Leaning into Leadership

This month, we’ve been focused on one thing: building plans that don’t just sound good—but actually work.

In this episode, Darrin is joined by Kathleen Beckham, Molly Dexter, and Brandon Mawhorter from digiCOACH for a real, unscripted conversation about what it takes to build—and execute—a plan that improves classroom instruction.

This isn’t about theory.

It’s about what actually moves the needle.

Drawing from their experiences as educators, coaches, and system-level partners, Kathy, Molly, and Brandon share practical insights on focus, feedback, data, and the role of leadership presence in driving meaningful change.

• You can’t focus on everything
• The best leaders narrow their priorities to 1–2 key areas
• More than that creates noise and reduces impact
• Clarity beats generalities
• “Improve instruction” isn’t a plan
• Leaders must define what they expect to see in every classroom, every day
• Teacher voice matters
• Growth happens through partnership, not directives
• Collaboration builds buy-in and improves outcomes
• Presence is non-negotiable
• If you’re not in classrooms, your plan won’t move forward
• What gets calendared—and protected—gets done
• Data must lead to action
• Walkthroughs without follow-up don’t create change
• The real impact comes from coaching conversations and feedback cycles
• You don’t have to do it alone
• Outside partners bring perspective, accountability, and expertise
• Sometimes you need someone to pull you out of the weeds and back to the balcony

The best plans aren’t built on ambition alone.

They’re built on:

focus, intentional action, and consistent follow-through

And most importantly…

They’re built with people—not just for them.

Learn more about DigiCoach here

Sponsor Spotlight

This episode is sponsored by HeyTutor.

If improving student outcomes is part of your plan for next year, don’t wait until the fall to build your support systems.

HeyTutor provides high-dosage tutoring in Math and ELA—both in-person and online—while handling recruitment, training, and management of tutors.

Learn more at HeyTutor.com

Let’s Connect

If you’re working to turn your plan into real, actionable steps between now and August, Darrin can help.

Through coaching, leadership retreats, and team development, he supports leaders in building clarity, alignment, and momentum.

In this mid-week episode, Darrin steps away from long-range planning to focus on something just as powerful—small, intentional actions leaders can take right now.

With only weeks left in the school year, it’s easy to feel stuck in the daily grind. But meaningful leadership doesn’t require a new initiative or a perfect plan. It comes from clear priorities, consistent actions, and intentional choices.

In this episode, Darrin shares 10 practical leadership moves you can implement immediately to:

• Improve performance
• Strengthen culture
• Lead with greater clarity

These aren’t big strategies—they’re simple shifts that create real impact.

• Why clarity around your top priority changes everything
• How simple communication can reduce team anxiety
• The power of strength-based walkthroughs
• How to reclaim your time by eliminating what doesn’t matter
• A 5-minute coaching protocol that builds capacity across your team
• Why role clarity reduces chaos and increases momentum
• How small moments of follow-through build trust
• The importance of recognizing and reinforcing what you value
• How “balcony time” helps you break the Cycle of CHAOS
• Why saying “no” is essential to leading with intention

Leadership doesn’t change because of one big initiative.

It changes through small, consistent, intentional actions.

Sponsor Spotlight

This episode is sponsored by HeyTutor.

If improving student outcomes is part of your plan for next year, don’t wait until the fall to build your support systems.

HeyTutor provides high-dosage tutoring in Math and ELA—both in-person and online—while handling recruitment, training, and management of tutors.

Learn more at HeyTutor.com

Let’s Connect

If you’re working to turn your plan into real, actionable steps between now and August, Darrin can help.

Through coaching, leadership retreats, and team development, he supports leaders in building clarity, alignment, and momentum.

In Part 2 of this 3-part series on planning for the upcoming school year, Darrin shifts the focus from planning to preparation.

You already know what you want to accomplish next year—but what are you doing right now to make that success possible?

This episode challenges leaders to stop waiting for August and instead take intentional steps today that set the foundation for a strong start.

Preparation > Planning

Planning identifies the goal. Preparation makes success possible.

Ask yourself: What has to be true by August for this to work?

Start the Work Now

Don’t wait for a full rollout in the fall.

Begin building:

• Language
• Expectations
• Early reps
• So the work feels familiar—not new—when the year begins.

Take Inventory Before August

Use a protocol like Start, Stop, Continue, Consider to:

• Gather input from your team
• Surface what’s working (and what’s not)
• Create clarity and shared ownership

When people feel heard, they’re far more likely to commit.

Unpack the Backpack

Give your team the opportunity to:

• Let go of what’s no longer serving them
• Protect what’s working
• Avoid adding “one more thing” to an already full plate

Not every team is fully in place right now—and that’s okay.

Progress doesn’t stop just because people change.

You can still:

• Clarify core priorities and non-negotiables
• Document your direction
• Protect what’s already working
• Build clear onboarding into your vision and goals

Don’t wait for the perfect team—create clarity that any team member can step into.

Between now and August, your job is not to create more.

It’s to:

• Take action
• Gather input
• Create clarity
• Set conditions for success

So when the year begins, you’re not starting from scratch—you’re building on momentum.

This episode is sponsored by HeyTutor.

If improving student outcomes is part of your plan for next year, don’t wait until the fall to build your support systems.

HeyTutor provides high-dosage tutoring in Math and ELA—both in-person and online—while handling recruitment, training, and management of tutors.

Learn more at HeyTutor.com

If you’re working to turn your plan into real, actionable steps between now and August, Darrin can help.

Through coaching, leadership retreats, and team development, he supports leaders in building clarity, alignment, and momentum.

This week kicks off a three-part solo series focused on one critical question:

How do we actually plan for success in the coming school year?

April is a time when leaders are deep in planning—budgets, staffing, schedules, and resources are all coming together. But too often, we focus on what we’re going to do without fully thinking through how we set our teams up for success.

In this episode, Darrin challenges a common leadership assumption—that the work starts in August—and introduces a different way of thinking.

Because August isn’t the starting line.

It’s the reveal.

• Why so many leadership teams delay their real work until August
• The danger of treating the start of the school year as the starting point
• How lack of clarity shows up immediately when the year begins
• A powerful shift in thinking: “What must be true by August?”
• An introduction to backward mapping as a leadership strategy
• A simple exercise you can use right now to begin planning differently

Great leaders don’t wait for August to get started.

They use the time leading up to the school year to build clarity, align their teams, and create momentum—so when the year begins, they’re ready.

Pick one initiative or priority for next year and ask yourself:

What are three things that must be true by August for this to succeed?

Your answers will reveal exactly where your focus should be right now.

Next week, we tackle a real challenge many leaders face:

What do you do when your team is in transition and August really is when everyone comes together?

Even in times of change, there are steps you can take now to set yourself up for success.

Strong leadership requires focus—and that’s hard to maintain when leaders are pulled into operational work that can be handled by the right partners.

That’s why Darrin highlights the work of HeyTutor, a sponsor of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast.

HeyTutor provides:

• High-quality, evidence-based math and ELA tutoring
• Full program management (recruiting, training, scheduling)
• Clear data tracking through an easy-to-use dashboard

Their support helps leadership teams stay focused on what matters most—leading people and improving outcomes.

Learn more: heytutor.com

In this episode of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, Dr. Darrin Peppard takes on a challenge that quietly impacts even the strongest leadership teams: misalignment.

You can have talented, committed leaders who care deeply about their work—and still feel like something is off. Conversations feel unclear. Decisions take longer than they should. Initiatives pile up without traction.

That’s misalignment.

And while it may not be loud or obvious, it comes at a cost.

In this episode, Darrin breaks down:

• What misalignment really looks like in leadership teams
• The hidden costs, including decision fatigue, staff confusion, and lost time
• A personal leadership story that reshaped his understanding of alignment
• Why alignment doesn’t happen during the work—it must be built intentionally

Darrin also shares a practical tool you can use immediately with your team:

This simple protocol helps leadership teams:

• Identify what needs to be added
• Eliminate what’s no longer aligned
• Protect what’s working
• Think strategically about what’s next

Whether used in a leadership retreat or a focused team session, this process creates the clarity and shared direction teams need to move forward together.

Key takeaway:

Your team doesn’t need to work harder.

They need to work together—on the right things, in the right way.

• Blog: Start, Stop, Continue, Consider Protocol
• Connect with Darrin: [email protected]
• Learn more about leadership retreats and team development

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

This episode is also brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Brooke Dukes to explore a challenge that many leaders face—but often don’t recognize:

Becoming the bottleneck.

We talk about how this happens unintentionally, why it’s so common among high-performing leaders, and how it ultimately limits both team growth and organizational success.

Brooke brings a powerful perspective to this conversation. As the founder of Success by Design Club and creator of OZ, an AI-powered leadership coach, she has spent over two decades working with leaders at the highest levels—including Fortune 500 organizations—helping them break free from burnout and lead with clarity and confidence.

Together, we dig into the dangers of “superhero leadership,” the hidden cost of control, and why stepping in to help can actually hold your team back.

Most importantly, we explore what it really takes to shift—from being the center of every decision to building systems and structures that allow your team to step up and thrive.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stretched thin, or like everything depends on you… this conversation is for you.

1. How leaders unintentionally become the bottleneck
2. The danger of “superhero leadership”
3. Why helping can actually hurt your team
4. The role of systems in scaling leadership
5. How to build trust, clarity, and accountability
6. Why burnout is often a systems issue—not a personal failure

Brooke M. Dukes is the founder of the Success by Design Club and creator of OZ, an AI-powered leadership coach designed to help leaders grow without burning out.

With over 20 years of experience in executive leadership, sales, and consulting—including work as a Fortune 500 executive and global strategist—Brooke helps CEOs, founders, and visionaries build businesses that actually work for them.

Her work blends behavioral science, Human Design, and real-world strategy to restore clarity, confidence, and calm in leadership.

She is also the creator of the GRACe™ Communication Framework and Culture Compass™ Diagnostic, a #1 best-selling author, host of the Burn On, Not Out podcast, and a sought-after speaker known for her honest and heart-forward approach.

1. Website: brookmdukes.com
2. Podcast: Burn On, Not Out
3. Social: @BrookMDukes

Get Darrin's weekly blog here

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

This episode is also brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

One of the most rewarding parts of hosting Leaning Into Leadership is hearing from listeners who are doing the work every day.

In this episode, Darrin responds to a question from a first-year principal in upstate New York who asked a challenge many school leaders face:

How do you stay responsive to parents while still leading the school effectively?

Parent emails, phone calls, and concerns can quickly fill a leader’s day. Without systems in place, communication can pull leaders into a reactive cycle that leaves little time for the work that matters most.

Drawing from his own experience as a principal and from insights shared on the podcast, Darrin explores how leaders can break free from the Cycle of CHAOS and build systems that protect their time while strengthening communication with their school community.

Along the way, he shares practical strategies that help leaders communicate clearly, set expectations, and stay focused on their highest priorities.

This episode also highlights an idea shared by Rae Hughart in Episode 199 and connects to leadership lessons from Darrin’s book Road to Awesome: The Journey of a Leader.

At the heart of the conversation is a powerful reminder for every leader:

"Stop sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent."

Resources Mentioned:

Road to Awesome: The Journey of a Leader

School Leader Weekly Planner

Episode 199 – Rae Hughart

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

This episode is also sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

Leadership today often feels like navigating constant change.

Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity are realities many leaders face daily. But resilience is not about simply pushing through the chaos — it’s about learning how to lead yourself and others through it.

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Russell Harvey, The Resilience Coach, to explore how leaders can build resilience in themselves and their teams while navigating the modern leadership landscape.

Russell shares powerful frameworks and practical strategies that help leaders move from overwhelm to clarity, from control to command, and from reactive leadership to intentional leadership.

This conversation offers practical insights for leaders who want to strengthen their mindset, support their teams more effectively, and build sustainable leadership habits.

1. Why resilience is one of the most important leadership skills today
2. The difference between being in control and being in command as a leader
3. How the VUCA framework explains the constant change leaders face
4. The importance of developing personal resilience before leading others
5. Why great leaders focus on delegating brilliantly and removing obstacles for their teams
6. How identifying your purpose can strengthen resilience and confidence
7. A practical strengths and skills grid exercise leaders can use immediately

A resilient leader focuses on three core responsibilities:

1. Delegate brilliantly based on the strengths of your team
2. Build and nurture a resilient team culture
3. Develop your own personal resilience

When leaders invest in these three areas, they create the conditions for trust, clarity, and stronger team performance.

Russell Harvey, known as The Resilience Coach, is a leadership coach, facilitator, speaker, and resilience expert with more than 20 years of experience in leadership and organizational development.

His work focuses on helping leaders and organizations build resilience in the face of constant change and uncertainty.

Russell works with leaders and organizations to develop practical strategies that improve leadership effectiveness, strengthen team relationships, and help individuals rediscover their energy and purpose.

Website: https://www.theresiliencecoach.co.uk

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

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

Connect with Darrin

If this episode resonated with you and you're looking for support in developing stronger leadership teams, clearer systems, and healthier school cultures, connect with Darrin.

Website: https://darrinpeppard.com/

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

This episode is also brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

One of the most common mistakes schools make is confusing a resource with a curriculum.

A textbook gets adopted. A program is purchased. A shiny new initiative is rolled out.

And suddenly everyone says, “Great… we have a curriculum.”

But that’s not curriculum.

In this episode, Darrin sits down with Emily Makelky from the Curriculum Leadership Institute (CLI) to unpack what curriculum actually means and why empowering teachers to lead curriculum development can transform how schools serve students.

Drawing on years of classroom experience and consulting with districts across the country, Emily shares how leaders can move beyond resource adoption and build sustainable curriculum systems that reflect their community, their teachers, and their students.

The conversation also explores how leadership teams can prioritize curriculum work, avoid overwhelming teachers, and create structures that support long-term improvement.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions like “What should we really be teaching?” or “How do we align instruction across classrooms?” this episode offers practical insight for school and district leaders.

1. Why a textbook is not a curriculum
2. The difference between resources and true curriculum alignment
3. How schools can build local curriculum that reflects their community
4. Why teacher voice and teacher leadership are essential in curriculum development
5. How leaders can create systems and routines that support curriculum work
6. Why going slow to go fast matters when implementing curriculum changes
7. How districts can create a long-range plan for curriculum development

Just like when she was in the classroom, Emily loves it when the “lightbulb” comes on for teachers.

Combining her teaching experience with a foundation in business management, Emily now works as a consultant with the Curriculum Leadership Institute, helping schools and districts take a systematic approach to curriculum development and alignment.

Emily’s work focuses on helping educators clarify what should be taught, align instruction and assessment, and empower teachers to lead meaningful curriculum work within their schools.

Curriculum Leadership Institute

https://www.cliweb.org

Free tools and resources (including the Long Range Plan template)

https://www.cliweb.org/toolsandinspiration

Free Long Range Planning Session

https://calendly.com/d/3sk-z55-pg2/develop-your-long-range-plan

If this episode resonated with you and you're looking for support in developing stronger leadership teams, clearer systems, and healthier school cultures, connect with Darrin.

Website: https://darrinpeppard.com/

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

This episode is also brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on leadership presence.

In Episode 262, we explored the hidden cost of distraction and how trust and psychological safety erode when leaders aren’t fully present.

In Episode 263, we discussed how to engineer margin through calendar integrity, decision discipline, and clarity around your top priorities.

Now we bring it home.

Because presence isn’t performance.

Presence is connection.

In this episode, Darrin dives into the relational and interpersonal work that makes leadership presence genuine — not polished, not performative, but real.

You’ll learn:

1. Why presence is more than eye contact and good posture
2. The three foundations of genuine presence:
3. Attention
4. Curiosity
5. Emotional regulation
6. Why you cannot fake nervous system safety
7. The danger of listening to fix instead of listening to understand
8. Four practical signals of authentic presence you can use immediately
9. Why follow-up is one of the most powerful leadership moves you can make

Darrin also shares a story from his superintendent experience that highlights the difference between listening to correct and listening to comprehend.

Reflection Question: Where do you need to replace fixing with listening?

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

This episode is also sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.