I enjoyed reading this book. There wasn’t anything that was particularly new but I appreciated the reinforcement of what I believe are traits and strategies in an effective coach and educator. I enjoyed the various analogies that were included such as the Horse Whisperer. The vignettes and scenarios added relevancy to the content and it allowed…

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I think it starts with the coach asking questions about the leader’s “why” behind the idea, what would success look like, and how they would measure success. Then I would have a discussion about what they have done in the past that has been successful and how they could build upon those ideas. I would ask them what strengths they have to…

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I have always been one of those people who see other people doing something awesome and I want to replicate it. Early on in my principal career, I was so distracted by every “shiny new thing” that I didn’t get much traction on anything and was certainly not playing to my strengths as a leader. This tendency led to mediocre results (and a…

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The more that you know a person’s story the more empathetic a person can be. Often, we can make snap judgments about why a person is showing certain behavior. These “assumptions” can lead to a lack of trust and resentment. I have made those assumptions too many times to count. As I developed as a leader, I became much more confident in…

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Thirteen years ago I became the principal of a school that had fabulous educators but most were “island practitioners” and not working cohesively. While there was certainly individual successes, the staff didn’t optimally talk with one another, greet each other in the hallway, collaborate, or work toward the same goals. One of the most pivotal…

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I have been told many times by my family to stop treating them like my students/staff. Clearly, I have a tendency to bring my coaching and supervising role into my personal life. HA! Although I do need to be mindful of my role in certain situations, something that I naturally do in most conversations is to try to connect with the person that…

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One of the best learning experiences was taking part in the Lesson Study format with all teachers in the elementary building where I was principal. Lesson Study is a professional development model where a group of teachers micro-plan every aspect of a lesson. One of the adults teaches the lesson twice while the other adults watch and take…

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