Today’s episode is inspired by a book study I did last week with 25 building and district school leaders. The focus of the book study was stage 5 of A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, which is all about 5-minute coaching. We began with celebration We did 5-minute coaching We reflected in small groups We recapped in a large group We took…

We are in a moment of significant change. There’s a lot of instability and unpredictability and people don’t know what’s going to happen – good, bad, or indifferent. We don’t know what all of the announced or teased policy changes mean or if they are going to take effect. This environment creates a situation where we have lots of turbulence in scho…

Description: Today’s guest is Tequila Lamar. The name should be familiar to you because I just featured my first interview with Tequila as the “Greatest Episode of All Time.” And now she’s back and now this episode may be my new favorite of all time. We will of course build on our previous discussion of imposter syndrome, but there is so much more …

| A couple weeks ago in one of my daily emails I asked for people’s experiences, perspectives, and questions about culture. A reader responded: As far as culture, my main frustration is a lack of initiative I notice in some of our adult, professional faculty members... Behaviors like not arriving on time for a duty, being unwilling to contact paren…

In May, on episode 199, I had Jamie Brown on the show and he took us through a very simple but effective script for having a restorative conversation with a student. That show was re-aired at the end of December as my favorite show of 2024. After the show, Jamie and I discussed how APs can help new teachers become better at conversation – not just …

236: Culture Questions From Claude Part II Show Description: | Last week I asked Claude AI to give me 12 questions I could answer that would help elaborate on school culture. We answered the first six questions last week and will do the second batch of six this week. I have to say, I was quite impressed by the quality of the questions. As was the c…

235: Culture Questions From Claude Part I Show Description: Two weeks ago, I did a show that described how school culture is a byproduct of the degree of alignment between people, purpose, structures, and resources. High alignment – good culture. Low alignment – poor culture. I also shared in that episode that I have begun working on my next book, …

#234: Leading an Ethical School with Dr. Nason Lollar Description: Today’s guest has developed a framework and language around professional conduct, which he defines as “my contribution to our culture of learning.” Cool. And what else is cool, is that you will hear, in slightly different terms, some of my core talking points around supporting and g…

#233: Imposter Syndrome (Greatest Episode of All Time) There is a very brief intro to this, my favorite episode of all time! Originally released in May, 2023… Let’s face it, you aren’t cut out for this job. You are in over your head, and soon everyone will discover it! What were you even thinking? You can’t help your teachers grow. You should never…

#232: 2024’s BEST Podcast! Power Quote: “Every kid has a story” Jamie’s Student Debrief Protocol: 1. Are you okay? 2. What was the trigger? 3. How did the behavior impact others? 4. What could you have done differently? Description: This is a replay of my favorite interview form 2024, PLUS a few new minutes at the beginning with more wisdom from Ja…

A School Leader’s Guide to Building Culture Show Description: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” -Peter Drucker, Author “Culture is like the wind. It is invisible; yet its effect can be seen and felt.” -Bryan Walker, Partner and Managing Director, Ideo “Corporate culture is really hard to define; it’s the side effects of working for your organi…

#330: Email Sucks Show Description: Last week, Darrin Peppard and I went over some of our favorite time hacks. Towards the end of the show, we talked about email. Today, I’m devoting a whole show to email. I’ll share some tips and tricks, but how we manage email is as much about our mindset as it is the clock. As we get going, I want you to serious…

#229 Outline and Show Notes Show Title: 10 Awesome Time Hacks with Darrin Peppard Power Quote: Description: Time. The most limited resource (along with attention). Many leaders feel if they can better manage their time, they can become better leaders. Yes… and no. The big secret to time management isn’t actually about time. In today’s episode, my g…

228: The Blueprint with Todd Bloomer Power Quote: The further you are from classrooms… the easier it is to become jaded. Description: If I said I knew a principal who was in classrooms all day Monday, would you believe me? I hope so, because you are about to know him too. Guest Bio: Todd Bloomer was born & raised in New York, He got to Texas as fas…

Should We Give Teachers Matches? With Alex Auriemma Description: Back in September I released episode 218 titled “Teacher Evaluation is Broken.” Before I recorded that episode I had been thinking about the topic, and today’s guest and I actually recorded the conversation you are about to listen to prior to me recording number 218. I’m not sure why …

Win the Morning, Win the Day with Johnathan Cranford Description: If your ISS program runs like clockwork and results in increased academic achievement and fewer misbehaviors, then feel free to skip today’s episode. If you attend one of the 99% of schools that struggle to fully leverage ISS, you will profit from investing some time in today’s show.…

Silence is Golden Show Description: I teased this show on this morning’s daily email message, in which I suggested I might release a podcast episode that was all silence, to drive home the message that when it comes to helping people reflect, our silence is golden. Of course, the point would be lost if it was only silence as many listeners may not …

#224: The Power of Reflection Show Description: We are over half-way through the Good Enough October Challenge. Remember, the big idea here is that you don’t have to be a great leader, you just need to be good enough. Specifically, good enough leaders consistently help the people around them grow by doing four simple things:· Intentionally choosing…

Presence Shouldn’t Wait for Christmas Power Quote: Once you embrace how valuable your full presence is, you will be more motivated to share it with others. Description: This week we continue looking at what it takes to be a good enough leader. Last week we established that being able to consistently observe and work with your teachers to grow their…

222: How will you show up? The Big Idea What if the person you are trying to grow knows more about what they need than you do? This is perspective shift #1: They know more than you ● Stop trying to diagnose what’s wrong ● Assume people want to be really good at what they do ● Ask them what outcomes they want to see improve ● Help them develop the k…

Show Title: What is Leadership? with Mara and Frederick Helene Rebuild Collaborative link: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/gallery Description: Leadership takes many forms. In this episode we discuss some of these different forms. We’ve tried to highlight a variety of ways people lead, especially those leadership forms that aren’t always recognized …

#219 Good Enough October Challenge If you'd like to donate to Helene relief, here is the link to Lance's team: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/ Facebook page to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey Show Description: The difference between great, good enough, and not good enoughUpdate from AppalachiaMVP show – we’ll see how deep we go! T…

WNC Links: Accurate Local News (radio): https://www.bpr.org/ Local donation options: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene Lance Buskey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey Lance’s Venmo: Lance-buskey Frederick’s links: frederick@frederickbuskey…

Teacher Evaluation is Broken Show Description: Assuming you were a teacher, and assuming you were evaluated from time to time:· Did your evaluations ever result in termination?· Did the ever result in you getting a big raise or promotion?· Were they part of a process that helped you grow into a better teacher?For me, the answers are no, no, and no.…

Show Title: O Captain, My Captain with Michael Miller Power Quote: “Let there be joy!” Description: Today’s show is like a voyage. We’ll begin in one port, set a course, examine the voyage, and anchor at our destination. This episode is expansive and there are lots of wonderful insights into leadership. We use the metaphor of being a ship captain, …

Show Title: The Principal’s GREAT Assistant Principal with John Hinds Power Quote: “There’s a system for that” Description: You’ll hear the word “systems” quite a bit in today’s show. Today’s guest will paraphrase a quote attributed to Edwards Deming, one of the titans of process improvement from the 20th Century. The quote goes "Every system is pe…

10 Ways in 10 Days Part 2 Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d58fd6430f Show Description: According to a recent ASCD article synthesizing the recent research on early career teacher retention, 29% of first year teachers will leave the school they are in, to either exit the profession or go to another school. …

10 Ways in 10 Days: Easy Activities for Supporting New Teachers, Part 1 Grab the PDF guide of all 10 Ways: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/d58fd6430f Show Description: According to a recent ASCD article synthesizing the recent research on early career teacher retention, 29% of first year teachers will leave the school they are in, to either…

Seven Favorite Things Today’s show covers seven favorite of my favorite parts of the book! One for the introduction and one for each of the six stages. The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520 Monthly nudges: A single email each month to highlight a single stage (link) Frede…

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline Show Description: In 2007 I lead a group of six professors at Western Carolina University in a total redesign of our masters of school administration principal licensure program. I was the coordinator of a program that had jest become fully online, our admissions were skyrocketing and our students…

Show Title: Presence and Passion for Living with Lindsay Titus Power Quote: “Emotions are energy in motion” Description: How do you take care of yourself when you are so busy taking care of others? How can you be present when there is so much to do? What’s the meaning of life? Okay, we won’t go quite that deep in today’s show, but we will explore i…

The Three Epiphanies Maybe you are a new admin this fall. Maybe you are headed to a new school. Maybe you are staying where you are, but new people are coming to you. In today’s abbreviated episode, we’ll play with this idea of newness. The Big Idea · What this podcast was going to be…. · BB King · 3 epiphanies · Can’t do everything on the front en…

Show Title: 42 and Stuff with Dr. Steve Miletto Description: Today’s conversation is like a meandering stream that is destined to end in a specific place. What are the meanders, and where do they lead? Stay tuned! Guest Bio: Dr. Steven Miletto has been an educator in Georgia(US) for 37 years. He has served public school families as a history teache…

Show Title: Authentic Parent Partnerships with Ari Gerzon-Kessler Power Quote: Description: Imagine that we have some time scheduled to meet together. What would you want to talk about? And how would I know what you wanted to talk about? You would either have had to tell me, or I would have had to ask. And if neither of those things happened before…

Supporting Early Career Teachers – a Systems Approach Show Description: With all the challenges we face, it can be difficult to focus on just one thing. In fact, it often feels like we do the opposite – throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks. In today’s episode I detail how we can make important gains by focusing on one thing – helping e…

Show Title: “One-offs Matter” with Jen Manly Power Quote: “One-offs matter.” Description: Do you remember being a teacher? Or maybe you are an aspiring AP and you are still in the classroom. Either way, I want you to think about the relationship between the evaluation process, professional development days, and teacher growth. It seems like these a…

Show Title: Coaching and a Culture of Learning with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “To normalize growth, we must normalize making mistakes.” Description: Before we get started, I need to give a shout out to Dr. Pam Buskey. Today is our anniversary and though the years have flown by too quickly, every one of them has been filled with special moments, bi…

Show Title: The Coaching Relationship with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “We are social beings.” Description: In 2013 Elena Aguilar wrote The Art of Coaching. I came across the book soon after and it has shaped the way I view and do coaching. Today’s show is part 1 of my discussion with Elena in which we focus defining coaching and identifying the fou…

Ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the pain?) Show Description: Last week you listened to Chad Dumas and I discuss PLCs. When we began talking, I had in my head the idea of a PLC being a discrete thing – group of teachers collaborating around honing their teaching skills. I suspect that most of you listening also had similar ideas – that PLCs were thi…

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Will the Real PLC Please Stand Up? with Dr. Chad Dumas Power Quote: “Clarity precedes confidence” Description: I’m giving you fair warning – today’s show is loaded with both big ideas and small techniques. The discussion will feel like it is meandering a bit but stay with us because it all comes together into a po…

Show Title: Celebrating 200 with Frederick and Mara Power Quote: People are the purpose Guest Bio: Frederick Buskey helps school leaders reclaim their purpose! Building on 33 years of k-12 and higher education leadership experience, Frederick provides simple frameworks and practical tools to help leaders make immediate incremental improvements. His…

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Are You Okay? With Jamie Brown Power Quote: “Connection before correction” Jamie’s Student Debrief Protocol: 1. Are you okay? 2. What was the trigger? 3. How did the behavior impact others? 4. What could you have done differently? Description: Are you okay? Of course, your answer to that question may vary dependin…

This is a bonus episode done while I was hiking and reflecting on my own training facilitation. Frederick’s Links: Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a The Strategic L…

Show title and release date: Who Should Drive Change? With Frederick Power quote: Lighter = faster and easier with less risk of injury Show Description: In a few weeks you will hear my discussion with Dr. Chad Dumas in which we dig into PLCs. We begin by noting the “PLC” is one of the most despised buzzwords by teachers and dig into the why. In my …

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Mastermind! With Dr. Nick Davies Power Quote: Be willing to fail Description: When I say the word “mastermind”, what thoughts spring into your head? Do you picture the head of a shadowy criminal enterprise, or the 1980’s colored-dot guessing game (think WORDL with colors). Or maybe you think about a special club f…

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Three questions with Dr. Brandon Beck Power Quote: “Our ultimate goal is to unlock unlimited potential in others” Description: Today’s show is going to inspire you. It will take you deep into yourself, maybe places you go every day, but also to places within that you haven’t visited in a while. I guarantee after t…

Interview Tip: Tell the Story that Drives You! The Big Idea · Interview tips for aspiring APs (Dos vs. don'ts, or any stories of a successful interview or an interview that did not go well) o Remember you are interviewing them o Be authentic – if you compromise in the interview you can never get it back o Tell what you have done, not what you would…

A Human Approach to Schooling with Dr. Faiza Jamil Power Quote: We lose our ability to see the whole Description: You can think of today’s show as a bit of a thought experiment. What changes if we make relationships, at every level of the school, THE priority? It is a thought experiment, but we also have lots of experience that tells us how that ex…

Power quote: If you don’t have a relationship, you aren’t coaching… your telling. Show Description: The foundation of coaching. That’s today’s topic, although it wasn’t what I had planned. This episode was scheduled to be about coaching fundamentals, but as I began working on the first part of the show – I realized the foundation needed more than a…

Investing in Growth with Dr. Nick Davies Power Quote: Control What you can Description: If you don’t grow, how can you get better? Yet, in a job where you can’t ever get everything done, how do you find time to grow? Today we have the 2024 Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year here to help us figure out how to prioritize growth. Guest B…