What’s better than “failing fast and failing often”? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she explores how reframing this phrase with positive language shifts the focus from failure to growth—exactly where it belongs in education.

It’s crucial for leaders to build strong relationships with their employees through genuine communication, tailored support, and consistent feedback. By understanding and addressing each employee’s performance level, leaders can foster trust, boost retention, and improve overall organizational success.

Hardwiring systems is non-negotiable. If we want to take calculated risks, we need stable foundations and reliable processes to weather disruptions. Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher defines what it means to hardwire excellence in education.

What would a school look like if all faculty and support staff regularly met to discuss student successes and challenges? It would look exactly like Mountainside Success Academy in El Dorado County Office of Education.

How can you create departments that people want to work in? Amy Andersen and Meghan McAndrews, both operational leaders in El Dorado County Office of Education, join Dr. Janet Pilcher to share about their improvement work in human resources and transportation.

Throughout the summer, Dr. Janet Pilcher has had the privilege of interviewing exceptional leaders and teachers from educational organizations across the country. Join her as she reflects on how these individuals demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence through their relentless focus on continuous improvement.

What can you achieve when you collaborate with students to identify their learning barriers and make a plan to overcome them? According to Kristen Anderson, Director of Instructional Development, and Cheyenne Roberts, Teaching and Learning Specialist, the answer is collective efficacy.

Explore how the Oxford School District successfully aligned all schools with a system of collaboration. The district’s strategic focus on continuous improvement began by working with Studer Education to build a unified, excellence-driven system. Oxford’s strategic planning, scorecards, and collaboration bridged achievement gaps and boosted student success.

As Dr. Christi Barrett from Hemet Unified School District reminds us in this episode, “Hope is not a plan.” For meaningful improvement to occur, she emphasizes that leaders must use hope to fuel intentional actions.

Creating a learning environment modeled on a healthy family unit might sound unconventional, but at Child Development Centers of Erie, Pennsylvania, it works.

Can you believe we’ve reached episode 350? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher in celebrating this milestone as she expresses her heartfelt gratitude to you. And be inspired as she shares her own note of appreciation for you.

Explore this case study to see how the Campbell Union School District confronted challenges head-on by developing and empowering leaders to collaborate amidst district disruptions. Learn about the continuous improvement tools they used for intentional collaboration and strategic leadership development, paving the way for future staff members to build upon existing work and make a difference in the lives of students and colleagues.

Good leaders listen humbly, and as Dr. Janet Pilcher often says, they pay ridiculous attention to details. Join Janet and Dr. Kraig Sproles, Superintendent of Bethel School District, as they explore the intersection of analytical and interpersonal approaches in their leadership practices.

How do leaders stay true to their values during challenging times? And how do they respond to critical incidents and make tough decisions? Listen and learn with Dr. Janet Pilcher and Dr. Pat Greco as they continue their reflection conversation from last week and answer these questions and more.

What is impactful leadership? According to Dr. Janet Pilcher and returning guest, Dr. Pat Greco, it’s all about making a difference, having a clear purpose, and creating meaningful and positive experiences for those they lead and serve.

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher for a special conversation with Dr. Chris Hartley, Deputy Executive Director at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. Together they discuss the evolving educational priorities from both state and national perspectives.

Each year, the Destination High Performance conference unites exceptional higher education leaders from across the nation to share innovative solutions to practical challenges. At DHP Higher Education, we honor these passionate leaders with the Difference Maker Award, celebrating those who significantly impact students, employees, and communities. This prestigious award highlights individuals dedicated to advancing education in remarkable ways.

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.

What’s more important than accountability? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Superintendent Bradley Roberson from the Oxford School District, who emphasizes the importance of focusing on daily actions that truly make a difference.

Campbell Union School District’s leaders and teachers were seeing a significant increase in the number of younger students showing up to school with a lack of school readiness skills. This caused disruptions to the classroom and teachers and staff felt underprepared to address these new students’ academic and emotional needs.
Something had to be adjusted, and quickly, before the achievement gap became larger and more challenging to close. Download this case study to learn how the district successfully prepared for new challenges and an influx of younger students.

What learning gains can students make when their teachers and leaders are practicing a growth mindset? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher along with Principal Patches Calhoun and teacher Ms. LaTonya Smith from Oxford, MS as they discuss what it takes to create an inspiring workplace where mindset matters and students achieve phenomenal outcomes.

It may be the start of the summer, but it’s prime planning time for educational leaders. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she explores three ways to think about building inspiring workplaces for our staff and inspiring classrooms for our students for the upcoming school year.

Dr. Michael Barnes, Superintendent of Mayfield City Schools in Ohio, shares insights on building trust, redefining success, and implementing innovative education practices for lasting impact at What’s Right in Education.

By embracing core processes that consider and address the individual needs of staff, school districts can help alleviate shortages and improve retention. Discover more in Dr. Pat Greco’s latest article in the AASA School Administrator Magazine.

How can school districts effectively cascade, communicate, and execute strategic plans? Superintendent Todd Antony and Principal Jared Schaffner from the School District of Onalaska describe how clarity and alignment in strategic plans fosters engagement across all levels.

What insights and lessons can be unpacked from the previous school year? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Charan Cline, Superintendent of Redmond School District, to hear how he utilizes reflective practice to identify both bright spots and challenges.

Purposefully pausing and reflecting paves the way for improvements and adjustments to be made in the upcoming school year. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Kathy Oropallo, a Leader Coach at Studer Education, to hear how she coaches her partners to evaluate the effectiveness of past strategies, celebrate wins, and address challenges.

School districts use scorecards as strategic tools to guide progress, align efforts, and drive continuous improvement. Discover how Hemet Unified and Burton School Districts employ scorecards to transform strategic priorities into dynamic roadmaps to achieve goals.

The end of the school year is packed with obligations and events, but making time to pause, reflect, and plan for the upcoming school year is essential for continued growth. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she advises leaders to pause and reflect on organizational results and the alignment and consistency of leadership practices.

To enhance school staff retention, initiate 30- and 90-day conversations with new hires. Implementing these practices, along with regular check-ins and supportive onboarding activities, cultivates a culture where employees feel valued and heard, ultimately bolstering retention and organizational success.

Learn how effective school leadership sparked community-wide transformation in Jefferson County, Alabama. Dr. Angela Bush shares how she spearheaded improvement at Erwin Middle School, hardwiring processes that catalyzed change beyond school walls.

Effective communication sets the tone for organizational culture in education, spanning from school district offices to classroom settings. Positive communication fosters a culture of trust, while negativity can lead to a blame-centric environment. Messenger mentality and ‘we/they’ culture undermines performance and trust within organizations.

This toolkit equips leaders and teams with practical resources for self-assessment, planning, and hosting inclusive conversations. Inclusive discussions prioritize understanding the topic’s purpose, creating a safe environment for authentic contributions, and valuing diverse perspectives.

What strategies can leaders use to navigate resistance to change and encourage employee buy-in? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she engages in a conversation with Mrs. Aubree Short, Principal of Los Tules Middle School in Tulare, California, to hear how surveys and rounding have proven to be pivotal tools in her journey toward school improvement.

Explore how education leaders in Alabama and California leverage data-driven decision-making to navigate disruption and drive student success in dynamic school environments from a recent Carnegie Summit Poster Session. Gain insights into effective strategies for informed leadership during challenging times.

Inviting input from high performers early and often in the change process is one of the major keys to managing resistance in organizations. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she welcomes Dr. Charlotte Boling, a Leader Coach at Studer Education, to share how she coaches her partners to proactively prepare employees for success throughout the change process. 

How can leaders support high performers through organizational change? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher to hear actionable strategies for managing resistance to change among top performers.

What is rounding like in action? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Deanna Ashby, Senior Director of Coaching at Studer Education, to hear about how rounding has positively impacted three of her partner districts in Kentucky. Listen also as Janet and DeDe role play an actual rounding conversation about DeDe’s experiences at the Kentucky School Board Association conference, providing a firsthand example of rounding.

Change is an inevitable force, presenting both challenges and opportunities for leaders and organizations alike. As education leaders navigate through the complexities of change, it’s imperative to understand the phases individuals undergo when confronted with change and how to effectively manage resistance.

How do we build great workplace cultures to keep exceptional employees on our team? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she explains how rounding is key to building environments where employees feel motivated and deeply connected to their work.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

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

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.

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

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

The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District leadership team approached their ailing culture with a shared sense of urgency to develop a healthy environment for students and all stakeholders. Wisely, the team started by requesting, receiving, and responding to feedback to build trust with disillusioned employees. Through their partnership with Studer Education, leaders built their mindset and skill set to accept honest, actionable feedback and use it 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Sustainable business partnerships are symbiotic in that each partner gives and receives something of perceived value to the other. When one perceives a decrease in the value of what they are receiving from the partnership, they may replace the partnership with one they believe to be more valuable. With this dynamic in mind, Northwestern Illinois Association embarked on a new journey to increase its value. These are the steps they took to create a culture of “unmistakable value”.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.”

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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 […]

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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? […]

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.

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.

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.

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, […]

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 […]