Latest posts
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I’m Afraid of Sharks. (#11.5)
You Need an Ego to Survive Leadership. Just Don’t Let It Eat the Kids. Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Someone asked me recently what I’m afraid of. Easy. Sharks. Actual sharks. Ocean sharks. Big teeth. Fins. Swimming around underneath you where you can’t see them. Absolutely not. People sometimes seem…
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Borrowed Belief (#11)
Before People Build Capacity, They Have to Believe They Can Win Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Last week, we talked about keeping promises. About taking the thing we wrote in the strategic plan and making sure it survives the long journey from regional leader to principal to coach to teacher…
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I Answer the Phone. I Am Not a Coward. (#10.5)
A Quick Pour on Leadership, Avoidance, and Caller ID Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Comedian Ali Siddiq has a bit where he says something along the lines of: I answer the phone. I am not a coward. I laughed. And then I thought: Actually…same. I answer the phone. Unknown number?Answer…
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Keep Your Promises (#10)
A Strategic Plan Is Just a Promise Until It Changes What People Do on Tuesday. Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Last week, I asked you to stop adding things. Close the Google Doc. Back away from the tracker. Protect your teachers from your enthusiasm. Hopefully, some of you actually listened.…
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Bad Days Are Chosen, Not Given (#9.5)
One Kid, One Meeting, or One Bad Moment Does Not Get Naming Rights to Your Whole Day Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. I have a theory about bad days in education. We give them away too easily. “I had a terrible day.” Did you? Or did you have a terrible…
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For the Love of Teachers, Stop Adding Things (BUT I CAN’T) (#9)
Every Good Idea Does Not Deserve to Become an Initiative Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. I have a leadership confession. I love a good idea. Like, really love one. Show me a promising instructional strategy, an interesting piece of research, a clever tracker, or a new way to organize data…
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You Can’t Thank Your Way Out of Bad Management (#8)
Appreciation Matters. So Do Clear Expectations, Good Systems, and Doing Your Job. Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Last week, I told you to buy some cards. I told you gratitude matters. I told you people I’ve coached still have cards I wrote them nearly two decades ago. I told you…
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The Cards They Keep (#7)
Why I Write Hundreds of Thank You Notes Every Year Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. I write a lot of cards. Like…a lot. Hundreds a year. I write them to welcome you to the team, recognize your impact in one observation, commiserate over hard weeks, celebrate big wins, celebrate quiet…
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I Have Matches. We Ride at Dawn. (#6.5)
Protecting Your People Doesn’t Mean Protecting Them From Accountability Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. I work in education. Which means I work in bureaucracy. There are policies. Processes. Approval chains. Forms to request the form you actually need. And occasionally, a rule that makes perfect sense to everyone except the…
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Flick the Domino (#6)
Why Great Feedback Starts With the One Move That Changes What Happens Next Uncorking leadership, learning, and the conversations that move schools forward. Two weeks ago, we talked about The Coaching Echo: coach actions should change teacher actions, and teacher actions should change student outcomes. Last week, my rolling desk and I argued that leaders…