The Private School Leader Podcast
The Private School Leader Podcast exists to help you go from SURVIVING to THRIVING as you lead your school. Do you ever feel lonely and isolated in your role as a private school leader? Do you wish that you could get back to what really energizes you (making a difference in the lives of your students)? Do you want to have a long AND fulfilling career in private school education? Are you an aspiring Head of School and you want to accelerate your leadership growth? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then the Private School Leader Podcast is f...
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Episode 186: Confidence Is A Result, Not A Prerequisite
<p>confidence</p> <p>noun</p> <p>us /ˈkɑːn.fə.dəns/ uk /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/</p> <p>the quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future</p> <p>prerequisite</p> <p>noun [ C ] formal</p> <p>us /ˌpriːˈrek.wə.zɪt/ uk /ˌpriːˈrek.wɪ.zɪt/</p> <p>something that must exist or happen before something else can exist or happen</p> <p>I think many private school leaders believe the following statement without realizing they believe it: “I’ll do that once I feel more confident.”</p> <p>The...
Episode 185: There's No Such Thing As A Secret In A Private School (Let's Fix That)
<p>Has this ever happened to you?</p> <p>You tell one person something in confidence. And then somehow, by the end of the day:</p> Two teachers are talking about it in the hallway Three parents know A board member texts you and says, “I heard that you said…” <p>Do you?</p> Say to yourself, “Oh well, no such thing as a secret in a private school!” Throw up your hands Just figure “it is what it is” <p>The problem with just giving up every time there is a leak is that “what you allow will continue.”</p> <p>A lack of con...
Episode 184: How To Avoid The #1 Mistake That You're Making With Upset Parents
<p>Let me ask you a question.</p> <p>Have you ever walked into a meeting with an upset parent and thought:</p> “OK, I just need to stay calm, explain the facts, and this will be fine.” <p>And then 10 minutes later…</p> The parent is more upset. You’re starting to feel defensive. The conversation is going sideways. And you’re thinking, “How did we get here?” <p>There is a common mistake that many private school leaders make in this situation. It leads to parents getting more upset than they were when the meeting started. We need to identify th...
Episode 183: The 3 Keys To Having A Strong Finish To This School Year
<p>You have probably heard the quote that “a school year is a marathon, not a sprint.”</p> <p>That being said, the weeks between now and the last day of school sure feel like a sprint. Not only that, when you get close to the finish line it feels like it just keeps moving farther and farther away. </p> <p>You are about to start “The 100 Days of May” (one of my coaching clients told me that they call it “Maycember” at her school) and the packed calendar that goes along with it. Over the next 6 weeks, you and your teachers...
Episode 182: You Can't Make Everyone Happy, So Stop Trying
<p>You have so many people that you serve. </p> <p>Students, parents, teachers, staff, board members, coaches, volunteers, grandparents, donors and alumni make up just a part of your entire school community.</p> <p>All of these people have different needs, which lead to competing priorities. It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep everyone happy.</p> <p>I know. I tried for years to keep everyone happy.</p> <p>It doesn’t work. It is also exhausting.</p> <p>On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, I want to remind you that You Can't Make Everyone Happy, So Stop T...
Episode 181: The Leadership Lie That Is Keeping You Stuck
<p>On August 15, 1973, Richard Nixon gave a televised address to the American people from the White House.</p> <p>During that speech, Nixon said, “I had no knowledge of the Watergate break-in and I had no involvement in it.” His supporters believed him, but the investigation would eventually reveal that he had lied.</p> <p>The Watergate tapes were released to the American public on August 5, 1974. Just 3 days later, Richard Nixon became the only President to resign and Watergate became known as the largest scandal in the history of American politics.</p> <p>When we tell a lie, there are usua...
Episode 180: The Email That You Should Never Send
<p>Has this ever happened to you? </p> You receive an email from an upset parent, an upset teacher or an upset board member. The email makes you angry. You immediately write a response to that upsetting email. You hit send. And almost immediately, you wish you hadn’t. <p>You wish that you could put the “toothpaste back in the tube”, but you can’t. You wish that you had a time machine, but you don’t.</p> <p>This has happened to me far too many times during my career. Unfortunately, it usually made things worse, damaged trust that I had...
Episode 179: How To Be The Leader Your School Needs You To Be Right Now
<p>Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I was a basketball coach. I coached Boy’s Varsity for nine years and coached 5th/6th Grade Girls for seven years.</p> <p>I wasn’t the same coach the entire game:</p> If my team was making a lot of mistakes, they needed a teacher. If my team was down by a lot of points, they needed an encourager. If my team was not playing up to their potential, they needed a motivator. <p>My team needed me to be a different kind of coach at different times during the season o...
Episode 178: 5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Enrollment Before August
<p>Where I live, we are lucky enough to have all four seasons. Last week, I saw the first robin of the year and some of the daffodils are starting to pop up. </p> <p>Spring is a wonderful season because it means winter is over and everything will be lush and green in just a few weeks.</p> <p>Unfortunately, this is not necessarily a wonderful season for private school leaders. Why? Two words. Enrollment Season.</p> <p>I think that there are three reasons why so many private school leaders get so stressed out about their enrollment numbers a...
Episode 177: Extraordinary Empathy: The Hug That Changed Everything
<p>On October 17, 1995, Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. The twins were 12 weeks premature and each baby weighed just two pounds. </p> <p>Kyrie was gaining weight in the days following their birth, but Brielle was having difficulty breathing, and her oxygen levels were dropping critically low.</p> <p>Nurse Gayle Kasparian, who was on duty that night, tried everything she knew to calm the baby girl. But nothing worked. As the minutes passed by and Brielle’s crying became uncontrollable, her condition worsened, and she started to turn blue.</p> <p>Wha...
