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Accelerate Your Performance is a weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Janet Pilcher, Managing Director of Studer Education and author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education. Every week, Janet highlights tactical and actionable strategies that leaders in educational organizations can hardwire to meet successful student, service, and people outcomes. Listen now, and you’ll see why it’s ranked by ListenNotes in the top 5% of podcasts worldwide.
As she introduces a variety of pivotal leadership practices from the Nine Principles ® Framework, Janet underscores the importance of seamlessly integrating each practice to deliver positive and impactful results. For each leadership practice she introduces, Janet provides a solid foundation and then collaborates with coaching experts to dig deeper and demonstrate its practical application. Janet also interviews leaders and partners who excel at the tactics to hear about their implementation journeys, hurdles they’ve faced, and their notable achievements. To bring it all together, she offers a broader perspective on leadership, interviewing guests about a diverse array of topics on their paths to achieving organizational excellence.
Follow for weekly insights and actionable strategies to accelerate your performance and become your best at work!
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Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, Founder and President of Studer Education, for the final Accelerate Your Performance episode of the year as she reflects on the moments, partnerships, and lessons that shaped Studer Education’s path. Dr. Pilcher expresses her deep gratitude for the early leaders who helped lay the foundation for this work and celebrates the enduring impact of aligning culture, strategy, and purpose in education. Recommended Resources: Keep Your Organizational Flywheel Spinning with Gra...
It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges of leadership, but what if our most powerful tool is simply focusing on what's working well? Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher explains how recognizing bright spots creates a powerful loop of purpose and builds the sense of belonging that helps employees know they matter. Recommended Resources: Keep Your Organizational Flywheel Spinning with Gratitude, Wrapping Up the Year with Purpose, How Gratitude Anchors Organizations Follow Host Dr. Janet...
Consistent practices keep the organizational flywheel spinning, and one practice is essential, especially during the holidays: gratitude. In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher explains how intentional appreciation connects people back to the core values of purpose and worthwhile work. Listen to learn how to connect an individual's specific behavior to its organizational impact, sending a clear message of "what right looks like" and strengthening the bond with your school community. Recommended R...
"Culture and strategic improvement—those are inseparable." This is a guiding philosophy of Dr. Jamie Burkhart, Director of Women in Leadership at the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). Joining Dr. Janet Pilcher, Dr. Burkhart discusses her leadership journey and demonstrates why "going slow to go fast" is the only sustainable path to strategic improvement. She also details how MASA's Women in Leadership Initiative has grown from a group of five women to a statewide coh...
"Education is truly the conduit to freedom." This powerful belief drives Superintendent Dr. Tremayne Clardy of the Verona Area School District. Joining Dr. Janet Pilcher, he discusses how the district is strategically establishing literacy as the driving force behind all its work. Dr. Clardy explains why, in today's complex world, strong literacy is the path to student freedom and the one way to ensure every child gains the critical thinking skills necessary to thrive. Listen to hear how this...
Recurring problems demand a shift in focus. In this final rapid-fire episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares three essential steps to move away from blame and toward process improvement. Learn what it takes to reframe discussions, conduct a system audit, and hardwire new, standardized processes for better performance and desired outcomes. Recommended Resources: Empower Your Team by Embracing Accountability, Achieve Operational Efficiency with Process Improvement, Process Improvement Tool: Sto...
External noise is a constant, yet you can be a source of stability and trust. Dr. Janet Pilcher shares three actionable steps educational leaders can take to proactively share their story and build strong allies. In five minutes, learn how to anchor conversations to your scorecard, lead with what's right, and ensure message consistency across your system. Recommended Resources: Save Time with Proactive Communication, Communicate at All Levels, Communicate Clearly, With Simplicity ...
October burnout is real, and the first 90 days are critical for new hires. Don't leave retention to chance. In this second rapid-fire episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher shares three intentional executive actions to help leaders secure their best people and create a culture where staff want to stay. Recommended Resources: Retain New Hires with 30- and 90-Day Conversations, Studer Education 30/90-day Conversation Guide, Create Connections Through Rounding Learn more about and register for DHP Hem...
In the first of four rapid-fire episodes, Dr. Janet Pilcher delivers three essential steps educational leaders can take right now to protect their mission and secure their future. Listen now and learn how to operationalize your budget with discipline and strategic focus. Recommended Resources: Build Trust to Strengthen Culture, Measuring Progress and Fostering Excellence: The Power of Scorecards Learn more about and register for DHP Hemet: https://studereducation.com/dhp-hemet-2025/ Fol...
Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she welcomes Joseph Murley, Director of Finance for Barren County School District, to discuss how a district-wide survey revealed a surprising breakdown in the district's online fundraising system. Joe explains how he then modeled a new survey to pinpoint the root cause of the problem. Finally, he shares the impact of leader rounding, demonstrating how showing care for your people is the foundation for driving connection. This episode answers questions such as: How c...
Visions in Education, a charter school serving nine counties across Northern California, is thriving—even as many districts face declining enrollment. Listen as Chief Operations Officer, Tom Tafoya, discusses their evolution to meet the changing needs of their students and families in their unique online environment. Tom shares how his team approaches each day with a '1% better' philosophy to drive massive efficiencies, grow enrollment, and even catch the eye of Amazon. Listen now and l...
In this final live episode from the Destination High Performance K-12 Leadership Conference, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes Dr. Heidi Eliopoulos, Superintendent of the School District of Altoona. With over two decades in education, Heidi shares her leadership journey—from an "accidental superintendent" to a high-performing leader. Tune in as Dr. Eliopoulos highlights the essential role of leadership coaching. She also discusses how she has successfully hardwired personal connections through pract...
In another live episode recorded at the Destination High Performance K-12 Leadership Conference, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes Superintendent Dr. Casey Nye of D.C. Everest Area School District. Listen as Dr. Nye shares his approach to building and sustaining a strong culture of caring and continuous improvement. He shares how his district: intentionally gathers feedback from families through surveys,uses that data to drive meaningful action,and communicates with empathy and transparency, e...
In this live episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes Dr. Cory Strasser, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for Rapid City Area Schools. In a special conversation recorded at the Destination High Performance K-12 Leadership Conference, Dr. Strasser shares his proven approach to building a "people first" culture. Listen as he reveals how his commitment to intentional, values-based leadership, including strategies like feedback loops and rounding, has led to significant gains in studen...
This week, we close our series celebrating the release of Quint Studer and Dr. Janet Pilcher's book, The Extraordinary Gift: Our Teachers. In this moving episode, Dr. Pilcher shares two more powerful stories about the educators who shape our lives. First, hear from Dr. Pat Greco as she recalls how the simple moments of connection from caring educators helped her find belonging during a childhood of frequent moves. Then, a story from chapter 3 of the book, as Dr. Charlotte Boling shares ...
Dr. Janet Pilcher celebrates her new book, The Extraordinary Gift: Our Teachers, by sharing powerful stories from two Studer Education team members. Listen as Tiffany Latshaw shares how a fourth-grade teacher's belief transformed her life, and hear from Dr. Casey Blochowiak about the school community that became a safe haven during a difficult time. Their experiences reveal how a teacher's simple act of kindness can change a child's life and how a school can become a vital source of security ...
Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she sits down with her co-author, Quint Studer, to discuss their new book, The Extraordinary Gift: Our Teachers. In this special episode, Quint shares his personal and emotional story of how three teachers changed the course of his life and inspired him to become a special education teacher. Listen as they explore the unique challenges and profound impact of the teaching profession, highlighting the importance of gratitude and creating a culture where educators feel ...
Welcome to a truly special episode of Accelerate Your Performance! In this 400th episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher takes us back to the roots of the podcast, celebrating six and a half years of sharing extraordinary leadership stories and journeys of continuous improvement. This episode also kicks off a powerful month-long focus on our gratitude for teachers, introducing Janet's new book with Quint Studer, The Extraordinary Gift: Our Teachers. Tune in to rediscover how what seems ordinary in educati...
Continuing our series on Douglas School District's successful recognition strategies, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes School Nutrition Coordinator Jennifer Garner. Jennifer shares her heartfelt approach to staff appreciation, from personalized notes and engaging team activities to transparent communication. Learn how her dedication creates a culture where every team member feels deeply valued, driving remarkable results like 100% staff retention. This episode addresses questions such as: How...
In the second part of a two-episode series, Dr. Janet Pilcher continues her conversation with Superintendent Rashon Hasan of Plainfield Public Schools. Drawing on his unique blend of education and business experience, Rashon shares advice on building powerful, transparent relationships between school boards and superintendents, emphasizing clarity, consistency, and communication. This episode addresses questions such as: How does a background in operations and finance influence an appro...
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