Episodes
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Is your staff truly aligned, or are you constantly chasing, checking, and correcting just to keep things moving? Hidden misalignment is one of the biggest reasons schools struggle to sustain momentum and most principals don’t recognize it until it’s too late. In this episode, we’ll explore the three biggest ways misalignment is slowing you down, how to tell if your school has surface-level vs. true alignment, and what the most effective principals do differently to make alignment automatic. If you’ve ever thought, “Things are mostly fine, so why does it feel like I’m pushing so hard?” then this episode is for you. Tune in now to learn how to build a school where alignment happens naturally #LikeABuilder.
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If you’re constantly chasing, checking, and correcting your staff, you don’t have an unmotivated teacher problem—you have an alignment problem. The real reason teachers aren’t fully committed isn’t because they don’t care, it’s because they don’t have the feedback, support, culture, and accountability needed to take full ownership of their work.
In this episode, we’re breaking down the 4 Staff Alignment Levers—Feedback, Support, Culture, and Accountability—and how they help teachers do the right work, the right way, for the right reasons, even when you’re not looking. Plus, I’ll share what to do if you’ve missed the Staff Alignment Challenge and how you can get your personalized Staff Alignment Roadmap in Monday’s live Masterclass. So tune in today to discover how you can get your entire staff aligned #LikeABuilder. -
Missing episodes?
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Are you tired of putting in endless hours chasing small wins that never seem to add up? In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on why small wins and incremental growth are keeping your school stuck—and how Builders achieve transformational, exponential results instead. Discover why your current approach to school improvement might actually be working against you, the hidden cost of fragmented efforts, and the one mindset shift that can align your staff and energize your entire school. If you’re tired of chasing small wins and feeling like you’re on a constant treadmill, today’s episode will help you break free from the grind and create exponential success #LikeABuilder
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Feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty? You're not alone—but Builders have a secret for turning chaos into clarity. In this episode of School Leadership Reimagined, we’re diving into the simple yet powerful steps Builders use to transform even the most overwhelming challenges into manageable, solvable tasks. I’ll walk you through the exact process Builders rely on (and yes, I even pulled out my iPad to sketch it all out—catch the video version on YouTube!). By the end of this episode, you’ll know exactly how to stop stressing over uncertainty and start tackling any challenge you face with confidence and control. So, don’t just manage uncertainty—BU the heck out of it. #LikeABuilder.
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Ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels trying to get your staff on the same page? In this week’s podcast, I’m breaking down what “staff alignment” really means—and why so many traditional leadership strategies fail to achieve it. We’ll explore why compliance isn’t enough, the four key actions that actually drive alignment, and how small shifts in feedback, support, accountability, and culture can transform your team. If you’re ready to stop wasting time on ineffective strategies and start building true alignment around your vision, this episode is for you. Listen now and learn how to align your staff #LikeABuilder.
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I’m pulling back the curtain on how to transform walkthroughs from a dreaded chore into a powerful leadership tool that builds trust, empowers teachers, and drives school-wide success. I’ll share my personal journey of reimagining the walkthrough process—turning it into a meaningful practice that delivers actionable insights, strengthens relationships, and creates a culture of collaboration. Whether walkthroughs feel like just another hoop to jump through or you’re ready to make them truly impactful, this episode will show you how to conduct walkthroughs #LikeABuilder
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Happy New Year! This week, I’m sharing the biggest lessons of 2024 that I am taking with me into 2025. I say “lessons” but it’s really just one big lesson I had to learn over and over again. I’m hoping to save you the trouble by breaking down the lesson here so that you can learn from my mistakes and walk into 2025 more successful #LikeABuilder.
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Today is Christmas and I am spending time with my family but I didn't want to leave you hanging. So here's one of my favorite episodes from last year. Do you feel like you’ve only got this ONE school year to make a difference? If so, you're probably chasing the quick wins, putting an enormous amount of pressure on yourself and your teachers, and staying on the school improvement hamster wheel. Builders don’t operate under that kind of pressure. Instead, Builders play the long game. They think in 3-year time horizons and as a result, accomplish more with significantly less stress. It’s time to get off the hamster wheel. Discover how you too can play the long game #LikeABuilder
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This week, we’re wrapping up our series on Questions Worth Asking with the hardest one yet: Do you REALLY believe in your 100% vision? It seems like a simple question on the surface. You might even be thinking “of course I do!” but let me ask you this: If you truly believed in your vision, would you be doing what you’re doing in your school right now? You see, it’s one thing to believe that your 100% vision is admirable or even desirable. It’s another thing to be convicted that your vision is possible for you. And without that conviction, you may be acting in ways that subtly undermine your vision. So this week’s podcast is a real gut check, one that I had to go through myself. But, I believe it’s one of the most important questions you can ask yourself if you’re going to reach your vision #LikeABuilder.
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Do you know your 80/20? In other words, do you know what work you do that is primarily responsible for the success you’ve gained? And more important, are you investing most of your time and energy in the 20% or are you wasting time on work that is giving you little in return. That’s the question we’re examining as we continue our series on Questions that are worth asking. If you want to see more results for your efforts, it’s critical that you understand your 80/20. So tune in to today’s podcast so that you can discover your 80/20 #LikeABuilder.
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Do you know the impact that every position in your school has on your ability to achieve your 100% vision? It’s a question most administrators never ask themselves even though your ability to achieve your vision relies on the answer to this question. In today’s episode, I’ll talk about why this question is so important and walk you through some examples to help you answer this question for yourself #LikeABuilder.
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What rules are you following that no longer apply? That’s the question we’re considering this week and it’s important because too many of us are being held hostage by rules that no longer apply. But, because Builders question everything, you don’t have to stay trapped by outdated rules. Tune into today’s episode to discover how you can free yourself of the weight of old rules #LikeABuilder.
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Have you ever felt trapped, like your options are limited and you really don’t like any of the options available? Usually, we feel like our only recourse is to hold our noses and choose the least offensive option. But, that’s not what Builders do. You see, if you are a Builder and you don’t like your options, instead of settling for what’s in front of you, you change the game by asking different questions. That’s why this week, we’re starting a brand new series about a few questions that help you change the game and give yourself more and better options. If you’re feeling like you don’t have a lot of options right now and you don’t like the options you do have, tune into this week’s podcast to discover how you can build new options for yourself #LikeABuilder.
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So many leaders complain that they feel constantly overwhelmed. But, when you become a Builder, you realize that it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to live in a state of overwhelm. On today’s episode, I’m sharing how Builders escape feeling overwhelmed. Once you know and live this secret, you’ll know how to eliminate overwhelm from your work. And the more you practice it, the less you’ll be able to remember or relate to the feeling of overwhelm so many administrators experience because you know how to eliminate overwhelm #LikeABuilder.
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Have you ever thought about your job and wondered, “Is this really all there is?”If so, then today’s episode is for you. You see, the reason we can sometimes feel that way has to do with a myth we were all taught to believe about leadership. Today, I’m going to expose that myth and show you how Builders find deep fulfillment in their work. Even if you are completely happy in your role, this episode will protect you from falling into the trap of excellence and help you remain happy and fulfilled in your work. So whether you are currently fulfilled or if you secretly wonder whether this is all there is, today’s episode will help you anchor in the heart of the work #LikeABuilder.
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One of the more misguided pieces of leadership advice out there is that you need to set boundaries with people. I understand the thinking behind the advice, but in practice, boundaries are more designed to keep people out than invite them to partner with you towards a common goal. Plus, the requirement that you “enforce” your boundaries puts all the onus on you. Builders are less concerned about boundaries and more focused on creating shared agreements. That way, both parties are responsible and both parties work together to achieve the desired goals. On today’s episode, I’m breaking down how you can build powerful agreements #LikeABuilder.
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There are a lot of principals who say they want 100%, but in reality, they have gotten pretty comfortable where they are. They’re not the worst school in the district they reason, and they are at least making some tiny incremental gains. So although they would LOVE to do better, things could be worse. Frankly, the system is set up to make us comfortable with “good enough.” But it’s all a trap. On today’s episode, I want to challenge this idea of good enough and shake us all out of our comfort zone. And, if you’ve gotten a little too comfortable lately, my goal is to give you the boost you need to stick to your goals #LikeABuilder.
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There are few things in our jobs more frustrating than having a teacher completely ignore our feedback, especially when we know that things need to improve in their classrooms. The problem isn’t you, it’s the way we were trained. In fact, there are 3 things we were trained to do when giving teachers feedback that actually make our feedback EASY to ignore. On today’s podcast, I’m breaking down those 3 things and show you how to fix them so that you can give teachers feedback that they will embrace and implement #LikeABuilder.
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This is part 2 of a 2-part series on how to build true accountability with teachers. In this episode, discover the 3-step process Builders use to handle it when someone breaks an agreement. Find out how to quickly repair the break and get back on track, how to handle a pattern of agreement breaking without destroying your school culture, and how to use even a tough situation to keep building #LikeABuilder.
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This is part 1 of a 2-part series on how to build true accountability with teachers where you’ll discover the powerful tool Builders use to build true accountability with their staff. Find out the specific 6 steps you need to take to create an accountable agreement and learn why we were trained to “hold teachers accountable” is a trap. By the time you’re done, you’ll know exactly how to set teachers up to do the right work the right way even when you’re not looking #LikeABuilder.
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