Accelerate Your Performance

We all face adversity from time to time at work. Maybe we don't achieve the goals we had hoped to. Perhaps an unexpected challenge keeps us from making the progress we wanted to. It's these times when our inner drive must keep us going. Our inner drive helps infuse us with a sense of purpose in our work and brings meaning to it. It brings an urgency to stay committed to doing our best every day, to keep going when things get tough, and not take the easy way out. Our drive will get us through most anything. Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher shares tips for fanning the flame of our inner drive. 

This episode addresses questions, such as

• What are some characteristics of leaders with inner drive?
• How do leaders with a strong inner drive approach challenges?
• What does it take to have the drive to push through adversity and move to the other side?

Recommended Resources: Urgency to Drive Progress, Lead Your Work, Urgency to Drive Change, & False vs Real Urgency: Leadership Challenge

Can implementing health and wellness practices positively impact leadership and the performance of an organization overall? According to Krystal Lomanto, County Superintendent of San Bonito County Office of Education, developing and supporting the health and wellness of employees can not only impact leadership and the performance of an organization, but it is imperative to leaders in leading the organization. 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.

This episode addresses questions, such as

• Why is health and wellness important to the culture and performance of an organization?
• What are some tactics and exercises that help implement health and wellness practices in the workplace?
• How can health and wellness promote a healthier work/life balance?

Recommended Resources: The Greater Good Science Organization, Happiness Calendar, Expressing Gratitude, & Leading With Vulnerability

Each day we are faced with our own battles and wars that we must push through, whether that be in the workplace, at home, in our own minds, figuratively, or literally. As many people know, there is a current battle being waged in Ukraine, and while we frequently hear about it on the news and from those around us, life still must go on. But how does it continue for some of the individuals who are very close and even part of the war itself? In this episode, Max Bobbit talks about both his time as a TeacherReady student and how he is currently housing 3 refugees from Ukraine. Our podcast producer, Mary Stackhouse Consoli caught up with Max to hear his and his wife's story on welcoming a Ukranian mother and her daughters into their home during this difficult time. Listen as he shares about the challenges and opportunities, as well as how he's grown through this experience. Max recently raised $5000 to help the Ukrainian mother and her daughters get essentials and school supplies. While he is not requesting any additional funds, he has given us permission to share his PayPal handle, @maxrosser, where additional donations for the mother and daughters can be made in case any of our listeners feel led to give.

Recommended Resources:
What Can Connect to Purpose Sound Like?, How Resilient Are You?, Finding Purpose at Work, & The Best Gift We Can Give

Have you ever positioned yourself in a positive light while delivering difficult news or information at the expense of another colleague or department? Has a coworker ever done this to you? Placing blame in the workplace can subconsciously erode the organization’s culture. It can create lose-lose scenarios for all the individuals involved. However, when modeling positive and respectful communication instead of placing blame, you can set an example and expectation for how to interact in your organization. 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, and she explains how this can help reinforce a positive culture and help you be your best at work.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• How can we/they statements promote placing blame in the workplace and harm the workplace culture, and how do I steer away from that form of communication?
• Why is it important to focus on factors I can control and ways I can assist others instead of placing blame?
• What responses can I give without using we/they communication?

Recommended Resources: Eliminate We/They, Replace We/They With Ownership And Practice, Be an Owner, & Why It's Important to be an Owner of Your Work

Joining us in today's episode, we have two superintendents representing two different school districts in the same county. The way these school systems partner together to help serve children is an example of the power of collaboration and mutual support. They are models in terms of how they collaborate and work for the community, and as you will see from this episode, they truly make decisions in the best interests of the students and the families they serve. 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.

This episode addresses questions, such as

• What does it take to build a collaborative relationship with a leader outside of the organization?
• What are some examples of ways leaders can partner together for the good of the community?
• How can leaders maintain and nurture a collaborative working relationship with another leader or group outside of their organization?

Recommended Resources: Collective Willpower to Succeed, Build Strong Board Relationships, Cultivate a Can Do Culture, & Organizational Feedback Loop

Learn how gratitude can transform the culture of your organization. Tune in as Dr. Janet Pilcher provides three concrete steps to integrate gratitude into your daily operations, creating a workplace where your team feels valued and deeply connected.

Recommended Resources: Make Recognition a Habit, Building an Emotional Bank Account, Give the Simple Gifts

Have you ever worked with someone who did the minimum just to get by? Maybe you've even heard someone say "That's not my job." These are examples of people not owning the work. To be our best at work, we must be owners of our work. When we own our work, it builds confidence, and it positively impacts our colleagues as well. 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.

This episode addresses questions, such as

• What is something that those who own their work continuously focus on?
• How does it impact the organization and our colleagues when we do not own our work?
• What should we avoid if we want to be owners of our work? 

Recommended Resources: Be An Owner, Collective Willpower To Succeed, Victim Thinking, & Ownership Of Organizational Goals 

How can we do better?  That is the question that drives a culture of continuous improvement. It involves listening to people and taking an authentic look at the data on how the organization is performing. It involves accountability in measuring the important things an organization values. That's how our guest in this episode puts it as he speaks about his journey to building a culture of continuous improvement in his school district. 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. Listen as he also shares about his district's close relationship with their union and key strategies he uses to keep everyone on the same page and moving in the right direction.

This episode addresses questions, such as

• What actions can leaders who work with unions take to strengthen the relationship and promote unity?
• Why is it vital for leaders to focus on the present, and how can they ground themselves there amid change and uncertainty?
• What are some of the most important things communities need from school districts and education systems at this moment in time?

Recommended Resources:Collective Willpower to Succeed, How Focus Leads to Results, Make the Big Time Where You Are, & Schools Cannot Do It Alone

Do you ever feel reluctant to give the people you lead big challenges? How do you know when it's time to push an employee out of the nest to allow them to grow as a leader? When we step back, we can give our people a chance to problem solve, shine, and build a sense of ownership. In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares powerful leadership lessons from a former park ranger. Listen as she 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."

This episode addresses questions, such as

• Why should I challenge my people with tough opportunities?
• When looking at obstacles, what should leaders be wary of?
• Why should leaders be able to lead with "the bare minimum"?

Recommended Resources:  High Level Scenario Thinking, If-Then, Cultivating a Culture of Resilience, & After Action Review Process

Clarity in focus is critical for organizations to stay on track in challenging times. As you'll see, our guests today are shining examples of staying the course amid uncertainty and change. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Thompson and Jeff Petersen from Muskego-Norway Schools in Muskego, Wisconsin join us. Kelly serves as Superintendent in the district, and Jeff serves as Assistant Superintendent of Continuous Improvement. Muskego-Norway Schools has consistently improved in parent satisfaction and employee engagement, despite the pandemic. In today's conversation, they discuss what has enabled this success. They also share how they have addressed substitute and staffing challenges this school year as well as how they've grown a culture of meaningfulness for employees.

This episode addresses questions, such as

• How can I maintain focus in difficult times?
• What actions can I take to model enthusiasm for my work?
• How can I create a culture of meaningfulness where employees feel engaged and a sense of purpose in their work?

Recommended Resources:  Creating a Culture of Resilience, Communicate Effectively Using the Execution Triangle, Cascading the Building Blocks of Service Excellence, & Cascading Communication