Cultivating respect and trust is fundamental to the mission of every school, but spending so much time together and knowing each other so deeply can produce a fragile environment.

Research and experience demonstrates that the more people learn about each other, the less they tend to like them. So how do we overcome this inclination, moving beyond contempt to thrive in our differences?

In our August workshops to launch the new school year for schools throughout the U.S., educators are focused on three questions to make this year even more successful:

1. Are we on the pathway to Authentic, Sustainable Excellence?
2. What could degrade our unity in pursuit of our mission this year?
3. How will we measure progress each quarter?

Testing is a big deal these days. Testing for a contagious disease. Testing for student progress. How about a school ambassador test?

Your school needs board members, employees, families, and donors to test positive for willingly and energetically sharing your story with others. 

It's 90 Days to Teacher Appreciation Week!  May 4, 2020, is the magical day when educators across the United States will experience 5 days of euphoria with gifts showered upon them and all forms of gratitude expressed.

But what about the rest of the year? What if Teacher Appreciation started at the beginning rather than the end? Why wait?

"We're an innovative school where teachers and families love to connect. They constantly tell us how excited they are about our curriculum and commitment to excellence. but we just aren't growing. We need help!"

The call came in a few months ago while we were preparing to teach a Servant Leadership workshop at the SAIS Summer Institute. Frustrated by lackluster results, the administrators on the phone were eager to figure out the root causes and find a path forward.

Effective School Leadership requires knowing how to navigate the challenges of dealing with people who poison the culture. These issues can’t be ignored because they don’t just go away and they negatively impact your relationships in a very competitive market.

In the current School Growth video course on Overcoming the Biggest Challenges to Grow, we share three imperatives for protecting your school from poisonous people.

Trusted, engaged relationships are the key to sustaining and growing a school. Without them you fail. On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, in Asheville, NC, I will host a one-day workshop in partnership with MISBO to explore both the art and the science (heck, we'll make it a full STEAM experience) of relationships within the complex realities of a school.