Top 5 Themes from 2024: I want to end the year by highlighting some of the big themes that have come from my leadership conversations. This year I did significantly fewer posts than 2023, but there were still a lot of great things I learned. It was hard to narrow it down to 5, and at the end of the post I list 8 other topics that could have been towards the top as well. These 5 topics came up the most often by the most number of leaders. Here are the top 5 themes from 2024:

1. Relationships
2. Culture is What You Allow
3. Empower Others
4. Leader Wellness and Sustainability
5. Purpose Driven and Intentional Leadership

Increase the Humanity You Have With People: I met with Jethro Jones, a veteran school leader and coach. We had an awesome conversation and we ended up spending a lot of the time talking about productivity for school leaders. You will want to listen to the full episode to hear Jethro’s ideas on getting the most done in your day, while still being able to focus on the people in your building. You can learn more about Jethro on his website: https://www.jethrojones.com/ and you can find his productivity tools here: https://jethro.site/tools. Here are 3 main takeaways I had from the conversation:

1. Be Curious
2. Get the Biggest Return on Your Time
3. Balance comes in Seasons

Be In It For the Long Haul: I met with Dr. Barb Flowers, a veteran educator and life coach. We had a great conversation around building more sustainable leadership practices. Be sure to check out her podcast, The Principal’s Handbook. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Be Present in the Classroom
2. Set Boundaries
3. Prioritize

Also, be sure to check out the Be Podcast Network, which hosts this podcast and Dr. Flower's podcast!

I met with Dr. Robyn Hansen, a professor at NAU and former principal and president of NAESP. She has written the book, The Principal’s Desk Reference To Professional Standards - be sure to get a copy! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Never Say No to Growth Opportunities

2. Balance Through Shared Leadership

3. Time Management and Reflective Practice

Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed more than 80 educational leaders across the country, and a few from Canada and Australia. This was a personal project to learn as much as possible about school leadership. The process pushed me out of my comfort zone, and some major themes emerged. I’ve turned several into what I call the Leadership FRAMEwork:

F - Find opportunities

R - Relationships

A - Align your values, goals, and passions

M - Master Your Craft

E - Execute and take action

Don’t Wait Around for a Stamp of Approval: I met with Chris Ballew, former lead singer of The Presidents of the United States, and former children’s musician, Casper Babypants. We had an awesome conversation that went in directions I wasn’t anticipating. Be sure to checkout his website or listen to his music on your favorite streaming platform. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Creativity is a Lifelong Journey

2. Stay True to Your Passion

3. Be Present

You are in the people investment business! I met with Dr. Peter Rios for a great and engaging conversation. Dr. Rios is on a mission along with his spouse, Dr. Ruby Gonzalez-Rios, to build and develop people so they can maximize their potential and live healthy fulfilled lives. He recently wrote a book called Maximize! Be sure to check it out along with his services on his website: https://peter-rios-consulting-llc.mykajabi.com/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. The Power of Purpose

2. Maximize!

3. Take Time Off

Building Active Players: I met with Camille Empey, an associate principal in Washington, and soon to be full-time entrepreneur. She is embarking on a journey to start filling some gaps that she has noticed while working in school systems. She is providing great opportunities for students, starting with summer camps - check it out here: https://www.buildingactiveplayers.com/ She also provides coaching and professional development for school leaders involved with bilingual education. Check that out here - https://www.buildingactiveplayers.net/ We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways.

1. Be Committed to Professional Growth

2. Take a Leap of Faith

3. Don’t Be a ‘Non-Playable Character’