Accelerate Your Performance

Can effective leadership create ripple effects that extend beyond school walls? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she connects with Lisa Nellessen Savage of the Pensacola News Journal to highlight the impact of CivicCon on the Pensacola community, and continue listening as she interviews Dr. Angela Bush of Jefferson County Schools, a recent CivicCon presenter, to hear how she spearheaded school improvement efforts that became a catalyst for community transformation. Listen as Dr. Bush emphasizes two of the Nine Principles that have shaped her leadership and explains how the principles she hardwired at Erwin Middle School can be replicated in any school.This episode addresses questions such as:What are the broader impacts of successful leadership within an organization or community?How can well developed systems and processes be hardwired into an organization?What does it look like in practice to develop leaders to develop people?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, From CSI to a Top 5 School: Erwin Middle, a Jefferson County Success Story, Watch CivicCon: Learn how to lead a school out of low performance with Angela Bush, Align Behaviors with Goals and Values

What strategies can leaders use to navigate resistance to change and encourage employee buy-in? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she engages in a conversation with Mrs. Aubree Short, Principal of Los Tules Middle School in Tulare, California, to hear how surveys and rounding have proven to be pivotal tools in her journey toward school improvement. Aubree explains how post-COVID data revealed a need for improvement in climate and culture for both students and teachers. Listen as she reveals how collaboration amongst high performing employees has transformed Los Tules from a trauma-informed school to a trauma-sensitive school through the implementation of the Ready to Learn program. This episode answers questions such as:How do data-driven insights transform school culture?What role do high-performing employees play in rolling out organizational changes?How can rounding with students and teachers be used to improve the change process?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Charting the Course: Leadership Strategies for Managing Change in Education, Coaching High Performers Through Resistance to Change, Fostering Resilient Learners

Inviting input from high performers early and often in the change process is one of the major keys to managing resistance in organizations. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she welcomes Dr. Charlotte Boling, a Leader Coach at Studer Education, to share how she coaches her partners to proactively prepare employees for success throughout the change process.  Listen as Charlotte elaborates on the necessity of "facing the brutal facts"  and explains how engaging high performers helps leaders to identify potential challenges and provide necessary support through organizational shifts.This episode addresses questions such as:How does "facing the brutal facts" help leaders implement change?What proactive measures can leaders take to set up employees for success throughout the change process?How can leaders create a supportive culture that encourages feedback from high performers?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Charting the Course: Leadership Strategies for Managing Change in Education, Resistance to Change, Connecting with High Performers

How can leaders support high performers through organizational change? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher to hear actionable strategies for managing resistance to change among top performers. Listen now to hear how leaders can effectively guide employees through each phase of change, ensure a smoother transition process, and maintain high performance through organizational shifts.This episode addresses questions such as:What are the four phases of change, and why are they important to understand?Why do high performers sometimes struggle with change despite their past successes?How can leaders involve high performers throughout the change process?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Charting the Course: Leadership Strategies for Managing Change in Education, Pay Attention to the Right Work, Did That Question Catch You Off Guard?

What is rounding like in action? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Deanna Ashby, Senior Director of Coaching at Studer Education, to hear about how rounding has positively impacted three of her partner districts in Kentucky. DeDe shares insights into how Graves County, Oldham County, and Meade County Schools have each customized rounding to build meaningful connections, share feedback and action steps, and address specific needs. Listen now as Janet and DeDe role play an actual rounding conversation about DeDe’s experiences at the Kentucky School Board Association conference, providing a firsthand example of what rounding entails.This episode addresses questions such as: How can rounding help leaders build connections to recruit and retain employees?Who should leaders round with, and how often?What results have partner districts experienced as a result of implementing rounding strategies?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Create Connections Through Rounding, Rounding for Success: A Superintendent's Journey from Skepticism to Impact, Rounding with Purpose

How do we build great workplace cultures to keep exceptional employees on our team? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education,, as she explains how rounding is key to building environments where employees feel motivated and deeply connected to their work. Janet emphasizes how rounding helps leaders address any challenges that get in the way of employees being able to do their best work and demonstrates how rounding can be used to recognize bright spots and people who are doing good work. Listen now to learn to how we round, why we round, and what questions to ask our employees when we round.This episode addresses questions such as:How does rounding build a deep connection between employees and their work?What key questions should drive rounding conversations?How can the 3 to 1 tactic be utilized in rounding conversations to build an emotional bank account?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Master the Art of Feedback, Essential Components of Healthy Workplace Cultures, Rounding for Success: A Superintendent's Journey from Skepticism to Impact

How can school districts prioritize amplifying student voice? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she explores the impact of student feedback with Dr. Candace Pelt-Perez, Superintendent of Central Linn School District, and Celeste Van Cleave, District Business Manager. Together, they discuss the integration of student surveys into short-term improvement cycles, resulting in significant outcomes such as collaborating with students to address school bus safety concerns and expanding cafeteria menu choices. Listen now to learn how the collaboration between students and adults continues to drive positive cultural shifts within Central Linn School District.This episode answers questions such as:What role does student input play in the overall strategic planning process? How can results from student surveys be used to identify and implement short term cycles of improvement?How does the partnership between students and adults cultivate trust and goodwill?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Building Bridges: A Superintendent’s Journey to Create a Community-Driven Strategic Plan,  Using Student Voice to Help Shape District Plans, Continuous Improvement to Support Students 

It’s one thing to create a strategic plan, but it’s another altogether to execute it with precision. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she speaks with Superintendent Brian Sica of Banks School District to hear how he initiated the strategic planning process and began regularly implementing short cycles of improvement during his first year as superintendent. Listen as Dr. Sica highlights specific needs and challenges his district faced as well as the critical role of balancing culture and strategy throughout the process of achieving organizational excellence.This episode addresses questions such as:What steps can leaders take to establish trust within the community?How do culture and strategy intertwine to support organizational success?How can strategic planning build trust and foster professional growth within the leadership team?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Plan Strategically for Success, The Power of Collaboration in Strategic Planning, Building Bridges: A Superintendent’s Journey to Create a Community-Driven Strategic Plan

How do leading organizations stay ahead of the curve? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she delves into the intricacies of strategic planning with Dr. Casey Blochowiak, a Coach Senior Director at Studer Education. As a companion to last week’s high-level overview of strategic planning, this week’s episode dives into crucial aspects like how to form a strong steering committee and the pivotal role of executive leadership throughout the planning process. Listen now to also hear a roleplay between Janet and Casey demonstrating how coaches collaborate with partners to set a clear strategic vision for organizational excellence. This episode answers questions such as:What is the role of coaches in the strategic planning process?How do you select members for the strategic planning team, and what role do they play?How does strategic planning help organizations navigate industry trends and future challenges?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Plan Strategically for Success,  Mindfulness and Reflection Practices for Leaders and Teams, Listen to People to Continuously Improve

Balancing the emotional and rational aspects of leadership is complex, but with strategic planning, organizations can build alignment to drive success. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, as she outlines the steps involved in creating a strategic plan and identifies questions that leaders can answer to create organizational alignment. This episode answers questions such as:How can leadership effectively acknowledge both the rational and emotional components of the organization?What is the purpose of a strategic plan, and how is it used to promote successful outcomes?How does each step of the plan build upon the last to create better alignment?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, How Can We Build Strategic Agility for Continuous Change?, Building Bridges: A Superintendent’s Journey to Create a Community-Driven Strategic Plan, Mastering the Art of Reflection: A Superintendent’s Guide to Progress and Impact

Service excellence is a cornerstone of thriving organizations. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she revisits past episodes with Donna Kirby, Vice President of Experience at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, to hear how she’s created a culture of service excellence within her team. Hear how Donna transforms customers into loyal fans and learn the three tactics she employs to apply consistent and exceptional service delivery.This episode addresses questions such as:How can practicing reward and recognition for employees positively impact the customer experience?How can customer survey results be used to deliver real-time solutions?How can leaders empower their employees to tackle challenges and find innovative solutions?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Vulnerability is at the Heart of Service Excellence, Service Recovery That Knocks it Out of the Park, Service Excellence: Always Behaviors That Increase Performance Metrics  

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, wraps up her deep dive into mastering the art of constructive feedback. Joining her on this episode is Jon Malone, the Director and CEO of the Northwestern Illinois Association, to discuss the use of the three to one ratio in providing positive reinforcement while also challenging employees to distribute their high performance. Jon also shares insights into the deliberate and intentional work that must be done before conducting performance conversations. Lastly, Jon explains the creation and implementation of a decision-impact conversation template that employees can initiate with their leaders that allows leaders the opportunity to model the willingness to receive critical feedback around their decisions. Listen now to gain valuable insights and practical strategies on planning for and delivering constructive feedback to achieve positive outcomes.This episode addresses questions such as: How can feedback conversations be utilized to continue building an emotional bank account?What are specific actions leaders can take to prepare for giving effective constructive feedback?How does the decision-impact conversation template empower employees to initiate feedback conversations with their leaders?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Foster Confidence with Constructive Feedback, Master the Art of Feedback, Develop and Apply Standards of Excellence, Vulnerability is at the Heart of Service Excellence  

Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, continues the conversation from last week about the pivotal role of feedback in achieving important people outcomes within organizations. Joining her is Dr. KK Owen, a leader coach at Studer Education, to explore effective tactics for delivering genuine, timely, and specific feedback to employees. They’ll discuss the concept of building an emotional bank account to create trust, and they’ll also demonstrate the three to one tactic, illustrated through a role play for clearer understanding. Listen as Dr. Pilcher and Dr. Owen continue to explore the transformative impact of feedback on fostering relationships with employees and how it can serve as a tool for re-recruitment.This episode addresses questions such as: How can leaders be genuine, timely, and specific with their feedback?What is the three to one ratio, and how can it be utilized effectively?How does feedback influence organizational culture?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Foster Confidence with Constructive Feedback, Essential Components of Healthy Workplace Cultures, Provide Performance Feedback Aligned to Values

What is goodwill, and how do we know if we’re practicing it? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she guides us through the journey of measuring our own personal goodwill and explains how we can radiate it to others, even during the busiest season of the year. Listen as she reflects on how even the most routine of encounters can emit warmth when infused with goodwill.Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Pursue Gratitude and Goodwill, The Value of Kindness,  Build Trust With Intentional Kindness

Receiving positive feedback is transformative. It builds confidence, reduces anxiety, and helps individuals improve. Listen now as Dr. Janet Pilcher, author of Hardwiring Excellence in Education, emphasizes the importance of praising what’s right and sets the stage for future episodes on tactics you can use to give constructive feedback to the employees in your organization.This episode addresses questions such as:What is the purpose of giving feedback to employees?How does the shift in mindset from evaluation to recognition contribute to high-performance outcomes?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Do People Really Want Feedback?, Feedback is a Gift...or is it?, Provide Performance Feedback Aligned to Values

How can leaders use Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs) as a strategic tool to achieve successful outcomes? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher for the latest episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast where she defines what a BHAG is and urges organizations to set such long-term goals guided by core values and purpose to succeed in a world shaped by the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen as Janet discusses how these goals contribute to an organization’s overall vision, igniting and building collective greatness. Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Refresh Strategic Goals to Move Forward, Align Behaviors with Goals and Values, Define Guiding Actions to Live by

Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she engages in a conversation with Dr. Shelly Viramontez, Superintendent, and Ms. Whitney Holton, Associate Superintendent, of Campbell Union School District in Campbell, California. Dr. Viramontez discusses her commitment to leadership development, particularly focusing on aligning systems and streamlining processes so leaders can focus on meaningful and impactful work. She also shares specific examples of process improvements that have achieved significant outcomes. Additionally, Ms. Holton highlights how the district is implementing continuous improvement down to the classroom level. Listen now to hear Dr. Viramontez and Ms. Holton explain how the organizational shift from compliance to commitment is fostering a positive culture within the district.This episode addresses questions such as:How does collaboration across departments boost organizational efficiency?What positive results are achieved through intentional data collection in monitoring classroom progress?How do you empower teachers to lead the work of continuous improvement at the classroom level?Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Continuous Improvement Through Leadership , Simple Strategies for Classroom Improvement, Empower Your Team: Using Plus/Delta as a Template for Making Improvement Decisions 

How do gratitude and goodwill enhance the quality and richness of life? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she invites us to reflect on the power of small acts that, when multiplied, shape a more harmonious and compassionate world. Listen as Janet reminds us to create a context of warmth and balance with every gentle gesture of goodness leading to the next. Recommended Resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Finding Purpose Outside of Work, Reflect to Overpower Hate, Show Your Gratitude

Join us for part two of Dr. Janet Pilcher’s thought-provoking conversation with Superintendent Rob Clayton of Warren County Public Schools. In this episode, they dive into how Mr. Clayton has built trust, courage, ownership, and commitment with his team by leading with intention and transparency to achieve organizational excellence. They also discuss the importance of data-driven decision-making and systematic review processes to encourage a culture of accountability and alignment. Lastly, Mr. Clayton highlights the ultimate goal of ensuring student success by focusing on the continued investment in and development of the adults who play a pivotal role in students' educational journeys.This episode addresses questions such as:How does collaboration positively influence the executive decision-making process? What is the beneficial influence on students when support is provided to the adults within an organization?How does instilling a sense of pride and ownership within a team create a culture where employees are assertive and empowered?Recommended resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Achieve Accountability Through Consistency and Communication, Building Transparency and Trust, Listening to Parents and Students via Pulse Surveys 

Join us as Dr. Janet Pilcher sits down with Mr. Rob Clayton of Warren County Public Schools for a compelling conversation about accountability, leadership consistency, and the transformative power of intentional communication. Tune in as Mr. Clayton describes the role of accountability in achieving organizational goals and how he is actively embedding his commitment to accountability into the district’s culture. He also discusses how he uses the core values of being respectful, ethical, professional, and nurturing to establish consistency in leadership practices across the entire organization. Listen as Mr. Clayton delves into his experience of practicing intentional listening and soliciting and using feedback to help him build strong relationships and achieve positive outcomes within the district.This episode addresses questions such as:What role does accountability play in achieving organizational excellence?How does consistency in leadership practices provide support for eventual transitions?How can leaders successfully demonstrate intentional listening?Recommended resources: Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework, Building Transparency and Trust, Develop Accountability to Develop Leadership, The Maturity Model: Phases of Improvement in Organizational Excellence