sometimes overreacting, even to the point of denying the data is accurate. Feedback is also a powerful gift, it helps organizations understand what they are doing well, and areas in which they’re falling short. In this episode, Dr. Pilcher coaches us to work through useful feedback to honor the information that is helpful, without losing our cool.

The Nine Principles and the Pursuit of Excellence

The Nine Principles® are the guiding principles for improvement work for any organization that intends to be excellent. These principles set the behaviors and expectations for organizations to create and sustain a culture of excellence where individuals choose to work and achieve at high levels. Likewise, the Nine Principles® are the easiest way to communicate to every department what it takes to create a culture of high performance.

Drive Employee Results With Surveys

An employee engagement survey can be a very powerful tool within your organization. Employee engagement surveys provide important information and data regarding the perceptions of employees about their work environment. Likewise, the results from the survey can help teams identify action items for improvement.

Embracing Complaints Drives Customer Loyalty

Despite hardwired systems, mistakes can still be made. Therefore, it is vital to have a good service recovery process in place.

EP28: What’s Under the Rock?

Organizations perform at different levels, some are poor, others good, and very few are excellent. What makes an organization excellent? It’s their relentless commitment to continuous improvement. Great organizations are willing to get their hands dirty and face the brutal facts to improve, even when things are going well.

EP27: Every Person, Every Time

Is it really enough to provide good, or even, very good customer service? When your organization treats service recovery as just another refund, it misses a valuable growth opportunity. Excellent service recovery turns people with a poor experience into your biggest brand advocates. Listen now to hear the 4 steps to customer recovery.

Difficult Conversations with Those Who Violate Values

Having difficult conversations is never easy. However, it is a crucial part of being an effective leader. While it may be easier for a leader to ignore poor performance and staff feuds, delaying the conversation may tear down workplace culture. Similarly, it can negatively impact employee productivity.

Use DESK for Difficult Conversations

The D.E.S.K. approach for low performer conversations provides leaders with a guide to get through difficult conversations and cut right to the chase (Studer, 2004). Take time to prepare for these conversations as they are difficult and require practice. 

EP26: Service Recovery That Knocks It Out of the Park

Despite best efforts, sometimes we fail at providing the outstanding service our customers deserve. During these times, a service recovery process can turn a negative customer experience into an opportunity to satisfy the individual and for the organization to improve. Using a real-life example, Dr. Pilcher identifies six actions to sincere service recovery your customers will thank you for.

Provide Feedback That Inspires

Telling people what we think about their performance doesn’t help them improve. Think about the last time you received constructive criticism. Did it actually prompt you to change your behavior? Did you agree with the person providing the feedback? Or did it provoke annoyance instead of prompting action? When we highlight the shortcomings of others, […]

EP25: Addressing Poor Performance

Why do leaders need to address toxic behavior immediately? Because negative behavior drags the entire organization down. 66% of employees who deal with a toxic team member said their performance declined in a recent HBR Study. In this episode, we reveal an approach you can use to support low-solid performers, the 8 types of toxic employees, and 4 steps to dealing with toxic employees.

EP24: The Best Chance for Success

It’s the leader’s responsibility to provide a structure within the organization to help people know when they’re not performing at their best. When the right system is in place, leaders can support their employees in owning their own performance. Sometimes that support may appear in the form of transitioning someone to a different role or out of the organization. In this episode, we address actions leaders can take to provide every opportunity for employees to be successful.

What’s in Your Toolbox?

In AASA’s School Administrator magazine, Dr. Janet Pilcher discusses specific tools and tactics to achieve high performance results in the areas of student achievement, employee engagement, service excellence and financial efficiency.

EP23: Hitting the Wall

How do the varying human performance levels affect the overall organizational results? What happens when leaders avoid managing employee performance levels? We achieve higher performance with less variation when we tighten the performance curve. In this episode, Dr. Pilcher addresses how leaders have an important role in managing performance to keep results moving in a positive direction.

Plan for a Stress-Free Summer Break

Walk into a school during the month of May, and you can practically smell summer in the air – burgers on the grill, sunscreen, and exploding fireworks. Children are dreaming of long days playing with their friends, not interrupted by homework assignments and early bedtimes. Similarly, teachers are ready to have a break from lesson […]

EP22: Connecting with Solid Performers

60 – 70% of individuals in our organizations are solid performers, making them the backbone of every organization. When we give them our best, they will give their best to us and our organizations. This week, Dr. Pilcher discusses how to connect with your solid performers. When you give solid performers feedback the right way, a relationship is built that will retain, motivate, and inspire your direct reports.

Turn Talents into Strengths

You don’t succeed because you have no weaknesses; you succeed because you find your strengths and focus on developing habits around them. -Tim Ferriss According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20% of U.S. workers think their jobs use their talents, and a mere 13% say they find their work meaningful. To be meaningfully engaged, […]

EP21: Connecting with High Performers

Are you a high performer? Do you want to retain your high performing team members? This week, Dr. Pilcher offers an approach for connecting with your high performers and Erica Callaway joins her as a guest to model what this connection should sound like. Meeting with high performers the right way, so they know they are valued, moves the organization to achieve results.

EP20: Low Performers: Who Are They?

Low performers take up the majority of our time as leaders and cause their better performing coworkers stress. Today we address the types of low performing behaviors and what happens if we ignore them.

The Right Support: How to Retain Employees

Employees are our most valuable assets, but we often don’t spend enough time making them feel valued. Have you taken time this week to recognize anyone for a specific achievement or contribution to the team? Do you have professional development conversations with your team members? Have you identified your high performers?   It’s not surprising that a new survey from the American […]

What about that email?

Have you ever had a day when you did not or could not respond to email? Then when you did open your email, the number next to “inbox” was astronomical – like over 100 or even 200! How can this be? I do not know 100 people! You start to feel like you are drowning […]

EP19: Don’t Step in Quicksand

While we navigate through work and life, we may occasionally find ourselves in over our heads. The harder we try to fight, the deeper we fall. For leaders Dr. Pilcher recommends 4 ways to help your solid performers avoid the quicksand and an additional 3 ways to avoid stepping into the quicksand yourself.

Build Trust with Intentional Kindness

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” Dalai Lama Can you remember the last time an individual went out of their way to make your day better? Even if it wasn’t recent, the act of kindness itself is most likely a vivid memory. Kindness is not only a soft skill that leaves a lasting […]

EP18: Solid Performers: Who Are They?

Middle solid performers make up half of our organization and have a lot to offer. It’s important for leaders to give them direction and opportunities to grow. Today we focus on 5 actions you can take to best support middle performers.

Communicate the Why

Poor communication is often cited as the problem or one of the biggest problems existing in organizations. Ineffective communication gets in the way of a positive work culture and puts limits on the intentional practice of improvement. How do we resolve the challenges of communication with our team? Do we need to send more emails, […]

EP17: The Fire in the Belly

When we speak of performance, we think of both an individual’s will and their skill. Do the members of our teams have the desire to do their best work and continue to get better? Today, we focus on the tremendous impact we can have on organizations when we have strong will or fire in our belly.

Always Improve. Using PDSA Cycles.

Most leaders want to be more successful than they were yesterday and are always searching for ways to improve. Some organizations exceed results year after year. Others can’t seem to sustain. How is it that some organizations do improvement so well where others falter? To answer this, we look to leaders who take the time […]

EP16: High Performers: Who Are They?

What are the 5 characteristics of high performers and why they are crucial to keep on your team? High performers do their best and their best makes a difference; they deserve for us to give our best to them. Learn how to identify your high performers, and how to retain them using the 3 techniques provided this week.

This Button Does Not Work

Picture it. You’re standing at a busy intersection in New York City. You press the crosswalk button and wait as traffic whirls by. After several minutes, you press the button again. A fellow pedestrian smiles and informs you, “Those things don’t work.” What?

EP15: Building a Bank Account of Trust

Dr. Pilcher explains what an emotional bank account is, and why it’s necessary to maintain a positive balance with your teams and coworkers in this week’s episode. Master how you can provide feedback for improvement without damaging your relationships and find out 7 ways to nurture an emotional bank account with your team.

Making Continuous Improvement Stick

“Your system is not going to get any better, unless your system is focused on getting better.” It’s a candid realization sparked by Dr. Pat Greco, a leadership coach and national speaker on continuous improvement. Dr. Greco recently retired as Superintendent of School District of Menomonee Falls, an award-winning district that serves 4,000 students in southeastern […]

EP14: Small Things, Big Difference

Through kindness we have a greater opportunity to achieve higher results. Individuals who combine their skills with kindness and drive can’t be stopped. Studies even show leaders who project warmth are more effective than leaders that lead with toughness. This week, Dr. Pilcher provides you with 8 quick actions you can do immediately to accelerate kindness. Practicing kindness is one small thing, that has really big results.

3 Behaviors that Poison Your Culture

We know that a positive culture is important for any organization’s health. In a survey by CultureIQ, 73% of respondents indicated that a great corporate culture drives competitive advantage for their company. They also reported higher engagement levels and a stronger brand. It’s often easier to notice the effects of a negative culture (high turnover, low productivity, or […]

EP13: That’s the Way It Is

Can you recall a time when you’ve been frustrated with another department in your organization, and you were told nothing can be done to solve the problem? Are leaders fighting about who is supposed to be responsible for something and blaming others when things don’t get done? The best solutions come from the people doing the work day in and day out. This episode focuses on breaking down barriers to improve workplaces. Learn how can you utilize your people to improve processes and systems that aren’t working.

Service Excellence Builds Trust

People have choices. Customers want to know that they can trust the services we provide. When we commit to service excellence and consistently deliver, we establish trust and a reputation that keeps our customers coming back time after time. Reputation of excellence We can establish a culture of service excellence by clearly defining how we want […]

EP12: Execute Well for Better Results

This week, Dr. Pilcher discusses the common job we all come to work to do each day: Execute Well. Do we take quick decisive, meaningful actions every day? Or do we find ourselves waiting for our next assignment, redoing our work, or missing deadlines? Executing well plays a critical role in moving organizations forward and exceeding results. Dr. Pilcher recommends four actions for executing well in this week’s show.

EP11: Leaders Don’t Whine

How can you avoid the trap of negative thinking? Overcoming obstacles is never easy, but when we don’t let shortcomings get (and keep) us down, we become more resilient. This week, Dr. Pilcher exposes how to eliminate this behavior from the workplace.

February Funk

Have you ever thought about the energy level of the people you work with in February versus May? The level of energy and spirit is entirely different. For those of us who have worked in schools, it is especially evident after the winter holidays and before spring holidays. It is like a no-man’s land. So, […]

EP10: That’s Not My Job

This week, Dr. Pilcher discusses being an owner versus a renter. Pride in our organizations occurs when we take ownership of our roles, cultivating a positive environment so strong, it is no longer susceptible to negativity.

EP9: Stop the Subconscious Behavior Infecting Your Organization

‘It’s not me, it’s them!’ – We’ve all heard it before, the blame game. But seriously, if they could just get their work done, I wouldn’t have to bring it up right? This default communication has lasting negative effects on team performance and results. Dr. Pilcher advises how to eliminate we/they behavior in the organization, and your life, for good. The results can be dramatic, imagine a positive culture where people take ownership.

Just Start

In a world of high stakes, sometimes leaders need to hear the words, “just start.” This is a mantra former superintendent of schools, Dr. Pat Greco, has said to her team and to leaders around the nation for years. When she says it, the tension in the room subsides. These are two simple words, with […]

EP8: What if Your Boss is the Problem?

56% of American workers claim their boss is mildly or highly toxic. We all deserve to work for high performing leaders, but what can you do if this isn’t your experience at work? Do you grin and bear it? Quit? Confront the boss? To continue the discussion from episode 7 on poor work behavior, this week Dr. Pilcher addresses low performing leaders, from the employee’s perspective.

Nurture an Engaged Culture

JANUARY’S ACCELERATE YOUR PERFORMANCE RECAP The introduction of 2019 brings to you a new leadership resource from Studer Education. Accelerate Your Performance is a weekly podcast show that began January 7th. The show’s host, Dr. Janet Pilcher, discusses proven leadership strategies and how to solve common issues leaders face in 20 minutes or less with new episodes available every Monday morning. To summarize the […]

EP7: Handling Executive Leader Sabotage

How do you handle leaders who say they’re on board, but act like they’re not? Leadership team alignment is vital for high performing organizations to be successful. This week, Dr. Pilcher discusses how to address leaders who choose to deviate from strategy. Leaders who exhibit negative behaviors are noticeable by all employees and as a result are actively eroding the company culture.

Connecting the Heart & Mind is Connecting to Purpose 

As leaders, we should create environments where we recognize and actively value people for their contributions and individual interests and strengths. We help our teams connect to purpose, which connects the heart and the mind. Then, our connected heart and mind guide our hands in action to continue the work focused on our defined purpose.   It is important for our […]

EP6: Can You Fix My Culture?

You’re probably familiar with the saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” but how is it that organizations cultivate a positive, inspired culture? And possibly more difficult, how can leaders turn a negative culture around? Dr. Pilcher explains the steps necessary to begin shifting the culture in the right direction. Our people determine our culture, it lives and evolves inside of us every day.

EP5: Reignite Your Passion

All of us are energized by something. It’s up to us to dig deeper within ourselves to stay connected to our passions as we live through new experiences. Dr. Pilcher returns to her tennis days from episode 4 Losing Our Way to show how she worked through her temporary loss of passion. She addresses the role leaders play to support team member’s passions.

EP4: Losing Our Way

Anyone can fall victim of losing their passion at some point or another. Results from Gallup’s State of the American Workforce reveal disengagement at work happens to over 50% of employees. Yet organizations with higher employee engagement perform at higher levels, so what can leaders do to keep teams engaged. Dr. Pilcher refers to her days as a tennis enthusiast to demonstrate the struggle to maintain passion and how to help each other from losing our way.

EP3: What are the Nine Principles? Part 3

This episode is the final part of a three-part series. It introduces and gives a brief overview of Principles 7-9 of the Nine Principles®. These Principles are: 7) Align Behaviors with Goals and Values, 8) Communicate at All Levels, 9) Recognize and Reward Success.

EP2: What are the Nine Principles? Part 2

This episode is part two of a three-part series. It introduces and gives a brief overview of Principles 4-6 of the Nine Principles®. Principles 4-6 are: 4) Create and Develop Leaders, 5) Focus on Employee Engagement, 6) Build Individual Accountability.

EP1: What are the Nine Principles? Part 1

This episode in one in a three-part series. It introduces and gives a brief overview of the first three of the Nine Principles®. The first three principles are: 1) Commit to Excellence, 2) Measure the Important Things, 3) Build a Culture Around Service.

Key Word a Message for Impact

One of the reading rabbit holes I ventured down this week led me to this great video recommended by Harvard …

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Leader Always Actions

As leaders, one skill that may not come immediately to mind, and yet yields such extraordinary gains, is connecting to the emotional needs of our employees. It is essential to tap into how we communicate to proactively create a positive environment where employees want to work and succeed. This idea of connection can be so […]

Strategy Without Execution?

We know results are driven by strategy, structure and execution. Even with the best of structure and strategy, execution is crucial. When I was an instructional coach at a Title 1 school, we implemented a new literacy program throughout our K-6 school. The goal was to increase student engagement with how words are formed, how […]

Top 10 Continuous Improvement Strategies

Our team had the privilege of participating in a PowerSchool webinar on continuous improvement, with Dr. Pat Greco and Corey Golla of the School District of Menomonee Falls. Greco spent the last seven years as superintendent of the district, with a passionate focus on transforming the system through continuous improvement. As the district’s new superintendent, […]

Leading Change

Slowing down and having everyone carry a piece of the load is the focus of leading change for the School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. In a recent article, Education Week paints an extraordinary picture of how Menomonee Falls stopped chasing new initiatives. Instead, they have built a culture where everyone focuses on how they can improve […]

Developing Leaders is Important for Success

Not everything we do has the same outcome.  We can only take so many steps in a day; we need to make sure they are all the right steps. – Heidi Taylor-Eliopoulos, Superintendent, Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Never have the stakes been so high in education as they are today.  We need to […]

What Makes a Great Executive Team?

What makes a great executive team? Think about your own team. How do they perform? How do you help them grow to their maximum capacity? Did you inherit or build your own team? How have you helped them develop their talents so far? According to Harvard Business Review’s 10-year study (June 2017), a great executive […]

Level 5 Leadership

Level 5 Leadership Leadership is hard to define. We all have different ideas about what traits are needed for a high performing leader. How does a high performing leader consistently increase and sustain results? Jim Collins has defined the highest level of leadership as a Level 5 leader with an unexpected paradoxical mix of personal […]

Collaboration Deepens Data Reflection in Christian County School District

Sharing a spirit of collaboration, focusing on continuous improvement, and connecting with the work are crucial actions for how Christian County School District, Kentucky leaders work together to achieve increased performance in all aspects of the organization.  Everything the executive team does is a collaborative effort, which is pretty amazing since none had worked together […]

Digging into Data

Using Data to Inform Division, Department and Individual Action Plans In celebrating and highlighting the great work in the Hopkins County Schools, Kentucky, we discover how digging deeper into their data has resulted in alignment and focus for the upcoming year. Former superintendent DeDe Ashby takes an individual conferencing approach with her principals and directors […]

Hardwiring Educational Excellence

In creating a culture for educational excellence, Muskego-Norway school district has hardwired the processes that feed alignment, accountability and self-awareness.  They create continuous improvement by intentional exploration into the data to examine effective strategies.  Equally important, Muskego-Norway examines the root causes of ineffective strategies.  Speaking in tandem, Kelly Thompson, Superintendent, and Jeff Peterson, Assistant Superintendent […]

Rounding with the Board: Actionable Feedback

Why Should I Round With My Board? Rounding is a powerful leadership tactic focused on harvesting wins and eliciting actionable feedback. The idea of rounding comes to us from health care, as a long-standing, daily practice of doctors and nurses. Making the rounds is a way to build connections and gather information from focused two-way […]

Progress Monitoring Improves Processes to Meet Goals

Strong leaders are highly familiar with data. Data helps us achieve our goals, become better drivers of change, and expands our understanding of processes that need refining. It is impressive how quickly people—particularly leaders—adapt to change they believe in. Given that, why might leaders resist change? First, they might not understand the why for the […]

Proactive Behavior Fosters Improvement

The most successful organizations have proactive leaders who focus on maximizing their own performance, which influences results throughout their team and the entire system. Proactive leadership means leaders consistently assess and refine processes using targeted tools and techniques that create the excellence needed to deliver high-quality results. Leader behaviors and actions show others how they […]

Determine Top Priorities to Achieve Results

Focus on Priorities Action planning is the process where leaders engage in collective conversations with their teams to gain insights on best-practice strategies. Most importantly, the process ensures individual team members have the specific action steps, tools, and resources needed to achieve the organization’s overall goals. Leaders must be able to first determine priorities in […]

Service Excellence—Even on a Snow Day

Those in service-oriented fields are driven by their core values, which keep them on target. It can be easy to get bogged down and forget how much of a difference we really do make. As leaders, we need to take the time to remind employees, faculty, and staff that what we do has purpose, is […]

Action Planning: Go Slow to Go Fast

Achieving results requires building a certain level of trust with those you lead. Trust is created when leaders consistently share the direction of the organization. Leaders cannot effectively do so without first collecting data to develop action plans. Why Action Planning? Action plans provide the structure for identifying priorities to improve, specific times for completion, […]

Promising Results: The Impact of Implementing Performance Conversations

Good performance management practices are key to the success of an organization. Performance management skills, particularly having effective performance conversations, are not easy to implement and carry out. However, the pain of not having them is worse than the pain of learning and working to efficiently implement them. Why Performance Conversations? Having professional performance conversations with […]

Performance Conversations: Ensuring employees reach their highest potential

Many organizations struggle with performance management. Differentiating staff is the first step for leaders to be able to properly have performance conversations with those they serve. Conducting effective performance conversations is a complex and critical skills for leaders. Likewise, it is one of the most important jobs for leaders to do. These are not simply performance conversations, but value […]

Measure, Share, Address

Collecting and sharing data is key to the success of a continuously improving organization. There is no lack of data in education. It is important to figure out the most vital data to measure, rollout the results, and make positive changes. Measure Sometimes we see extensive measurement in one area and scant measurement in an […]

Results Rollout: Why every organization should implement this process

      What? We teach a results rollout process to our partners that leaders use to present survey results and collect input for action planning. The process also applies to any results that organizations receive that are important to communicate with employees. The better we communicate the results, the greater opportunity we have to […]

Key Ingredient for Success? Leadership Rounding

Leader rounding may be the most important tactic to help leaders engage individuals in the work environment. By rounding, we mean making the rounds, and checking in with employees—but it’s really much more than that. It’s all about the follow-through. Following up not only demonstrates your commitment to the institution but also to the ideas [...]

How to be Intentional and Most Effective with 30/90-Day Conversations

Having 30/90-day conversations with new employees is a practice that should consistently be carried out. These conversations are important for engaging the new hire. They are also valuable for you, as a leader, to gain a new perspective on your organization and make changes to better your school district. JoAnn Sternke, former Superintendent of the […]

Making a Difference Comes Full Circle

Do you ever stop and think to yourself, “Wow, if I hadn’t had that particular experience, I wouldn’t be in the place and position I am in today?” For Quisha Wesley, a TeacherReady® alumna, this was a familiar and frequent thought that came full circle this month at Studer Education’s℠ What’s Right is Education conference […]

Creating New Opportunities Through Continuous Onboarding

Effective onboarding practices are critical to an organization’s performance management. In an age of continuous change, it’s more critical than ever to ensure that employees are continuously onboarded in order to do what they need to be doing to meet the organization’s goals. In fact, this is one of the five areas that organizations need to master […]

Connecting Hearts and Minds: Skills Every Leader Needs

Excerpt from: Maximize Performance We have worked in education for a long time. Each of us has found that people who are the most successful in aligning actions to achieve the desired results in a department, division, or organization have certain characteristics in common. These characteristics come together in one overarching skill: the ability to […]

Continuous Onboarding through Continuous Improvement

People want to work in organizations that value their expertise and provide them with opportunities to grow. Long-term plans for keeping employees on board in our systems require a balance of continuous onboarding strategies and professional development opportunities. The School District of Menomonee Falls (SDMF), Wisconsin, has a strong commitment to continuous improvement. This commitment can […]

Make Onboarding Ongoing

When onboarding new employees, the best leaders create a system-wide vision aligned to organizational values, clearly set and communicate a direction for people to go, and align behaviors to priorities. It is vital to set the standard right away, but it is even more important to reinforce continuously and reflect on these standards and values. At Ysleta […]

What Barriers are Getting in the Way of Your Execution?

What Gets in the Way of Execution? Execution is a must-have for achieving organizational goals. One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to collectively work with employees to create a best-place-to-work environment. Great leaders and their direct reports (and certainly anyone taking the time to read this blog) want to execute well. [...]

Resilience Through Reflection

It is important that leaders, especially in education, take time to remember why they joined the profession. This connection to purpose takes careful reflection that we typically skip out on when things get busy. We must connect our hearts and minds to reflect on why we do what we do. This effort builds the resilience needed to push […]

Strategies for Reflection & Planning

Reflective Practice Reflection is a way of studying your own experiences to improve the way you work. The act of reflection is a great way to increase confidence and become a more proactive and qualified professional. As leaders, we are called to constantly be reflecting on the work we do and the impact we have on […]

The 3 Key Elements in the Growth Process

Change is an inevitable force and reoccurring element. Strong leaders and organizations know how to navigate the various stages of change in a way that creates new growth and opportunities. They do this through continuous reflection about themselves and their organization as a whole. Below are three key elements essential to this reflection and growth process: 1. Individual Reflection: We […]

5 Tips to Use Data to Action Plan

Prepare, Practice, Plan Data is the backbone to any strong action plan. Are you making the right decisions using the right information? Use these tips to begin critically thinking about how you use your data in actional planning: Plan backwards. Ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve by the end of the year, how […]

Creating Alignment with Data at Mizzou

The progress being made by our partners in the Student Life Department at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) is energizing. We recently captured some thoughts from Student Life’s Business Manager, Chris Provorse, about the department’s recent experience with rolling out survey results and creating a scorecard. The department has been diligently working to improve alignment and ensure the leadership team has […]

Parent Satisfaction: Key to an Unrivaled Learning Community

As leaders, we are always striving to improve processes and relationships to drive greater results. At Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) in Wisconsin, leaders are doing just that through their commitment to listening to parents’ input about what provides a supportive educational environment for their children. The district’s vision statement is, “to become an unrivaled learning community, […]

Harvesting Wins

In our profession we tend to view performance with a critical eye or we look for what can be improved rather than what is right. Sometimes we should purposely look for the “wins” by posting as many as possible and celebrating the “wins” with others. We’ve witnessed leaders being very creative and fun as they […]

Be an Owner Rather Than a Renter of Work

We find that when leaders speak using We/They behaviors, they usually fail to own their work. We/They is when we make ourselves look better at the expense of others. As leaders, we tend to do this when we receive bad news and results, share bad news with others, or answer tough questions. Rather than take […]

Amber Whetstine: Paving the Way for Educational Excellence

Executive Director of Learning Services, Amber Whetstine, is an advocate of rolling out survey results to Colorado’s District 49 leaders in Sand Creek Zone. This stand-out leader has provided us with some insight as to how she and her team have been successful in their collection and showcasing of data to bring positive change to […]

It Starts With Data: Celebrating the Best

We want to introduce two of our special partners to you—the University of West Georgia (UWG) and South Louisiana Community College (SLCC). We interviewed leaders from each of these higher education institutions to ask about their process for follow-up to their administration of the employee engagement survey. What do they do with results from the […]

Ask What You Can Do to Improve

As leaders, we do some things well and others not so well. Our perception is not always the perception of others. We build emotional bank accounts with employees by asking them what we can do to be a better leader. To do so we need to listen rather than react to the problem. By allowing […]

Collect the Right Data to Reflect

INSIGHTS FROM HIGH-PERFORMING OPERATIONS LEADERS High-performing leaders realize the importance of using data for reflection and improvement. Reflecting on the right data is important across the organization. In educational organizations, we typically reflect on annual student achievement data over the summer, as we plan for the next school year. The collection of data related to […]

Show Your Gratitude

Sometimes we take for granted all the good things that employees do for students, parents, and each other. Openly thank employees by being very specific about why you are thanking them or send them a “thank you” note. When we work with teachers, we place a “thank you” sticky note with specific feedback on their […]

Be Open, Honest, and Transparent

Leaders in general tend to receive low marks in their ability to effectively communicate. Usually, the approach and content present the major sources of the problem. To establish trust, school-wide communication needs to be transparent and open to discussion and not tainted in ways that is difficult to interpret. We propose that leaders follow Jim […]

Model Good Behavior and Practice

“What We Permit, We Promote.” When we fail to follow a rule or allow employees to break a rule from time to time, we are saying to others, “It is okay to break this rule.” We model good behavior and practice it when we ALWAYS expect of ourselves what we expect of others. Asti Kelley, […]

Connect With Employees

We work with leaders to connect with employees by making rounds with them. Different from a classroom walk-through, in rounding leaders engage in meaningful and genuine conversations with employees to gather useful information rather than having a casual conversation. Leaders ask 1) What’s working well? 2) Do you have the resources you need to do […]

Celebrating Commitment to Collaboration

Celebrating Collaboration: On April 19, 2017, leaders from throughout the Consolidated School District of New Britain participated in a high energy, leadership event to celebrate collaboration. More than 30 leaders, including board members, principals, union presidents, and the superintendent, enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared and served by NBHS students and their culinary teachers. The participants reviewed and shared […]

A School Board’s Commitment to Improvement

Bonding with the school board is a top priority for ensuring student achievement. In the School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the board and district leadership team have partnered in a formal way to collect, present, and analyze data for action planning. Under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Pat Greco and the school board, the district […]

Bonding with the Board: Board rounding at a glance

CONTRIBUTED BY LIZ MENZER   @lizmenzer   What is Rounding? Rounding is an intentional, scheduled activity designed to elicit specific, actionable feedback. Why Board Rounding? The goal of rounding on board members is to capture important feedback for action, including information for reward and recognition and process improvement. By regularly conversing with board members about their […]

Organizational Research for Change

Excerpt from: Maximize Performance Research Drives Change Educators are highly familiar with research. Research helps us become better teachers and leaders, and expands the boundaries of our knowledge. Also, research drives change. Same goes for organizations outside of education as well. It is impressive how quickly people, particularly educators, adapt to change they believe in. […]

The Power of Rounding With Teachers

A Principal Practices Rounding with Teachers Dr. Reggie Lipnick is a middle school principal in the Escambia County School District in Pensacola, Florida. In one of her first school leadership positions, she made rounding with teachers one of her top priorities. By doing so, she learned something from them. The sixth grade teachers told her […]

Organizational Excellence: It Just Makes Sense

Janet’s Story After a leadership development session with one of our partners, I and one of my colleagues, Robin, received a note from an aspiring leader. The note said, “Thank you for your knowledge and expertise and the great session. I’ve learned more about being a leader in four hours than I did in two […]

Process Improvement Tools- Tool #5: Fishbone Diagram

Some problems are serious enough that we need to explore everything that could be causing them. Addressing one part of a problem while ignoring other factors may cause the problem to recur. A Fishbone Diagram is a cause-and-effect approach to solving a problem. It requires teams to identify the problem, identify the factors that might […]

Process Improvement Tools- Tool #4: Affinity Diagram

Narrative comments on surveys can be analyzed using the affinity process. The information is analyzed and placed into themes and labeled under broad categories. To create the Affinity Diagram, we place the problem at the top and then list categories underneath with the ideas for each category. Excerpt from: Maximize Performance

Process Improvement Tools- Tool #3: The Five Whys

To analyze the failure of a process, a group of people answer this question five times: Why did the process fail? The purpose of asking the same question five times is to get to the root cause of the problem. The technique is simple, effective, and engaging. A facilitator leads the session and makes sure […]

Process Improvement Tools- Tool #2: Brainwriting

At times, it’s important to allow people to capture their own thoughts as well as others’ creative thinking. One way to do this is to ask people to write down and say three ideas on a sticky note for solving the problem and then pass the note to the next person. Each person looks at […]

Take Time to Find Time with Process Improvement

We could all use some extra hours in the day.  At Studer Education, as we work with leaders around the …

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Process Improvement Tools- Tool #1: Brainstorming

Brainstorming includes both individual and group brainstorming to address a problem or opportunity. Once ideas are recorded, the participants complete a ranking process, using number rankings and/or dots, to determine which solution the group thinks is most viable. We encourage leaders to apply brainstorming when rolling out survey results or any other results that indicate […]

4 Questions Leaders Should Ask Employees within their First 30 Days

We suggest leaders ask the following questions in the first 30 days: How do we compare to what we said we would be like? Tell me what you like. What is going well? I noticed you came to us from _________. Are there things you did there that might be helpful to us? Is there […]

5 Examples of Effective Rounding within Education Systems

Rounding: School leaders can round with parents and students to retrieve information about the school learning environment. Teachers can round with students and their parents to harvest wins and improve classroom processes. District leaders who provide services to schools can round with school leaders to gain a better understanding about the quality of their services […]

7 Tips for Leadership Development

Tip 1: Ask yourself if your organization values skill development and training. Tip 2: Take frequency into consideration when learning new skills. Tip 3: Take care to find the right mentoring match. Tip 4: Teach the fine art of explanation. Tip 5: Deal with pushback- the toughest part of change. Tip 6: Communicate the challenges […]

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 9: Best-Place-To-Work Standards of Practice

Best-Place-To-Work Standards of Practice: The goal in creating standards is to get faculty and staff input on defining the way people engage in the workplace environment so that it becomes a pleasant, satisfying, and productive place to work. We recommend that organizations assemble a team to develop an initial draft standards document. They use the […]

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 8: Employee Forums

Employee Forums: One way for senior leaders to communicate at all levels is through employee forums. We find that as senior leaders, we are pretty good at making decisions, but we don’t always think about how we are going to communicate those decisions. Excerpt from: Maximize Performance  

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 7: Professional Performance Conversations

Professional Performance Conversations: Conducting professional performance conversations determines whether a school district will break through to excellence or hit a wall. Only one thing’s for sure: when we don’t address low/subpar performers, our organization’s improvement will hit the wall. Only good performance management will get us over the wall. The three types of conversations that […]

Why You Should be Having 30/90-Day Conversations

Selecting the right employees is one of the most important decisions that leaders make. Once you have selected those employees, how do you best retain them in the first 90 days? We train leaders to use 30- and 90-day meeting protocols with new employees. Why? Because organizations tend to lose employees in the first 90 days […]

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 5: Employee Recognition

Employee Recognition: We find that three tools are particularly effective in recognizing people for the work they do. First, we promote creating a process to manage up other people. We teach that managing up is a specific type of recognition that positions people well with others. It promotes people recognizing other people for good work. We […]

Be Driven by Your Core Values

Professionals in service-oriented fields are driven by their core values, which keep them on target. But sometimes we bog down in daily tasks and forget why we chose our profession. As educators, we are lucky because our purpose sits in front of us every day. However, we live and work in an environment that’s focused […]

Be Driven by Your Passion

In Jim Collins’s book Good to Great, he describes a Level 5 leader as someone who leads with passion. Level 5 leaders are not only extremely passionate about what they do, they are also not afraid to show it. One could even call this passion “courage.” Collins describes passion as demonstrating a relentlessness to achieve the desired outcomes…

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 3: Results Rollout Process

Results Rollout Process: We teach a results rollout process to our school district partners that leaders use to present survey results. The process also applies to any results that schools and departments receive that are important to communicate to teachers and staff. The better we communicate the results, the greater the opportunity we have to […]

Coach Leaders to Coach their Teams

Great organizations are the result of great people. In turn, great people are the result of great leaders. Great leaders model the mission and values of the organization. They lead by example. Great leaders take responsibility for actions and outcomes. Before you have a great organization, you need to first have great leaders. Great leaders […]

“Always Behaviors”- Behavior 2: Surveys

There’s another important tool, in addition to rounding, that drives employee engagement and results. It is a system-wide employee engagement survey. The key to this survey, or any others we use, is not the score itself- it’s how well we, as leaders, share the results with staff and how we communicate actions based on their […]

Conduct Leadership Development Institutes

Once you identify skill gaps within your organization, you will need a system for teaching the appropriate skills and closing the gaps. If you’ve read Hardwiring Excellence, it is clear that one solution is to conduct Leadership Development Institutes, or LDIs. The purpose of LDIs is to develop leaders‘ skills in order to enable the […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 9, Recognize and Reward Success

Recognize and Reward Success: Everyone makes a difference Creates win-win situations Never lets great work go unnoticed Recognizes behavior that merits following Tools and tactics needed to Recognize and Reward Success: Apply tools and tactics for giving specific feedback: Thank you notes WOW cards Manage Up Awards aligned to performance outcomes Harvest wins to communicate […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 8, Communicate at All Levels

Communicate at All Levels: Show why, then describe what and how Speeds up the decision process Creates proactive behavior Improves working relationships Tools and tactics needed to Communicate at All Levels: Apply tools such as: Why, What, How protocol Key words at key times AIDET Stoplight Report Employee Forums Cascading messages protocol At-A-Glance resources Excerpt […]

The 4 Phases of Change

Phase 1: During this initial phase, we are very new to a role, process, or skill. We don’t know what we don’t know because it is still too new. One could even say we are a bit incompetent. We’re not saying we didn’t bring competency to the job or that we’re going to stay incompetent. […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 7, Align Behaviors with Goals and Values

Align Behaviors with Goals and Values: Align leadership and resources Creates transparency of results to develop trust Creates leadership report cards using aligned scorecards Aligns short-cycle actions to results Tools and tactics needed to Align Behaviors with Goals and Values: Apply an Evidence-Based Leadership Scorecard process to define the 8 to 10 core metrics aligned […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 6, Build Individual Accountability

Build Individual Accountability: Create a self-motivated workforce Aligns individual goals and measures to those of the organization Moves the hockey stick curve to a bell curve to represent performance Tools and tactics needed to Build Individual Accountability: Integrate at least 75% of measurable outcomes into leader evaluation systems Develop individual 90 day plans Develop individual […]

Change Management: Become a Marathon Runner

Moving from episodic change to continuous change is like a sprinter becoming a marathon runner. According to an organizational change and development study by the University of Michigan, the phrase “episodic change” is used to describe organizational changes that tend to be infrequent, discontinuous, and intentional. Sometimes termed ‘radical’ change, episodic change often involves the […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 5, Focus on Employee Satisfaction

Focus on Employee Satisfaction: Build a top-performing workforce Gives employees opportunity for input Engages in professional conversations to improve performance Recognizes improved and high performance Tools and tactics needed to Focus on Employee Satisfaction: Apply tactics such as Performance-based peer interviews 30/90 day conversations Leader rounding Professional performance conversations Employee engagement survey results roll out […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 4, Create and Develop Great Leaders

Create and Develop Great Leaders: Make leadership development a priority Hires top-performing leaders Develops aspiring new and existing leaders on well-defined and aligned expectations Holds leaders accountable for defined outcomes Tools and tactics needed to Create and Develop Great Leaders: Hold Leadership Development Institutes Apply an outcomes-based Leader Evaluation System Support an emerging leader seminar […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 3, Build a Culture Around Service

Build a Culture Around Service: Connect services to organizational values Ensures that thoughtful processes and procedures become the norm Ensures high-quality, caring environments for employees, students, and parents Invests in building relationships with employees and stakeholders Tools and tactics needed to Build a Culture Around Service: Use a grassroots approach with high performing staff to […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 2, Measure the Important Things

Measure the Important Things: Objectively assess the current status and track progress toward goals Identifies what the school district values Defines specific targets Determines aligned tools and processes Maintains responsibility to public spending by calculating return on dollars/time invested to outcomes Tools and tactics needed to Measure the Important Things: Focus outcomes on a well-balanced […]

The Nine Principles: Principle 1, Commit to Excellence

Commit to Excellence: Improve the bottom line while living out mission and values Creates service excellence so employees, students, and parents feel valued Merits a ranking for which any employee or parent recommends the school district to others Tools and tactics needed to Commit to Excellence: Define what success looks like and how it’s measured […]

Communicating Change: Start with Why

The way leaders communicate change influences how people work through the barriers of change. We have found that some of the leaders communicate change to others. Accountable leadership relies on executing strategic actions consistently and effectively. To do so, leaders cannot act alone; teams need to be brought along as well. The essence of leadership […]

Top 5 Barriers Getting in the Way of Your Execution

Execution is the must-have to achieve an organization’s desired goals. One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to work collectively with professionals to create a best-place-to-work environment. As leaders, we know that we and our direct reports- and certainly anyone taking the time to read Maximize Performance- want to execute well. As leaders, […]

3 Steps to Efficiently Execute Your Plan

Since execution is so critical to maximizing organizational and individual performance, leaders have to know what quality execution looks like. With execution, the key driver is accountability. It is important to realize that if we achieve accountability, the organization will also be consistent and reliable. In order to execute well, we need the right strategy […]

3 Easy Steps to Getting Results

Change for the sake of change is unlikely to work; it’s important to get the right structure and strategy. Even with the best structure and strategy, if we fail to execute with consistency and quality, we face a difficult path to excellence.

Execution of Leading Practices Paves Way to Culture of High Performance

“It’s not a matter of knowing what to do…it is the execution of how.” This is a quote from Quint …

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Executive #Leaders are Role Models

In a blog from our Studer Group archives on senior leader rounding, Quint Studer, the Founder of Studer Group, promotes …

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Model and Build a #Culture of Continuous Improvement to Unify

Continuous improvement is a cultural value that can UNIFY an organization states George Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente …

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5 Communication Mistakes to Avoid During Change

As a leader, you know that communication with employees during times of change is vitally important. Even though you might have the best intentions, when you are under pressure and employees are feeling anxious, it might be easy to get tripped up as the situation is evolving.

Emotional Intelligence Strategies for Leaders

Some of the best leaders are critical thinkers, creative problem solvers and natural prioritizers. Another trait that a great leader must have is emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, statistics show that as leaders “climb up the corporate ladder”, their emotional intelligence (EQ) often decreases. According to Forbes contributor and co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Travis Bradberry, EQ […]

Try this tip: Develop next steps.

Develop next steps. At the end of a meeting – with a team or with an individual, always identify next steps in behavioral terms. Using specific behaviors makes it easier to implement, and even easier to validate that the actions occurred. Key questions to answer include: What will you do? When will you do it? Who […]

Creating Leaders of Innovation

Traditional, direction-setting leadership can work well when the solution to a problem is known and straightforward. But if the problem calls for a truly original response, no one can decide in advance what that response should be. So the role of a leader of innovation is not to set a vision and motivate others to […]

Maximize Performance Inspires Dr. Dawn Wilson to Create a Culture of Excellence

In The Fifth Discipline Peter Senge writes a goal should be difficult enough that people know they have to change, which …

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Declare a Meeting’s Purpose

Great meetings create focus, clarity and decisions. How many meetings have we “enjoyed,” wondering why the group has gathered and what should come from the session? It’s important that we declare the purpose of a meeting before it happens. Dan Rockwell, our favorite Leadership Freak, says, “The most important work of the meeting happens before the […]

Ask Clarifying Questions

“Ask clarifying questions before you answer.” – wise words from Quint Studer, renowned leader and founder of the Studer Group. Clarification is a skill we use to ensure that we have understood the message of the speaker in an interpersonal exchange. When using clarification follow these guidelines to help aid communication and understanding. Admit if […]

Take Back Your Time with the Pareto Principle

According to the principle, 80% of our actions are daily routines and tasks that we can’t ignore, but they may not move us towards our goals. What matters is selecting the best activities for the 20% of our day that we reserve for strategic action; this 20% of our actions will lead to 80% of our results.

Practice Patience

Practice patience. Be prepared to coach and guide and wait and watch. Be ready for the moments when an initiative doesn’t go as planned and it’s time to re-start. Be patient with yourself and others. Tip source: http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/5077/like-a-boss-six-defining-characteristics-that-all-effective-leaders-have-in-common

No Such Thing as Overcommunication!

There is no such thing as overcommunication! “Healthy organizations are like Swiss cheese, with pathways for communication running up, down and sideways through them.” Tip Source: Forbes-What You Owe Your Employer, What Your Employer Owes You

Never Stop Reaching

Never stop reaching. “It is important that you don’t get busy with so many projects that you don’t give proper attention to any of your followers, but it is also important to never lose your passion for leadership and improvement.” Model how to be relentless for your team. Tip source: http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/5077/like-a-boss-six-defining-characteristics-that-all-effective-leaders-have-in-common

They See Opportunity in Instability and Uncertainty

They see opportunity in instability and uncertainty. Unexpected problems, unforeseen roadblocks, major crises… most bosses take down the sails, batten the hatches, and hope to wait out the storm. A few see a crisis as an opportunity. They know it’s extremely difficult to make major changes, even necessary ones, when things are going relatively smoothly. […]

Leadership Tip: Listen

To be a better listener, “start by actually caring what other people have to say”. Think about: what can I learn from this person? What does this speaker need? Be active in your listening by trying to hear what’s underneath the words. Tip Source: http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/5077/like-a-boss-six-defining-characteristics-that-all-effective-leaders-have-in-common

The Challenge of Leadership

THE CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP: Competitiveness depends in great part on the ability to innovate. The perennial challenge, then, is to build an organization capable of innovating again and again. Tip Source: https://hbr.org/2014/06/collective-genius

Have a Sense of Humor

Have a sense of humor. Make fun of yourself, go ahead! Some moments require gravitas, but most could be lightened up with a laugh or two. As a leader, you’ll often have to make safe space for fun; it’s worth it. Tip Source: http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/5077/like-a-boss-six-defining-characteristics-that-all-effective-leaders-have-in-common

The Approach to Leadership

THE APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP: Fostering willingness means creating communities that have both a sense of purpose and shared values and rules of engagement that are designed to encourage collaboration, discovery-driven learning, and integrative decision making. Fostering ability requires developing three organizational capabilities: creative abrasion, creative agility, and creative resolution.   Tip source: https://hbr.org/2014/06/collective-genius

5 Factors of High Performing Organizations

If someone could share with you the key elements driving high-performance in organizations, would you study it and then run with …

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Go the Extra Mile!

Go the extra mile. Does it sound like too much? That may be what it takes to conquer an obstacle in your way. Do what others would do and then add 10%; employees trust leaders who leave it all on the field. Tip Source: http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/5077/like-a-boss-six-defining-characteristics-that-all-effective-leaders-have-in-common

Successful Leaders Communicate Survey Feedback

In education, we administer an engagement survey to employees that measures the extent to which leaders provide an environment that …

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Validation: Are “Always Behaviors” Producing Expected Results?

So, we’ve set goals, determined the aligned strategic actions, and provided the development and coaching needed to support leaders to …

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Focus on Can, Not Can’t

What is constant in education? The first and most obvious value is passion. The primary concern of education professionals and parents …

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Purposefully Create Functional Teams

Few if any leaders wake up in the morning saying “I’m going to create a really dysfunctional leadership team this week.” But how many of us are purposeful in creating cohesive and effective leadership teams? In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni identifies a hierarchy of problems inherent in many teams that will […]

Be Deliberate

So my tip today, for executing more effectively, is to be deliberate. Here at Studer Education, our leaders recommended a new approach to the traditional New Years resolution — pick a single word to guide your living in 2015. My word is deliberate. In 2015, I aim to be more deliberate in my actions, instead of letting myself get harried, hurried, bent-out-of-shape, or distracted from my goals.

Be the Change You Wish to See in Your Organization

As leaders, it is important that we model dedication, humility, self-awareness, vulnerability, and an openness to transparent accountability. How can we provide a concrete example of the change we wish to see in our organizations?

Fail Fast

As leaders, we must face the fear of failure and move forward. Don’t let your desire for perfection prevent you from accomplishing great things for yourself, your students, employees, and communities.

Embrace Dissonance

Dr. JoAnn Sternke, Superintendent of the Baldrige-winning Pewaukee School District (WI), shared this week’s tip with leaders at our What’s Right in Education event in August. It’s especially relevant to me today, as I’m spending time with emerging leaders who work at KIPP Jacksonville Schools (FL).

Got Message Optimization? Define Strategic Actions

One of Shakespeare’s most famous quotes is one short line that “encapsulates the central struggle and tragedy of the play …

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Connect to Purpose

A key phrase for our Studer Education team is “Connect to Purpose.” We mean, remember why we are here. Connect to the reason we work hard, every day, to make education a better place for students, families, employees, educators, and leaders. It’s important that all leaders connect to their purpose, especially when our challenges seem insurmountable.

Managing Your Emotional Agility

Whenever we choose to lead, the pounding waves of emotion, buffeting us from all directions, can make staying “on an even keel” a challenge. Angry colleagues, frightened students, changing demands and day-to-day frustrations can make leaders feel like they’re riding a roller-coaster of feelings.

State Your Expectations Clearly

Recently our leadership coaches enjoyed a great, self-reflective discussion with the Cabinet and Lead Principals of the Chippewa Falls Area School District(WI). After reviewing results from a Studer Education Straight A Leadership Assessment and a Baldrige Quality Self-Assessment, we analyzed why different district leaders perceived their responsibilities, employees’ engagement, parents’ satisfaction, and the overall success of […]

Don’t Waste Time

While the title of this post sounds trite, its true meaning comes from the Harvard Graduate School of Education‘s Dean James Ryan and his 2014 Commencement Speech. As leaders, we continually seek better efficiencies, time management techniques, and tips and tricks to make our days more productive. However, Dean Ryan meant something different –– and […]

Apply Your Data as Feedback

Remember that feedback is not the same thing as ‘data’. Data is just raw information about how we are performing, like ‘92’ or ‘C-‘. Feedback is the insight we derive from the analysis of the data, which answers three questions: what part(s) of this do I already know; what part(s) am I still missing; and, […]

Make Recognition the Reward

Respect, recognition, and belonging. According to Michael Stallard, CEO Advisor at Fox Business, these are the first three of Six Needs to Thrive at Work. For leaders, inadequate resources or limited time can seem like barriers to hardwiring reward and recognition into our organization culture. If we make recognition the reward, we can efficiently and […]

Strategically Select Your Focus

Selecting your focus sounds intuitive, but it’s no easy feat. Nick Tasler’s newest Harvard Business Review blog, “Three Myths that Kill Strategic Planning,” reminds us that strategic thinking is harder than simply listing all the important goals that an organization aspires to attain. He suggests that selecting which goals to focus on and which actions will contribute most effectively […]

Executive Role Models

In his May 2013 blog on senior leader rounding, Quint Studer promotes that the chief executive needs to “round” on senior leaders the same way she wants leaders to round on their direct reports. Effective leader rounding occurs when leaders personally connect with employees to 1) show care and concern for a person; 2) gather […]

U-N-I-F-Y

Continuous improvement is a cultural value that can UNIFY an organization states George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente (Harvard Business Review, July 2013). From his experience he finds leaders must create a work environment reinforcing continuous improvement which means creating a place where people 1. see how small improvements add up to making big differences […]

Beginning a Conversation on Leadership

I look forward to connecting with leaders to engage in a discussion focused on hardwiring leadership practices that create viable and successful organizations.

EP332: Amplify Student Voice

How can school districts prioritize amplifying student voice? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she explores the impact of student feedback with Dr. Candace Pelt-Perez, Superintendent of Central Linn School District, and Celeste Van Cleave, District [...]

Studer Education Partners at Carnegie Summit 2024

The Carnegie Foundation is a pioneer in education improvement science. Each year, our coaches and partners join thought leaders and difference makers at the Carnegie Summit to share discoveries, success stories, and advancements in practices of excellence.

EP331: Plan and Execute for Organizational Excellence

It’s one thing to create a strategic plan, but it’s another altogether to execute it with precision. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she speaks with Superintendent Brian Sica of Banks School District to hear how he initiated the strategic planning [...]

EP328: Provide Excellent Service

Service excellence is a cornerstone of thriving organizations. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she revisits past episodes with Donna Kirby, Vice President of Experience at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, to hear how she’s created a culture of service excellence within her team.

EP327: Unleash Potential Through Constructive Feedback

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, wraps up her deep dive into mastering the art of constructive feedback. Joining her on this episode is Jon Malone, the Director and CEO of the Northwestern Illinois Association, to discuss the use of the three to one ratio in [...]

EP326: Master the Art of Feedback

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, continues the conversation from last week about the pivotal role of feedback in achieving important people outcomes within organizations. Joining her is Dr. KK Owen, a leader coach at Studer Education, to explore effective tactics [...]

EP324: Practice Goodwill Intentionally

What is goodwill, and how do we know if we’re practicing it? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she guides us through the journey of measuring our own personal goodwill and explains how we can radiate it to others, even during the busiest season of the year.

EP323: Spur Success with Audacious Goals

How can leaders use Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs) as a strategic tool to achieve successful outcomes? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher for the latest episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast where she defines what a BHAG is and urges organizations to set such long-term goals guided by [...]

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