Leaning into Leadership

Yes, that is right. It is Masters week at Augusta National and right here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast.

We have all worked around those master leaders, the ones who seem to do amazing things with very little effort (or so it seems). In this episode I will pay tribute to three master leaders I've worked with over the course of my career and share how I tried to add those traits into my leadership bag.

Just like the true master golfers, veteran leaders have a knack for knowing when to be aggressive and when to lay up short, playing the hole more cautiously. When you've played the course repeatedly, you've been there and done that. This adds a level of knowledge that younger players learn from experiences and from watching how the masters perform. If you're a golf fan, this episode won't have enough golf references for you. If you aren't a golf fan, don't worry I kept the golf lingo to a minimum. Enjoy...

Now is the time! Leadership teams are being reorganized across the US this spring. New members will be replacing members who are retiring or moving on to another role. New administrators will be leaping out of the classroom and into leadership for the very first time. Let's be INTENTIONAL with the development of our leadership teams for next year.

High Performance Leadership Teams is designed to align each member of the new leadership team, to dig deep into the core values of the team, and to ultimately identify and plan the goals for the upcoming year. I would love to work with you and your team to help you achieve that High Performance that you are looking for, that your school and district deserve. Let's connect - email me at [email protected] or call me at (307) 371-8947. It costs you nothing to have a conversation.

Professional development with Road to Awesome is just a click away. Connect with us at roadtoawesome.net for leadership coaching and consulting, the High Performance Leadership Teams event, staff culture and climate professional development, and keynote and event/school kick-off speaking. Darrin will make your event awesome and have your team ready to roll on the #RoadToAwesome

email Darrin at [email protected]

subscribe to our newsletter at roadtoawesome.net

Got a book idea you'd like to pitch to the team at RtA? Go to https://roadtoawesome.net/our-services to submit your idea.

Final thought for this set of show notes - folks, as educators we are changing the world and we do that one conversation at a time.

Follow me on social media at @DarrinMPeppard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Alignable, and LinkedIn

An educator for 34 years, is the founder of the G.O.A.L. TEAM (Getting Others to Achieve Higher Levels). The G.O.A.L. TEAM, was created for helping high school students and young adults to maximize their personal leadership potential.

  Jeff, a former Texas High School Head Football Coach and eleven-year veteran of the classroom, is also formerly the Principal at Magnolia High School (2002-2016). In 2013 Jeff was selected as the State of Texas TASSP State Principal of the year. Besides founding Spring Strategies LLC, that provides educational executive coaching, Jeff also serves part time as the Minister of Men at Wildwood UMC, is a University Student Teacher Supervisor, and is also the founder of Suit Up Ministries, a nonprofit men’s ministry.

Jeff attended Abilene Christian University where he played on the 1977 National Championship Football team, received his Bachelor of Arts in Teaching from Sam Houston State University, and obtained his Masters of Sports Administration from the United States Sports Academy. In the spring of 2020, Jeff completed his Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Transformational Leadership from Concordia University.

Jeff is passionate about people and “play.” Developing others and helping them see their value and completeness is what drives Jeff in all his relationships. Jeff loves being a husband, dad, and a grandfather. He is always seeking for ways to acknowledge men that strive to be the daily active devoted dads they are called to be. 

 Jeff who resides in Montgomery, Texas, has been married for 40 years and has two children, and three grandchildren.

Professional development with Road to Awesome is just a click away. Connect with us at roadtoawesome.net for leadership coaching and consulting, the High Performance Leadership Teams event, staff culture and climate professional development, and keynote and event/school kick-off speaking. Darrin will make your event awesome and have your team ready to roll on the #RoadToAwesome

email Darrin at [email protected]

subscribe to our newsletter at roadtoawesome.net

Got a book idea you'd like to pitch to the team at RtA? Go to https://roadtoawesome.net/our-services to submit your idea.

Leadership can be a lonely business. They say you should be one with, not one OF the team. Leaders have so much pressure on them and it can be so difficult to navigate the journey on your own, especially as a new leader. I know, I have the battle scars to prove it. I spent the better part of my first two years as a building principal breathing through a snorkel (or actually drowning).

In this week's episode, I dive into the lonely life of the new leader. More importantly, I hit the two most important things I did to rescue myself from myself. Along the way, I will tell you the story of a few struggles and how I came to the realization that I needed help. That help came in the form of a leadership coach and in a two-day retreat with my new team that completely changed me.

This, honestly, is why I do the work I now do. I'm not some hustler trying to score big as an entrepreneur. Rather, I'm a guy who had the struggles and wants to help anyone who experiences anything similar.

Reach out to me via email at [email protected]

Go to our website roadtoawesome.net and sign up for our amazing weekly newsletter

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Twitter: @DarrinMPeppard

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Based on what transpired in a few short moments in early 2006, Coach Jim Johnson is now an authority on the subject of realizing your dreams. In his many public-speaking appearances, the Rochester, New York resident relates his role in a basketball game that got Hollywood calling. He also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, delivering his talks with a heartfelt style that has brought audiences to their feet.

Coach Johnson has developed winning high-school basketball teams for 30 years, taking over three losing varsity programs and turning them into winners in short periods of time. Of his 428 career victories, one in particular will surely never be duplicated.

On Feb. 15, 2006, Coach Johnson made the kindhearted gesture of inserting his autistic manager, Jason McElwain, now known to the world as J-Mac into Greece Athena High School’s final home game, which the Trojans won 79-43. J-Mac scored 20 points in just over four minutes, including six three-point baskets, to become an instant national celebrity. Coach Johnson, also, was featured in major news outlets around the country. (check out the ESPN story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-nMab6XDNI&t=20s)

To make the Hollywood ending complete, Greece Athena captured the first Section V title of Coach Johnson’s career a few weeks later. For more, visit https://coachjimjohnson.com/

Follow Coach Johnson on social media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachJimJohnson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachjimjohnson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjimjohnson/

Content via: coachjimjohnson.com

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Professional development planning season is upon us! I'd love to work with you and your school or district to support and grow your leaders and to bring energy and passion to your staff and students. Dates are beginning to fill up for this summer and early fall. Connect with me at [email protected] and learn more at roadtoawesome.net

Follow Darrin on social media @DarrinMPeppard on Twitter, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and on Facebook. Check out Darrin's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSqwcmCOMCFGehJTUlmC3Q

Today's episode takes us back to the roots of the podcast. Yes, a solo episode has returned to the lineup and I'm talking about intentional leadership.

Through this episode, I recap our episodes 4-8, each of which had a guest and a common theme of being intentional about something in their leadership. From Alex Carter (ep 4) we were reminded to simplify and focus, something that brought me back to work done during the change of instructional leadership that was critical to our school and district's successes. Zandra Galvan (ep 5) shared intentional backward design in the experience every student has in Greenfield School District (CA). Wade Stanford from Westwood ISD (TX) shared his intentional work around moving from silos to collaboration (ep 6), while Eric Lillis talked about leading from a relationship-focused perspective in episode 7. Finally, Robert Breyer shared with us the intentional work needed to set ourselves up for success at the interview table when Taking the Leap into school administration.

Now is the time! Leadership teams are being reorganized across the US this spring. New members will be replacing members who are retiring or moving on to another role. New administrators will be leaping out of the classroom and into leadership for the very first time. Let's be INTENTIONAL with the development of our leadership teams for next year.

High Performance Leadership Teams is designed to align each member of the new leadership team, to dig deep into the core values of the team, and to ultimately identify and plan the goals for the upcoming year. I would love to work with you and your team to help you achieve that High Performance that you are looking for, that your school and district deserve. Let's connect - email me at [email protected] or call me at (307) 371-8947. It costs you nothing to have a conversation.

Final thought for this set of show notes - folks, as educators we are changing the world and we do that one conversation at a time.

Follow me on social media at @DarrinMPeppard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Alignable, and LinkedIn

Robert Breyer resides in Broadway, NC with his wife and their four children. He serves as an elementary school principal for the past 5 years and an assistant principal at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels for the 5 years before that. He is a graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA where he received his Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education. Later he received his Master’s of School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

When Robert made the transition from classroom teacher to a school administrator, he made a promise to himself and the teachers, students, and parents with whom he would interact on a daily basis. That promise was to go beyond the desk and to become an active school leader who would engage with the school community both inside and outside of the building. To

accomplish that, he drew upon his pre-service experience in leading teams in the private sector and his principal preparation program with the Sandhills Leadership Academy. Both of these experiences helped to shape his philosophy that leading and managing are two completely different mentalities and that for him, he would choose to be a transformative leader who works alongside his staff to implement positive changes.

Robert continues to lead in schools, and also makes time to coach aspiring leaders who are looking to make the transition from teacher to administration. He is also the host of The Guiding Principals Podcast, where he allows visionary school leaders to share the story of their own leadership journey, and celebrates their success, in the hopes it will inspire future school leaders.

To learn more about Robert Breyer and his work with aspiring leaders. You can purchase his book on his website (rbleads.net), on roadtoawesome.net/books or on Amazon.com. Connect with Robert on Facebook and on LinkedIn.

Check out High Performance Leadership Teams - a 2 day intensive leadership workshop designed to take leadership teams to the next level. High Performance Leadership increases team efficiency enhances production, and sharpens focus through a focus on 5 keys to building an awesome leadership team:

• Clarity of value, mission, and goals

• Knowing the house (strengths, fit, leveraging each other)

• Getting work done (workflow and sandboxes)

• Team dynamics (trust, delegation, and communication)

• Continuous evolution (celebration, learning, growing)

We want to work with your leadership team to get them on the Road to Awesome. Connect with us today by sending an email to [email protected] or send a direct message on Twitter to @DarrinMPeppard.

Episode 7 features Eric Lillis. Eric is the Executive Director of the Kingman Academy of Learning. He is in his 29th year as an educator and is one of the very best in the business. Eric leads from his heart and truly cares about everyone he serves. You'll hear that very clearly in this podcast. You'll also learn a term that was new to me, grace swagger. It's worth tuning in to find out more.

You can connect with Eric through the following means:

Social Media handles: facebook.com/elillis

Twitter - @kaollillis88

Instagram - @ericlillis

Email/contact info: [email protected], (928) 716-3168 (Cell)

Check out High Performance Leadership Teams - a 2 day intensive leadership workshop designed to take leadership teams to the next level. High Performance Leadership increases team efficiency enhances production, and sharpens focus through a focus on 5 keys to building an awesome leadership team:

• Clarity of value, mission, and goals

• Knowing the house (strengths, fit, leveraging each other)

• Getting work done (workflow and sandboxes)

• Team dynamics (trust, delegation, and communication)

• Continuous evolution (celebration, learning, growing)

We want to work with your leadership team to get them on the Road to Awesome. Connect with us today by sending an email to [email protected] or send a direct message on Twitter to @DarrinMPeppard.

Follow the show on YouTube now at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSqwcmCOMCFGehJTUlmC3Q

Wade Stanford is the Superintendent of Westwood ISD in Palestine, TX. Wade and I sat down for a conversation about leadership, and what a conversation it was!! In this episode, we share some of our common background, passions for leadership, as well as some amazing accomplishments Westwood ISD has achieved under Wade's leadership.

Connect with Wade on Twitter @wadestanford on LinkedIn @Wade Stanford or contact him via email: [email protected]

High Performance Leadership Teams: Leadership teams need to work with each other toward a common goal. But how do truly High Performance Leadership Teams get there? Through intentional work, outside expertise, and an understanding of what makes each member truly unique. High Performance Leadership Teams from Road to Awesome is an intensive, two-day leadership development workshop geared toward, and customized for, maximizing the work of your leadership team. Because professional development for leaders should be about leadership.

Let’s talk about getting YOUR team on their #roadtoawesome - learn more at https://roadtoawesome.net/high-performance-teams or email me at [email protected]

Open Road Results Coaching with Darrin & Dr. Brandon Beck: Expert advice, guidance, and insight from Dr. Beck and Dr. Peppard will help unlock the unlimited potential within you and move you toward the goals you have in your personal or professional life. Each 30 minute session includes reflection, focusing forward, and action steps to ensure you are on the road to awesome. You’ll also have an all-access pass to connect with Darrin and Brandon through text message for those times that get extra challenging and you need your coach in your corner. This intensive coaching program will have you meeting on Zoom with Darrin and/or Brandon at a frequency you choose. Want to start slow, meet one time per month. Want to speed it up, sign up for two meetings per month. If you’re ready to put the pedal to the metal on your success journey, sign up for weekly coaching.

For more information, go to https://roadtoawesome.net/uup%2Brta or email me at [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter @DarrinMPeppard and @_RoadToAwesome_

New from Road to Awesome, it's High Performance Leadership - a 2 day intensive leadership workshop designed to take leadership teams to the next level. High Performance Leadership increases team efficiency enhances production, and sharpens focus through a focus on 5 keys to building an awesome leadership team:

• Clarity of value, mission, and goals
• Knowing the house (strengths, fit, leveraging each other)
• Getting work done (workflow and sandboxes)
• Team dynamics (trust, delegation, and communication)
• Continuous evolution (celebration, learning, growing)

We want to work with your leadership team to get them on the Road to Awesome. Connect with us today by sending an email to [email protected] or send a direct message on Twitter to @DarrinMPeppard.

My guest on this episode is Zandra Jo Galvan. Zandra is the Superintendent of Greenfield Union School District and current CALSA President (California Assoc. of Latinx Sups & Admin). She has an amazing origin story and a true passion for making a difference in the lives of kids. She can be found on social media at: Twitter (@zjgalvan) & LinkedIn (Zandra Jo Galván).

Zandra speaks to 'putting possible in the universe' as the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and ensuring students know they all have an opportunity to achieve at high levels. Her work in intentionally backward-mapping the experience every student has in Greenfield Union School District is truly inspiring and a model of exceptional leadership.

The #PepTalk this week builds right from the phrase 'putting possible in the universe' and serves as a reminder that we, as adults, must never doubt or discount the potential that exists in each and every one of our students.

Have a #RoadToAwesome week everyone!! (now on TikTok as DarrinMPeppard)

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alex Carter to talk about leadership in challenging times. Alex brings his energy and inspiration to Leaning into Leadership. Among the great things you will hear from Alex are thoughts around simplifying and focusing to lead for impact. Below is Alex's bio and contact information.

Alex Carter joined the CEI team in 2016. Alex leads the field implementation team to support districts, schools, and educators in their work to accelerate educational improvement and innovation across Colorado. Before joining CEI, Alex enjoyed an exciting twenty-year career as a public school educator. Alex served as the superintendent of schools for Montezuma-Cortez School District in Southwest Colorado. Before that, he was the principal of Telluride High School, a principal and assistant principal in two high schools in Northern Virginia, and taught history as a high school teacher. In 2003, Alex’s work as a classroom teacher was recognized with a National Milken Educator Award. Originally from Woodbridge, Virginia, Alex holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Walden University, a master’s degree in public school administration from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from James Madison University. Contact Alex at [email protected]

Follow Alex on social media on Twitter @ABC_EDD Instagram: AlexCEICarter and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alex-carter-edd/

Want to work with Darrin? Contact me at [email protected]

Follow us on social media on all platforms via @DarrinMPeppard