TheSchoolHouse302 One Thing Series School Leadership Podcast

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. take a deep dive into how school and district leaders, at all levels, can develop, build, and sustain trust in schools. The tough reality with trust is that it is easily lost and hard to gain, which is why we remember this powerful quote by Sophocles, Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.

Joe emphasizes how trust is needed now more than ever, but is definitely in short supply. Not just in schools or education but throughout our country. If there is any doubt to this, just tune into any news channel and listen to the criticism, uncertainty, and mistrust espoused by the commentators.

One thing to always remember as a leader is that we are not always the cause of the mistrust, but we still might be the recipient of it. This is critical for leaders because we need to remain steadfast and focused on the success of our students, regardless of the perceived public perception. This means that we can’t be swayed by our emotions and worries, even though it is incredibly challenging at times.

One way to remain focused as a school leader is to work within the four most powerful domains that yield the greatest student gains:

Leading for the capacity of the staff

Ensuring quality teaching in every classroom

Establishing goals & expectations through a clear vision

Strategic resourcing for effective implementation

T.J. takes the time to explain why trust is mostly counterintuitive in the workplace. Although trust is a universal need, we often work to build trust in the wrong ways in schools.

As we look to develop trust and lead more effectively, we need tools that can remind us of how we can continually develop trust. Joe featured, Speed of Trust Action Cards, that are great reminders of the principles associated with the best selling book, Speed of Trust. Joe keeps these cards on his desk and periodically visits them to remind himself of the crucial ideas.

T.J. took the opportunity to share our REPSS survey and the specific design regarding measuring trust. School culture thrives when trust is at the center, and the survey is built to get a pulse on how people are feeling. Think about the power of knowing how your staff is doing and feeling, particularly during these challenging times. Granted, this also requires courage. It’s easier to keep “leading” and not checking in with those on the front lines. Don’t be average, lead with greatness.

Our 302 Thoughts are monthly recordings as part of our OneThingSeries to help school leaders lead better and grow faster. It’s like school leadership training without having to leave the comfort of your office or home. Look for our other leadership interviews and books that we recommend, all part of the same podcast series at TheSchoolHouse302.

Let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.

About Robyn Jackson

Robyn Jackson is passionate about building better schools. As the CEO of Mindsteps Inc.®, she has helped thousands of K–12 administrators and teachers develop the clarity and confidence to turn their classrooms and schools into success stories.

Jackson combines her experience as an English teacher and middle school administrator and her work in thousands of schools and districts to help teachers and administrators develop rigorous instructional programs that provide students with the support and motivation they need to reach or exceed the standards and helps refocus vision, mission, and core values to build better schools.

She is the author of 10 books, host of the School Leadership Reimagined podcast, and an internationally recognized keynote speaker and consultant.

What You’ll Find In This Episode with Robyn Jackson

Robyn started with the concept that schools can’t do very much of anything well unless the vision is clear. She talked about a hierarchy of needs in schools, and the foundation of trust is built on the vision, mission, and core values.

Don’t miss what Robyn says about how alignment allows for clear decision-making.

Robyn talked about the fact that the vision makes the environment predictable.

The niceties of leadership are discussed and you don’t want to miss Joe’s question on cookies and listening tours.

Robyn upends conventional ideas on developing a shared vision and getting buy-in. Don’t miss her joke about camels and how they are really a...

Listen to Robyn talk about why leaders end up maintaining versus building.

Hear what Robyn says about the myth of buy-in and shared-vision creation. Definitely reminded us of what Doug Reeves shared with us!

Robyn listens to the podcast: Hidden Brain. Check it out!

All leaders should learn to challenge their assumptions. Don’t miss Robyn’s process for training people to get this right as problem-solvers.

Check out Buildership University and Robyn’s book Stop Leading, Start Building.

Robyn wants to learn more about getting people to see their possibilities. We talk about self-efficacy and collective-efficacy in schools.

Robyn shared that she used to think that others’ opinions of her were more important than they actually are. What’s more important is that the person she projects is consistent with the person she wants to be.

Check out her podcast at School Leadership Reimagined.

More Free School Leadership Resources for Principals

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCould. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen. We hope you’ll tell a friend or book us to join your team for professional learning.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.

Learning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple each month. Our aim is to link our suggested reading to our theme for the month. This month we are completely focused on trust. Kudos to you for picking yourself to grow and improve.

This month we chose to dive deep into one book that every school leader needs to read and read again, The Speed of Trust.

Featured Author: Stephen M.R. Covey

Featured Book: Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

Let us first say that we love this book and believe that should be on every leader’s desk. This is not a one time read but rather a book to refer to for guidance and inspiration. Some books deserve an annual read…this is one of them. You can also check out our blog on the topic of trust and our interview with Stephen M.R. Covey himself.

An important aspect of the book for note taking and continual reference are the 13 Behaviors of a High Trust Leader. We love this chart from the University of North Texas Health Science Center because it crystallizes each behavior, what it is and is not. We particularly like the counterfeit column because it precisely describes the behavior of the individual who is not operating as a high trust leader.

An additional element of the book that we discussed in our review was the final section. This part of the book deals with instilling and inspiring trust, which is desperately needed right now. Listening to fully understand people, what they’re experiencing, and gaining clarity on issues is crucial for leaders who want to inspire trust. This doesn’t mean that school leaders always have the answers to problems they’re willing to hear, but by understanding someone clearly, you are in a better position to make that determination. What you’ll often discover is that listening alone does help the situation. That said, if there is an opportunity to make a commitment and work toward a solution, then listening intently also provides a perfect opportunity to build trust by keeping and honoring the commitment.

We always like to leave our audience with a #ReadThisSeries tip for readers, and this month we encourage leaders to read this book with your teams. Speed of Trust is not a book that school leaders should read alone. We encourage you to create a book study group and discuss the content and how to apply it with others.

Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.

See the full version of the show notes below at theschoolhouse302.com.

In this episode, Joe describes the process and power behind introspection:

I know my purpose at work each day.

My purpose at work directly corresponds with my daily activities.

Considering the statements above, are you clear on purpose and is your daily work aligned? Or consider your family. If spending time with your kids is important to you, are you ensuring you are creating enough time in your week to meaningfully be a part of their day?

Looking within ourselves and willing asking and answering the tough questions is essential to purpose because it is empowering.

In this episode, T.J. reminds us of the power in praising others for working toward a predefined purpose. Praising others empowers them to continue on their path with confidence. In turn, when we look to praise, we gain an awareness of all of the great things within our lives, which produces a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude leads to positivity and a better attitude. You can’t be negative and grateful at the same time.

We never like to conclude a show without providing some tangible resources for our audience that will make a difference in your work as a school leader. This month, T.J. discusses our REPSS survey, which can be found in our Building a Winning Team book. This survey is designed to give administrators keen insight into their faculties’ perceptions within key areas. In order to move in the right direction and focus on the right aspects of your school culture, including purpose, school leaders need to understand what to focus on as priorities. The survey results are a clear source of information that will lead to better navigation as a leader. Here’s a free copy of the survey.

Joe focused on a resource for women called, Career Contessa. This site “...helps working women be more fulfilled, healthy, and successful at work.” With online courses, career coaching, and more, the site helps women find and fulfill their purpose as leaders.

Our 302 Thoughts are monthly free live podcast recordings that help leaders to lead better and grow faster. It’s like school leadership training without having to leave the comfort of your office or home. We hope you’ll join us next month. Look for the dates in our newsletter.

Let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Dr. Whitaker delivers a powerful and funny interview with keen insight on how to maintain poise and focus by keeping learning at the forefront of all of our decisions as principal and teacher leaders.

What You’ll Find In This Episode with Todd Whitaker

Todd’s insight on how people act and react during crises is enlightening. His comment, “people always look to leaders but in times of change they stare” is spot on. He reminds us that the difference that we can make in our schools and districts always resides within the people.

He candidly reveals that a crisis exposes weakness and that certain people have the skills to figure it out, while others don’t.

Todd tells us to stop being defensive. COVID19 revealed that schools are needed more than ever. Our purpose is to make a difference, that simple. Embrace it and believe it!

He spends time talking about our best teachers and their willingness to ask others for help. This deeply resonated with us as we often discuss the power of a #learningculture.

You don’t want to miss how he describes how some people use their moods as a weapon and that the reward for negative people is that we never ask them to do anything.

Todd talked about Twitter--how the knowledge of one becomes the knowledge of all.

He takes a few minutes to illustrate the difference between a leader teaching and a leader telling and how it diffuses disagreement.

His example of everyone “getting a trophy these days” and how it creates a scapegoat mentality is something that you want to hear, possibly more than once. His explanation of the difference between placing blame and embracing responsibility is powerful.

Todd talks about learning from great people by finding the sharpest people in the room and spending time with them versus any mediocre person he might come across. Again, Todd shares an incredible story about a principal’s goal and what she can control.

We spend an enormous amount of time on the concept of improving schools and education in general, and he tells us plainly: hire better people or improve the ones you have. How he breaks down superstars, backbones, and mediocres will empower any principal leader.

What doesn’t Todd believe anymore? Tune in and find out. You won’t be disappointed. (Hint: What’s a blanket monkey?)

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCould. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.

Featured Author: Compilation of Authors

Featured Book: THE SOCIAL PHILOSOPHERS MAN AND MAN (THE WORLD'S GREAT THINKERS SERIES)

Our second book this month is a terrific must read and something that we believe should be revisited from time-to-time. Todd Whitaker has become a force for educational leaders as they learn how to navigate challenges. We chose, What Great Principals Do Differently not only because it offers simple and sage advice for school leaders, but it also helps leaders reclaim their purpose.

One aspect that we truly appreciate is how Whitaker describes that we must invest in people. And, we can’t think of a more important time than now to do so. As he describes,

“We can spend a great deal of time and energy looking for programs that will solve our problems, but these programs frequently do not bring the improvement or growth we seek. Instead, we must focus on what really matters. It is never about programs, it is always about people.”

Featured Author: Todd Whitaker

Featured Book: What Great Principals Do Differently

Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.

Being an effective leader is far from easy. In fact, good leaders recognize that every day is an opportunity for either excellence or average performance. With so many factors at play each day, superior leaders realize that their behaviors have to be superior and fully aligned to high leverage leadership strategies. Otherwise, we fall prey to poor leadership and management behaviors.

This month, we featured the opposite of what great leaders do, so people would know what to avoid doing. Typically, you won’t find an explicit list like this in school leadership training seminars or classes, but our goal is to provide content for leaders who are striving to improve. Below are our five bad boss behaviors, and for this 302 Thoughts we take a deep dive into two of them.

#1 Micromanaging Your Team: Empowering leaders assign work and then follow up

#2 Withholding Information from Others: Communicate it right away

#3 Stealing Great Ideas: Give credit to innovative thinking, out-of-the-box idea sharing, and risk-taking

#4 Taking Credit for Supports or Success: Reduce “I” from your vocabulary and begin saying “we” more often

#5 Using Relationships to Leverage Power: Leaders must have people around them who can be honest and truthful

Get the full show notes at theschoolhouse302.com.

Our 302 Thoughts are monthly free live podcast recordings that help leaders to lead better and grow faster. It’s like school leadership training without having to leave the comfort of your office or home. We hope you’ll join us next month. Look for the dates in our newsletter.

Let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

Learning and growing as a leader is a professional choice.The ironic part of rising to greater levels of leadership is that the skills, traits, and talents that got an individual to the new position, may not be enough for her to excel in the new role.

This idea of being promoted to one’s level of incompetence was coined by Laurence J. Peter in The Peter Principle. The concept is fascinating because we’ve all experienced or have witnessed this in our own organizations--people who rise to great heights due to superior performance in their role, only to find themselves in over their head in the next position.

This begs the question: how do we avoid this situation for ourselves and others? We appreciate the remedy found at Investopedia because it directly aligns with what our featured author, Michael Useem describes in The Edge, which is that leaders must continually learn to keep their organization succeeding.

A possible solution to the problem posed by the Peter Principle is for companies to provide adequate skill training for employees receiving a promotion, and to ensure that the training is appropriate for the position to which they have been promoted.

The Edge is filled with real stories that leaders can learn from. Useem paints a very detailed picture of the challenges that many CEOs faced and the conditions in which they were operating. From Kroger to Tyco, he reveals what is adversely affecting the organization and how it was handled and how some CEOs evolved and rose to the occasion by realizing they needed to learn more. He willingly looks at both successes and failures, even within the same company.

This is one reason The School House 302 loves his work, whether The Edge or other books like The Leadership Moment, Useem tackles the very difficult realities that leaders face. This is not a feel good book, but rather an instrument of learning if you are willing to invest the time.

As Useem writes, this book is really “...updated leadership for a new era…” We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. And don’t miss our interview with Michael on the site.

Featured Author: Michael Useem

Featured Book: The Edge: How Ten CEO’s Learn to Lead -- And the Lessons for Us All

The second featured book this month is an oldy but goody--Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization. This is a great, easy to read book, with clear strategies on how to raise the performance of individuals in a company. Make no mistake, easy to read and easy to do are not the same thing. Implementation is key, which is why we couple this book with The Edge.

Blanchard and Bowles provide a step-by-step way to increase morale and really build a culture that is willing to learn and grow. Andy, the main character, demonstrates the opposite leadership characteristics than the bad behaviors that we wrote about this month.

The three principles of Gung Ho are:

The Spirit of the Squirrel

The Way of the Beaver

The Gift of the Goose

You won’t be disappointed as you become Gung Ho! in your own organization. However, the question remains about actually doing the work; having knowledge and using knowledge are two different things.

Featured Author: Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

Featured Book: Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization

Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

About Michael Useem

Michael Useem is Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management and McNulty Leadership Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His university teaching includes MBA and executive-MBA courses on management and leadership, and he offers programs on leadership and governance for managers in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

He works on leadership development with many companies and organizations in the private, public and non-profit sectors. He is the author of The Leader’s Checklist, The Leadership Moment, Executive Defense, Investor Capitalism, Leading Up, and The Go Point.

He is also co-author and co-editor of Learning from Catastrophes; co-author of The India Way, Leadership Dispatches, Boards That Lead, and The Strategic Leader’s Roadmap, Fortune Makers: The Leaders Creating China’s Great Global Companies (2017), Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy (2018), and Mastering Catastrophic Risk: How Companies Are Coping with Disruption (2018). His latest book, The Edge, is what we will be digging into today.

Mike is co-anchor for a weekly program “Leadership in Action” on SiriusXM Radio Channel 132, Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School.

What You’ll Find In This Episode with Michael Useem

Michael pours his wealth of knowledge into this transformative episode on how leaders continually learn to ensure that they rise to meet the demands of the job. Leaders know that the job description is about the only thing regarding the position that fits nicely onto a sheet of paper. Many roles evolve as demands emerge and arise from multiple avenues.

Michael pointed out the irony in the subtitle of The Edge, which is about CEOs learning to lead. He acknowledged that we might assume that CEOs know how to lead, but that’s not always true.They need to learn how to lead provided the circumstances they find themselves within.

Michael talked about the fact that for many leaders, what got you here won’t get you there. Although not mentioned in the show, check out Marshall Goldsmith’s book, What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There, which we love.

Don’t miss what Michael says about Mark Turner and his learning tour.

Michael says that leaders need to recognize their responsibility in leading the people they serve. This is what brings them to a point of wanting to learn more about learning to lead.

You have to hear why Michael takes students to Antarctica and the Marine Corp.

Michael mentioned Herminia Ibarra’s book on reinventing identity. Check it out.

Michael says that the single most important thing that a leader can do to grow is to get out of their comfort zone.

Dr. Useem follows many sources for leadership, but often comes back to the Chief Executive of Progressive Insurance, Tricia Griffith. Learn about how she redefines what it means to be the Big Boss.

Michael talked about looking at leadership as 360 but in reverse. We ought to think about leading our peers and the people above us, not just our subordinates.

Don’t miss what he says about having more impact. Oh, and yeah, wishing he could climb Mt. Everest.

Michael talked about learning to lead by seeing others do it poorly. There’s a lot to learn from setbacks and catastrophes. Don’t miss how he describes the CEO of Tyco.

Joe was reminded about leading to grow and thrive versus just to get by.

Michael liked our last question and recalls asking CEOs what they find to be true that they didn’t realize before.

Lastly, Michael reminds us that leadership never really comes down to one thing, but a mission critical checklist.

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us at theschoolhouse302.com.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

This month, America lost a tremendous leader, General Colin Powell. We started this 302 Thoughts by recognizing his work and legacy as a leader. If anyone could talk about how to grow during the grind and thrive amid chaos, our bet would be on General Powell.

We often desire for circumstances to improve so our conditions become better. Unfortunately, that does not always happen the way we would like it to or in the timeline we have in mind. Because ideal circumstances don’t always come our way, we have to always be prepared to weather the storm. This month we landed on 5 strategies that help educational leaders stay focused in a chaotic environment.

In the live recorded podcast, we teased out two essential areas that we discussed further:

#3. Determining Urgent Versus Important

#4. Assessing Full Versus Fulfilling.

All five are critical, but we narrowed in on these two because they speak to the day-to-day work that must get done but also that still needs to result in personal fulfillment. During challenging times, it’s hard to maintain perspective and keep our own well-being intact; by strategically looking at our calendars to block time for the fulfilling work, we set ourselves apart from those who just end up with full days that lack what matters to them most. Learn more by listening to our discussion.

By mastering the Eisenhower matrix (check out the blog for more details, including a visual), school leaders at all levels, uniquely structure their day to maximize efforts. Too often during a storm, it’s tough to gain your footing. This is what’s going on now for teachers and leaders in schools. Each day can feel like two or three. The matrix, when used well, is an effective way to analyze and organize each day to keep First Things First.

Each month during our 302 Thoughts we also work to support our listeners with a few resources that help in your efforts to lead better and grow faster. This month, T.J. highlighted the power of mastermind groups, particularly Danny Bauer’s Better Leaders, Better Schools. Masterminds are not new and we first read about them in Think and Grow Rich. As Napoleon Hill writes, it is the “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” It’s the direct focus and effort that is vital. Even if you don’t join a formal mastermind, do seek out another school leader, identify a clear aim or goal, and then work towards reaching it. The results will be incredible.

Joe took a slightly different route and discussed Headspace, the app. On the show, Joe admits to his own limitations with meditation; yet, he describes how apps like headspace and Calm can support early efforts to find quiet time, be introspective, reduce stress, or simply “unplug” for a while.

Our 302 Thoughts are monthly free live podcast recordings that help leaders to lead better and grow faster. It’s like school leadership training without having to leave the comfort of your office or home. We hope you’ll join us next month. Look for the dates in our newsletter.

Let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

This blog post was brought to you by GhostBed, a family-owned business of sleep experts with 20+ years of experience. With 30K+ 5-star reviews, you can’t go wrong with GhostBed. Their mattresses are handcrafted, and they come with a 101-night-at-home-sleep trial. For a limited time, you can get 30% by using our code — SH302 — at checkout. And, even if you tell someone about GhostBed, you can earn a $100 referral reward. Go to Ghostbed.com today and use SH302 at checkout.