School Leadership Reimagined

We all love a good redemption story in schools—the students who struggle for years and finally turn things around. Those stories make us feel good. They also let us avoid a harder question: why did success take so long in the first place? During Coaching Week, that question kept coming up for me, and it forced me to look at how deeply we've normalized struggle and delayed success in the systems we call "good." In this episode, I challenge the idea that suffering is a necessary part of learning, examine what our favorite stories reveal about our expectations, and explore what changes when we stop centering heroics and start interrogating design, #LikeABuilder.

I see this pattern over and over again: capable principals implementing solid ideas, working hard, and still feeling like progress won't hold. When that happens, we usually assume the problem is us—our clarity, our follow-through, our leadership—or we blame the moment we're in. In this episode, I unpack a harder truth that explains why so much good work fades, even when the strategies are sound. If you've ever wondered why effort keeps increasing but results don't, this conversation will help you see your school (and your role) differently, #LikeABuilder.

I know I sound obsessed with vision, but in this episode, I'll explain why I can't stop talking about it. You see, everyone says you need a vision—but very few people can explain why it actually matters once the real work starts. In this episode, I unpack what a vision really does when things get messy: when district priorities shift, when parents push, when politics creep in, and when you're genuinely unsure what move to make next. Plus, I'm sharing the 4 reasons vision matters more than you think. Two will surprise you. One is about what YOU get out of this, not just your school. So if you think vision is a luxury that can wait until you've got everything else figured out, think again. Tune in to discover what happens when administrators finally get a true 100% vision #LikeABuilder. 

If you've ever felt like you're working incredibly hard but not actually building toward anything meaningful, you're not crazy, and you're not alone. You might be operating with a borrowed vision without even realizing it. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the four types of borrowed visions: vision by compliance, vision by comparison, vision by inheritance, and vision by avoidance. By the end of this episode, you'll know whether your vision is borrowed, and more importantly, you'll understand why that matters. None of these feel wrong in the moment but that's what makes them so dangerous. Because once you see the difference between borrowed and owned, you can't unsee it and you can finally start building what you truly believe in #LikeABuilder.

Last week I shared my big lesson going into 2025—be boring, stop chasing shiny objects, double down on what works—and this week I'm back with the honest truth: I failed. Or did I? The year I hoped would be calm and predictable turned into a scramble to survive as the world shifted under our feet. But something unexpected happened along the way. I'd just misunderstood what boring actually means. If you're feeling the stress of a world that won't stop changing, if things that used to work aren't working anymore, if you're pivoting and doubting yourself and wondering if you're doing it all wrong I want to encourage you that you can still be boring #LikeABuilder.

As we close out 2025, I'm pressing rewind and revisiting the episode where I named the single biggest lesson I wanted to carry into the new year. Consider this a time capsule from the end of 2024—a look at what I believed mattered most and the mindset I was determined to adopt. This week, you'll hear that original episode. Next week, I'll return with a frank reflection on how it played out, what surprised me, and the insights you can use as you prepare for your own year ahead.

During winter break, most principals fall into one of two camps: total disconnection or total overdrive. Either they collapse and avoid thinking about school until January, or they turn the break into a frantic catch-up sprint to "earn" a fresh start. But there is a third option and in this episode you'll discover why both panic-planning and panic-resting feel productive in the moment, but ultimately create more anxiety and more backlog down the road. Discover how Builders spend their break differently -- resting with intention, anchoring in purpose, and creating systems that prevent future overwhelm—so you return to January clear, focused, and ready to act instead of react #LikeABuilder.  

Most principals hit this point in December with the same uneasy mix of exhaustion and pressure. What makes it even worse is that everywhere you're being told that 2026 is being built right now, that you should be planning your best year yet, and that winter break is a chance to catch up. This episode challenges that narrative and explains why you don't need a new plan or a fresh start. Tune in to find out how you can let go of guilt, resist the urge to start over, and end the year grounded, clear, and focused #LikeABuilder  

Most leadership team meetings are stuck in a loop—polite updates, recycled problems, and a slow drain of energy that leaves everyone wondering why nothing ever truly moves. In this episode, I unpack why that pain exists, why the usual fixes never fix it, and what becomes possible when you redesign your meetings around purpose instead of compliance. In this episode, I unpack the deeper reason why those meetings feel so draining: they're built on an operating system that rewards activity instead of alignment. Then I offer a radically different lens: a leadership team meeting has one job—to surface and solve threats to your vision. When you shift the purpose, the entire meeting changes. If your team gatherings feel heavy, repetitive, or disconnected from the work that actually matters, this episode will show you what's possible when you run your meetings #LikeABuilder

Ask yourself a question: Are you playing defense or are you playing offense? Is most of your day spent reacting to things that come up, or are you spending the majority of your time proactively pursuing your vision? Most of the training we've received has taught us to focus on defense and so we create policies, systems, and routines that focus on solving existing challenges rather than preventing them in the first place. Playing defense leaves us exhausted, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Playing offense leaves us energized, encouraged, and most important making steady progress towards our goals no matter what the circumstances. So tune into today's episode and discover how to switch from playing defense to playing offense #LikeABuilder.

The most effective principals don't start meetings with data, problems, or updates. They start with a simple two-minute ritual that immediately reshapes the entire conversation. It cuts through the usual tension, sharpens the team's focus, and turns even the most routine meeting into a place where people think more clearly and collaborate with more purpose. In this episode, you'll learn why this tiny habit is harder than it looks, why Builders rely on it, and how it can make your team meetings more grounded, more productive, and far more effective #LikeABuilder.

Tier 1 may be the hot topic right now, but here's the twist: Tier 1 isn't actually the problem—or the goal. In this episode, discover the one shift Builders make that instantly changes how Tier 1 feels, functions, and flows in their schools. We'll peel back the layers on why Tier 1 becomes overwhelming, why strategies alone never fix it, and how reconnecting instruction to your 100% Vision transforms everything. If you've been trying to strengthen Tier 1 and still not seeing the consistency you want, this episode gives you the clarity you've been missing. It's time to stop wrestling with Tier 1 and start shaping it #LikeABuilder. 

If you've ever felt like you're playing academic whack-a-mole—chasing one struggling student after another—you're not alone. Most teachers are trying hard, but their support is reactive. In this episode, we're talking about how to flip that script with a Student SUCCESS Plan that helps you spot problems early, act fast, and keep Tier 1 running smoothly. I'll walk you through the simple process we shared in the Supporting Struggling Students Masterclass that's already helping schools make support proactive instead of exhausting. You'll learn how to build a system that prevents failure before it happens—so your teachers stay focused, your students stay on track, and you finally get your time back #LikeABuilder.

I've spent years watching principals pour time, energy, and training into Tier 1 instruction—only to walk into classrooms and see the same inconsistencies. In this episode, I'm unpacking why that happens. Teachers understand Tier 1 in theory, but they struggle to translate it into their own classrooms, anticipate where students will stumble, and respond to the real-time data happening right in front of them. When you fix those three things, Tier 1 finally becomes doable, sustainable, and effective #LikeABuilder. 

What if your school's "feedback problem" isn't really about feedback at all? In this special episode, you'll listen in on a real coaching conversation from inside the 100% Collective with member Bill Weitman. Bill came to the session looking for help giving teachers better feedback, but as we talked, we uncovered a deeper root cause that was quietly shaping his entire approach. You'll hear how to spot what's really driving resistance or inconsistency in your staff, and how a single mindset shift can transform your next feedback conversation. So tune in to discover how to uncover the real problem hiding behind "feedback issues" #LikeABuilder.

You've built the systems. You've set the routines. You've done everything "right." So why aren't you seeing results? In this episode, we unpack the surprising reason why so many principals work hard, stay organized, and still feel like their schools aren't moving forward. Predictability and consistency sound like the markers of success—but when your systems aren't grounded in your vision, mission, and core values, they create motion without momentum. You'll discover the difference between being predictable, consistent, and stable, understand which one actually builds trust and results, and get a quick three-question test to see where your school stands right now. By the end, you'll know how to turn all that effort into results you can count on  #LikeABuilder.

In an age where every message is a text, email, or Slack ping, we've mistaken constant communication for real connection. This week's episode explores what our profession seems to have forgotten—the value of sitting down face-to-face. Years ago, we hid in our offices and rarely engaged. Now, we're visible, available, and endlessly talking, but not always listening. We've seem to have forgotten that the most transformative conversations still happen face-to-face. So this episode unpacks why your physical presence is still one of the most powerful tools for building trust, care, and alignment, and why sometimes the best way to solve a problem isn't another email, but a quiet five-minute conversation down the hall #LikeABuilder.  

This isn't a typical episode about frameworks or strategies. Instead, I'm stepping back to talk honestly about what I see happening in our profession right now—and why it has me concerned. There are quiet forces at work, shaping how we think, how we create, and even what we believe is possible. In this episode, I share the patterns I've been noticing, why they matter, and what we can do to resist slipping into survival mode and protect the space for possibility, creativity, and a belief in 100% #LikeABuilder.  

Every school drifts, but drift isn't random—it's a hidden pattern that quietly reroutes your plans, scatters your staff's energy, and erodes your influence if you don't catch it in time. In this episode, I break down the Drift Pattern and show you how to spot it before it takes over, so you can reset your clarity, realign your team, and reclaim the year you meant to build. The difference between reacting to drift and breaking it comes down to whether you choose to lead by default or Build on purpose #LikeABuilder.

If you're like most school administrators, this is the time of year that we, without even realizing it, are already starting to drift ever so slightly from the resolutions and plans we made at the beginning of the school year. We're not off track exactly, but things have started to slip a little. And, we're not too worried yet, because after all, it's only October.  Which is exactly why October is such a dangerous month. It's early enough in the school year where we still feel like we have time to meet our goals so we're often lulled into a false sense of complacency. But what we don't realize is that it is the work we do now that determines whether we will actually meet our goals this school year.  So on today's episode, I'm going to share with you 5 simple shifts you need to make now to keep you from drifting away from your plans and goals and finding yourself off course in January. Take these simple steps and you can get refocused, make real progress before the holidays, and set yourself up for true success this school year #LikeABuilder.