Leading a school is extraordinarily stressful without a cohesive team that has clarity, communicates expertly, and consistently executes day-to-day.

Motivated by the hope of working with such a productive team, schools across North America  ask us to help them gain advantage through a leadership retreat--one that is designed to advance the disciplines of Leadership Capacity, Organizational Health, and Continuous Improvement.

When do we slow down enough to restore our people and relationships?  When will authentic dialogue take place to more effectively grow?

Our pace of life as education leaders is stressful and unhealthy, yet we also know how important it is to thoughtfully reflect on and renew our calling to this work.

This week we're facilitating two retreats that are designed to do just that: One is a Leadership Planning Retreat to kick off a Strategic Growth Plan, and the other is a Board Retreat for professional development and culture building. 

Putting "Excellence" on the website or in the mission statement doesn't make it true. Excellence starts with a resolute commitment to stop doing average. 

Stop doing what average schools do.
Stop doing what average leaders do. 

Your calling as an educator is one to Excellence, not average!

I read lots of mission statements.
Perhaps that sounds a bit weird, but the mission statement can be an interesting view inside what's going on deep inside the organization.

The Piedmont School has a concise, clear, and compelling mission that really caught my attention during our Board and Leadership Retreat together over the weekend. 

The first quarter of 2021 is almost complete, and it's been a great start to what we believe will be one of the most exciting years in school leadership. 

You've been walking through a hard journey while carrying a heavy load, making it hard to look beyond the challenges of each day. Getting through it was a little easier when you kept your head down and just tried to put one foot in front of the other. 

Left, right. Left, right. Keep going ...

Her stress level was off the charts. Frustrated with what they felt was a lack of leadership and too many unfinished plans, some members of the board were boldly raising the stakes.

They wanted a clear plan to grow enrollment and restore confidence in the direction of the school. Or else...

“Just like a bad relationship, our communication has broken down. You aren’t listening,” said Shawnee Mission School District teacher Amanda Coffman back in February 2020. 

Teachers across the U.S. have been saying the same thing to administrators and school boards for many years, and the volume is even louder now after the disruptions of the 2020 pandemic. 

"Are we supposed to be thoughtful or busy?"
That important question was asked by a board member at a recent Leadership Retreat we facilitated. Balancing activity with mindfulness will always be a challenge for school leaders, especially in times of such overwhelming change and fierce competition. 

As an avid reader of the School Growth blog for many years, I thought that having Scott Barron speak at our annual board retreat would be an excellent way to inspire and challenge our board. We had no idea how fortuitous that training would be, especially what we learned about the Laws of the Grapevine, with the devastating events that unfolded over the next couple of days. 

Have you spent any time with a school administrator? It's a stressful pace, especially in April and May!

Too often he or she hurries from place to place, talking to lots of people but deeply connecting with few. Living in a constant state of overload and chaos, the goal is more survival than strategic growth and relationship building.