When I first stepped into school leadership, I saw myself as a change agent.
In fact, many people expected me to be one.
The board wanted fresh energy.
Parents wanted improvements.
Even some teachers encouraged innovations that would move the school forward.
So, I leaned in.
New programs. New initiatives. New expectations.
I thought this was leadership—spotting what wasn’t working and fixing it, fast.
But what I didn’t fully appreciate was that not everyone was ready.
Read MoreWhen it comes to personal growth, people commonly believe that success requires massive, overnight transformations. The truth is that lasting change is often the result of small, consistent efforts made over time rather than sizable change implemented hurriedly. This is the principle behind the 1% rule: improving by just 1% every day can lead to remarkable results in the long run.
The 1% rule, popularized by James Clear in Atomic Habits, emphasizes the power of small actions and their cumulative effect. Here’s how this principle works and how you can use it to achieve your goals.
Read MoreChange is something we all strive for—whether it’s breaking a bad habit, developing a new skill, or adopting a healthier lifestyle. But anyone who’s tried to make a lasting change knows it’s far from easy. Why is change so difficult, and what does psychology tell us about how to make it stick?
Read MoreThe ability to navigate uncertainty and lead through change has become paramount in today’s ever-evolving landscape. Adaptive leadership, a concept introduced by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, emphasizes the importance of agile, flexible and proactive leaders in addressing complex challenges. This leadership style is not about having all the answers but empowering teams to adapt, innovate and thrive amidst constant change.
Let’s explore some real-life leadership challenges and scenarios to help us better understand what adaptive leadership looks like in practice.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again.
When we look at ourselves in the mirror and start berating ourselves.
“Why can’t you ever keep a resolution even for a single week?”
If you’re one of those, the good news - if you can call it that - is that you’re not alone.
How long do most people’s New Year's resolutions last?
Read MoreIn his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear explains why habits are so difficult to break.
It's because we tend to focus on surface-level actions.
Most people start by focusing on outcome-based goals like...
“I want to lose 20 pounds.”
“I want to write a best-selling book.”
But these are surface level changes.
Read MoreAs leaders, we often face circumstances, such as market conditions, lack of funding, or the absence of internal support, that threaten to derail us. We want to persist anyway but recognize the uphill challenges that we will be facing under such circumstances.
What can leaders do inspire themselves and their people to persevere with their dreams when the odds are stacked against them?
Get a heavy dose of cold water – Leaders who want to succeed when others tell them that success isn’t possible would do well to begin with some honest soul searching. What are the challenges that everyone is talking about? Why are so many predicting your failure? Am I personally biased or do I really have something special here? If, despite their contrarian arguments you feel that your the goal is attainable and you can win, then go for it with everything that you’ve got.
Dear Leader,
Your people are living in a cave and it's your job to get them out of it.
That may sound kind of crazy. But stay with me.
If you’re like most leaders, your people are showing up every day, doing their thing and they don't really have the time, the bandwidth, the interest in learning new things.
They certainly don’t make the time to understand best practices and the innovations, the creativity, the change, that's happening in the world around them.
Often, they’re completely clueless.
