Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

No one enjoys having to fire an employee. 

In most cases it's uncomfortable and unpleasant to have to let someone go, especially if they didn't do anything "wrong."

But hanging on to a team member who's not the right fit for your center's vision and values can have some serious consequences… maybe more than you realize.

In the case of Janine, a Schools of Excellence Owner's HQ member, her reluctance to fire a toxic team member impacted her health and wellbeing. 

Janine was an owner who had what I like to call a "toxic genius" on her team. 

This team member was smart, reliable, great with kids and parents—everything you could want in an employee—but she also had a habit of stirring up gossip and putting others down.

Janine was torn about what to do. On the one hand, she knew the team member was negatively impacting her center.

But on the other, she had just opened up a fourth location and barely had the capacity to deal with her usual responsibilities—let alone go through the process of firing someone.

But instead of delegating the responsibility to her team member, a director, Janine insisted that she had to be the one to do it.

So, month after month passed by, and Janine continued to sit with the same dilemma. It wasn't just her mind, though, that suffered from her inaction. She developed high blood pressure and couldn't sleep more than 3 hours a night.

After an entire year of worsening health problems, I finally asked Janine: "When is enough, enough? When will you realize what you're losing by not letting this person go?"

If reading this reminds you of someone on your team, I want to ask you the same question: 

When is enough, enough? How long will you wait in the name of avoiding discomfort before you take action for the sake of yourself and your team?

So, what happened with Janine when she finally faced the truth?

She took accountability, let go of the toxic genius, and for the first time in a long time, she slept straight through the night.

In this week's podcast episode, the first in a three-part series on firing, I explore the true cost of hanging on to team members when it's time to let go.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The top 3 reasons we fire employees (HINT: It's not just about performance)
• The impact of keeping someone who needs to leave
• Why we have to prioritize ourselves and our team's wellbeing
• Action steps to take if you're struggling with letting someone go

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Every year, flu season seems to come as a surprise.

We know it’s coming. And yet, it always seems to catch us unaware, putting us into all kinds of highly stressful situations. 

Like having to find a sub for your subs' sub.

Seriously. I was dropping off one of my kids at school one day, and I didn't recognize one of the teachers. When I asked her who she was, she said "Oh, I'm subbing for Rachel."

Who's Rachel?

Well, as it turns out, Rachel was subbing for Britney… who was subbing for Sheera, who was subbing for Maria—the original teacher.

When I say I've seen it all, I mean I've seen it all. 

While this particular comically chaotic situation may have never happened to you, I know that as a center leader, flu season has left you scrambling to cope with crises like staff shortages, schedule interruptions, and many other impacts that hit the school. 

And it happens every. Single. Year.

So how do you prevent flu season from throwing an annual wrench into all your plans?

A strong, center-oriented insurance policy may give you the tools you need. Simliar to a flood insurance policy you go out and buy, this is something you hope to never use, but that’s there to protect you if needed.

This kind of proactive insurance policy allows you to prepare for understaffing without overburdening your staff. It gives you an efficient, flexible way of managing absences while also improving your staff’s overall wellbeing.

This week's podcast episode is one I’ve wanted to record for years. In it, we’re discussing proactive approaches to the dreaded flu season.

Join me for a conversation about:

• How to appropriately prepare for flu season
• What an insurance policy for flu season looks like
• The impact this season has on schools
• How to communicate preparations and alleviate concerns

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

It’s easy to feel pulled down by the difficult happenings at your center.

This was the case for Ashriel Huber, second-generation legacy owner of A Child’s Touch in Colorado.

Her desire to make the previous owner proud, coupled with the stress of taking over a large center with many moving parts, led to dysregulation, impostor syndrome, and a sense that she could never give enough to move the needle.

When I met Ashriel at a conference, she felt stuck. She confided that she’d lost key members of administration, and lacked the processes and procedures that would calm the chaos.

More troubling, she felt as if she’d given her life to the center, staying late night after night to try and get ahead. She needed to gain the trust of her employees, and working hard seemed the best way to accomplish that.

After listening to her story, I grabbed a napkin and walked her through the Pyramid of Excellence. 

In her own words, that conference marked a turning point in how she thought about her role as owner. She joined the Schools of Excellence Owner’s HQ membership program and began working to shift her limiting beliefs.

With the support of other owners, she’s learning to build emotional resilience, allowing her to stay the course when challenges arise. Instead of living at the center, she’s dedicated several mornings to staying home and attending coaching calls.

Most importantly, she found connections with other leaders, which allowed her to form a community of peers. Instead of feeling isolated and alone, she could share her ideas, gain feedback, and take concrete steps forward.

Members of Ashriel’s staff have noticed a shift. They’ve commented on her growing confidence, and the atmosphere at the center is beginning to transition. Now she has the tools to separate caring for the individual from being a leader who expects people to do their jobs.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re struggling with impostor syndrome, or if the stressors of your center sometimes feel too daunting, I encourage you to listen to Ashriel’s story. You'll hear more about her journey and how the membership helped her gain confidence in her role as a leader.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The struggles Ashriel faced before joining the membership
• What she learned by being surrounded by other like-minded owners
• How her center looks now that she's a more confident leader
• What's next for her and her center

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Does the word “stress” make your chest tighten?

If so, you’re not the only one 

We tend to think of stress as a negative thing. But the truth is, it’s an integral part of being human. In fact, on last week’s podcast episode I introduced the concept of eustress—a type of positive stress that helps to motivate us.

This week, I want to talk about the tools we use to manage stress in the moment. Because stress is an unavoidable part of our lives, it’s up to us to keep ourselves regulated and ready to approach each situation.

Mornings are a perfect example. Getting four kids out the door is no small task, and it’s hard on the body. On top of that, my five-year-old is often up before I am.

Distress tolerance has taught me that, despite the chaotic demands of a morning full of decisions and preparations, I need a moment of silence. So I’ve set up a private space for myself in my bedroom where I can spend five minutes alone, with the door closed, before tackling the day.

The temptation to immediately jump into the day is strong, but I know from experience that my children and I are all better served when I take that five minutes.

Personal morning space is one of the self-soothing strategies I have in my distress tolerance toolkit.

In this week's podcast episode, I’m going to guide you through the development of a distress tolerance toolkit for yourself and your staff.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What a staff distress tolerance toolkit includes
• How to accept distress when it happens
• Steps to create an effective toolkit that empowers your team
• Strategies for personalizing your toolkits

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

You’re no stranger to challenges.

Whether it’s helping fifteen children into their winter coats, navigating a difficult relationship with one of your teachers, or balancing a busy schedule, you have a lot on your plate.

It’s stressful. It may even be distressing.

Enter distress tolerance. Building your own, personal level of distress tolerance is one of the most powerful ways you can manage the inevitable challenges of life as a school leader.

Let me give you an example. 

Recently, my husband and son went on a road trip together, leaving me to solo parent our other three children. As luck would have it, during their trip I had an immovable dentist appointment on the same day my other children returned from camp early.

Typically, I avoid bringing my kids on errands at all costs. But this time, it was unavoidable. Based on the dentist’s available time slots, I had two options: 

1. Pick the earlier time slot and bring them directly to the dentist’s office, 
2. or choose a later time and take them home first.

Years of developing distress tolerance led me to pick the later time. 

Why? 

Because it allowed me the space to fill my cup and those of my children before we did something none of us wanted to do. I was able to bring my kids home, have a snack, and give them some personal mommy time before we headed to the dentist’s office.

Why am I telling you this story? 

Because this decision-making process was distress tolerance in action. As mundane as a schedule conflict might seem, it’s one of the most prevalent stressors that threatens to throw us off balance. 

And when we’re off balance, our entire team can feel it.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m going to dig into distress tolerance and resilience in the childcare industry. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• What distress tolerance is
• How it helps us navigate difficult situations
• The correlation between stress and performance
• Strategies for building your distress tolerance as a leader

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

In our society, conversations about grief are largely dominated by death and the experience of losing someone we love.

But death is far from the only time we deal with loss.

Anytime we go through periods of transition in our lives, we experience grief triggered by the loss of how things used to be. For leaders in early childhood education, these transitions happen on an almost daily basis.

Closing locations, letting go of teachers, saying goodbye to families, and even delegating responsibilities are losses that can create a sense of longing for the way things were.

And if you don't take active steps to move through that grief, you can end up stuck in old patterns that prevent you from growing as an individual and as a leader.

That's why in this week's podcast episode, I'm opening up a conversation about how to navigate loss and use it as a springboard for legacy. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• Widening our definition of grief
• Common forms of grief that leaders experience
• What can happen if you don't take the time to process your grief
• Steps for how to move through grief in a productive way
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Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

While processing grief is a personal journey, it's significantly easier when you're surrounded by others who are on a similar journey. Our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs are the perfect place to build a community of like-minded leaders who can support you through every season of your life. Plus, as a member, you'll also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help you along the way.

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Roles and responsibilities are crucial to building a school of excellence. You can't weather the storm—let alone captain your ship—if your crew isn't clear on what they should be doing and when.

That's where developing a school org chart comes in handy. With a visual representation of the structure of your center on hand, you can clear up a lot of questions about what role each individual plays and who they should report to.

But that's not all your org chart should do.

Because the leaders, administrators, and teachers of your center aren't solely defined by where they fit into the hierarchy.

They're human beings with their own needs and abilities, and those elements need to be factored in when designing the structure of your school.

Don't get me wrong—hierarchy is important. But at its core, building an effective org chart is about understanding what fuels collaboration, efficiency, communication, and results.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring how to create your school org chart so that it facilitates the roles, responsibilities, and relationships within your center. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• What a school org chart is
• The 6 things leaders get wrong when designing their org charts
• How to chart roles within your school
• Questions to ask yourself when creating your org chart

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

 Org charts are just one of the many foundational concepts we dive into within our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs. As part of the membership, you'll gain access to a variety of tools and resources to help you build a school of excellence. Plus, you'll receive coaching and the support of a community that will take your leadership to new heights.

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

This episode is from a Strategic Advisory from our Membership programs.

I know that the impending chaos of a new year is incredibly unsettling. You’re preparing for new kids, new teachers, new protocols, and new expectations, and you know everyone will look at you like deer in the headlights.

It's inevitable… and believe it or not, that's a good thing.

Confused? Stay with me.

When you operate under the assumption that the start-of-the-school year mayhem is avoidable, any disorder that occurs becomes a reflection of your competency as a leader.

The chaos becomes your fault, and it produces feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and even shame.

But when you recognize that chaos is simply an inherent characteristic of transition—not a result of your leadership—you give yourself the opportunity to take a deep breath, adjust your mindset, and create a plan for how to deal with the inevitable disarray of a novel environment.

In other words, the mark of a strong leader isn't the absence of mayhem. It's the presence of a calm and collected state-of-mind that helps you weather the storm.

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

When you sit down to draw with a 4-year-old, you know you're not going to get the Mona Lisa. Kids don't have the capacity for things like perspective, texture, or—let's be honest—simply coloring within the lines.

So, if that's the case, then why do you expect perfection out of your most inexperienced teachers and newly hired staff?

In a world that glorifies immediate results, we've gotten used to demanding the very best out of everyone, all the time.

But life doesn't work that way.

People need time to adjust to expectations, learn new skills, and reach a certain standard, and that journey will look different depending on the person. 

Effective leaders recognize that everyone has a learning curve, and they provide the support their teams need to experience growth on a timeline that makes sense. 

That's what leads to excellence.

On this week's podcast episode, I'm addressing a topic that may be a difficult pill for leaders to swallow, but one of the most important lessons they can learn: The value of tolerating “good enough” for long enough to achieve excellence.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What it means to tolerate "good enough"
• The difference between expectations and standards
• The impact of setting realistic expectations
• Questions to ask yourself to identify what's good enough

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

 . You can work on more of the skills that make effective leaders by joining our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources you can use to facilitate the growth of your team, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you create more accountability among your staff and free up time to focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

What does ambition look like to you?

Does it mean owning the best school in your city? Expanding your center? Retiring early?

Maybe it's none of those things… and that's okay.

Contrary to what we're made to believe, there's more than one charted path to success. Your destination can be whatever you want it to be—and the journey to get there can look however you want it to.

What's more, how you define ambition may change over time.

While you can achieve extraordinary greatness in multiple domains of your life, you won't be able to do it all at once. It's going to work in seasons, and it's up to you to decide what's worth pursuing at any given time.

How do you make that decision? 

That's what I'm discussing on this week's podcast episode. Together, we'll explore what ambition is to you and how you can achieve greatness in all areas of your life.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The definition of ambition and what it looks like to different people
• Why we get stuck on one view of success
• How different seasons influence your priorities and possibilities
• How to decide which goals to pursue

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

. Ambition is a major topic of conversation within our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, as it takes passion and drive to do the inner and outer work necessary to build a school of excellence. You can join the conversation, as well as gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community, by applying today. 

Focusing on big-picture goals is also a lot easier when you have the time to do it! With our Time Management & Accountability bundle, you'll get a series of tools and templates to help you become more productive and hold your team accountable. With the extra time, you can spend more time working on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.