Be In It For the Long Haul: I met with Dr. Barb Flowers, a veteran educator and life coach. We had a great conversation around building more sustainable leadership practices. Be sure to check out her podcast, The Principal’s Handbook. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Be Present in the Classroom
2. Set Boundaries
3. Prioritize

Also, be sure to check out the Be Podcast Network, which hosts this podcast and Dr. Flower's podcast!

I met with Dr. Robyn Hansen, a professor at NAU and former principal and president of NAESP. She has written the book, The Principal’s Desk Reference To Professional Standards - be sure to get a copy! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Never Say No to Growth Opportunities

2. Balance Through Shared Leadership

3. Time Management and Reflective Practice

Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed more than 80 educational leaders across the country, and a few from Canada and Australia. This was a personal project to learn as much as possible about school leadership. The process pushed me out of my comfort zone, and some major themes emerged. I’ve turned several into what I call the Leadership FRAMEwork:

F - Find opportunities

R - Relationships

A - Align your values, goals, and passions

M - Master Your Craft

E - Execute and take action

Don’t Wait Around for a Stamp of Approval: I met with Chris Ballew, former lead singer of The Presidents of the United States, and former children’s musician, Casper Babypants. We had an awesome conversation that went in directions I wasn’t anticipating. Be sure to checkout his website or listen to his music on your favorite streaming platform. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Creativity is a Lifelong Journey

2. Stay True to Your Passion

3. Be Present

You are in the people investment business! I met with Dr. Peter Rios for a great and engaging conversation. Dr. Rios is on a mission along with his spouse, Dr. Ruby Gonzalez-Rios, to build and develop people so they can maximize their potential and live healthy fulfilled lives. He recently wrote a book called Maximize! Be sure to check it out along with his services on his website: https://peter-rios-consulting-llc.mykajabi.com/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. The Power of Purpose

2. Maximize!

3. Take Time Off

Building Active Players: I met with Camille Empey, an associate principal in Washington, and soon to be full-time entrepreneur. She is embarking on a journey to start filling some gaps that she has noticed while working in school systems. She is providing great opportunities for students, starting with summer camps - check it out here: https://www.buildingactiveplayers.com/ She also provides coaching and professional development for school leaders involved with bilingual education. Check that out here - https://www.buildingactiveplayers.net/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Be Committed to Professional Growth

2. Take a Leap of Faith

3. Don’t Be a ‘Non-Playable Character’

How Are You Building Community? I met with Khalid Maxie, the principal of Jesuit High School in Portland, OR. Khalid and I have known each other for a long time. Over the years, he has been a colleague, friend, mentor, and even a workout partner! I went to visit him at his school recently, and we had a broad-ranging conversation. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Build Community

2. Institutional Respect

3. Get Involved

Have Laser-Like Focus: I met with Dr. Shon Hocker, the superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene school district. We had an excellent conversation spanning a lot of topics. Dr. Hocker is a thoughtful and strategic leader, and his leadership is clearly working - Coeur d’Alene is ranked in the top 2 for most achievement categories in Idaho. Check out the district website for more of their great work.

1. Be A True Servant Leader

2. Continuous Learning and Work-Life Balance

3. Strategic Focus - Less is More