Years ago, Atul Gawande wrote an article called "Personal Best" in The New Yorker. He explores the question, "Should a surgeon have a coach?"
Think about it. If top performers in every other industry have coaches, then why not surgeons?
Any athlete at the top of their game has a coach. Most musicians have coaches too. Actors and actresses have coaches.
So why not surgeons?
Life is on the line everyday in their profession.
And why not principals?
Surely, principals and assistant principals should experience leadership coaching too.
The stakes are also high in education.
Student achievement and the doors opened via an excellent educational experience matter.
But in reality, the data shows that principals are not utilizing this kind of professional development.
A 2020 research study done by the Learning Policy Institute and NAESP found that 23% of school leaders had access to a mentor or coach in the past two years (and only 10% of principals who served in high-poverty schools).
Said another way: The majority of school leaders do not receive additional support in the form of coaching and mentorship.
So it would be unrealistic for district leaders to expect administrators to improve student learning, elevate instruction, develop teacher leaders, and build a world-class culture, without this kind of support.
All these practices are less likely to occur without districts providing adequate support to school principals in the form of coaching.
Of all the school improvement initiatives that districts could make a priority, offering their administrators coaching should be at the top of the list.
But alas, even if a district provides principal coaching, many principals have excuses for why they don't pursue professional learning in the form of coaching.
And I do use the word excuses intentionally.
In any principal-coach relationship, it is important to be compassionate and candid.
Often leaders hide behind the "excuse" of a challenge. It let's them off the hook. Permission granted to play small.
I believe there is always a solution to a challenge.
And if you agree, then there is no place for excuses to exist.
I define an excuse as this way: A challenge a leader has internalized so they can continue to "play small" and push ownership to anyone or anything else but themselves.
So back to what the data shows about excuses ...
Research shows principals did not take advantage of coaching and mentorship because:
The best principals share many qualities.
At the top of the list is the ability to flip obstacles into opportunities.
In the next section, you'll learn how to turn each of the most common excuses into excellent opportunities for professional growth.
Of all the constraints a principal faces, time is the biggest perceived challenge.
In education, I call the least effective administrators -- Play-It-Safe Principals.
Play-It-Safe-Principals love to say, "There's never enough time."
But let's say that principal is offered a new opportunity tomorrow ...
Maybe they move from a small elementary school to a large comprehensive high school with 2000+ students. Does that principal now have more time?
What if the principal becomes a Superintendent ... Do systems level leaders at the systems all of a sudden have more time?
What if a principal ascends to Commissioner of Education or even the Secretary of Education ... Do leaders at the state and national level have any more time?
Imagine if you had to have emergency surgery tomorrow. Would you "find" the time to have it?
When people say they don't have enough time, here's what they are really saying:
I did not prioritize this thing I previously said I didn't have time for.
That's the truth. And as a leadership coach, I tell my clients the truth.
A funny thing happens when commit to stop complaining about time.
Just like that, your number one excuse vanishes.
You start readjusting your schedule. You focus on the priority.
Everything else can wait.
My favorite kind of leader to work with is what I call a Ruckus Maker.
Ruckus Makers are highly effective leaders who:
One way they challenge the status quo is by creating their Ruckus Maker Rules™.
Play-It-Safe-Principals -- are overwhelmed, stressed out, and say YES to everything ...
Ruckus Makers establish firm rules, aligned to their values, and focuses on the most important work.
As a result, they are able to create tremendous value for the districts they serve.
I have three personal rules:
So if you want to create your very own Ruckus Maker Rules™ you can do three things:
Once you have your riles established, practice them. No person is perfect. Learning is part of the adventure.
Making a choice today, "I'm the kind of person who invests in coaching."
At Better Leaders Better Schools, we believe "When YOU get better … Everyone wins."
That's why it's such a tragedy that over 75% of principals lack access to a mentor or coach.
Understand this: when you get better, your community gets better too.
You are worth it. Your community is worth it. Invest in coaching today.
You don't need building coverage to work with a mentor or coach and develop your leadership skills.
The majority of my one-on-one clients meet during their lunch or during the school day when their team of administrators can "cover" for them.
Emergencies do happen and most "emergencies" administrators are pulled into are actually not emergencies.
A school leader can easily take an hour once or twice a month to engage with a coach to practice self reflection and deep thinking if coaching is prioritized.
If you are a solo principal, it can be hard to engage during the day.
Luckily, Better Leaders Better Schools offers ten mastermind cohorts (Monday-Thursday) that meet after school hours -- no coverage necessary.
Educate yourself on the type of funds available in your school or district.
Some systems have very tight rules and every dollar is controlled by central office.
Other systems allow their leaders to choose how to invest their school resources.
Over the years, leaders we support have been very creative funding their one-on-one coaching, their Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ membership, their Principal Success Path™ participation.
Some of those creative ways have been leveraging:
Most professional development is bad because it's:
I think that's because professional learning is often an after thought.
There's money left over in the budget and districts don't want to lose that funding.
"Who can we bring in to inspire our school leaders and teachers?"
It's not a strategic decision, and as a result, it's a flop.
Coaching is effective when grounded in the ABCs of Powerful Professional Development®. Authenticity, Belonging, and Challenge are the building blocks of effective coaching.
At Better Leaders Better Schools, we only offer Responsive, Relevant, and Results Oriented Professional Development™ and publicly share a variety of case studies that show how our clients have become even more effective school leaders in our coaching programs.
We also openly share what our members say about their experience.
We are a learning organization and we are happy to share the research results we collect and what our "students" are teaching us about effective coaching.
Here's a quick video unpacking the Q4 2022 quarterly survey results.
After watching the video, click the first comment on YouTube or right here to read the open-ended responses our clients shared.
Generally speaking you will improve your leadership skills across a wide range of areas, including:
Whenever you are ready, check out our two flagship mentoring programs that support school improvement via principal coaching.
The Mastermind is an annual commitment. A weekly experience transforming PD for school leaders. Learn more about The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ here.
If you work at the district level, please connect with me via email ([email protected]), LinkedIn, or call/text me at 312-788-7595 to learn more about how we support leaders via effective coaching.
It would be an honor to serve leaders in your system.
As a chronically late student, Danny Bauer once told his Chemistry teacher a fib about saving an entire girl scout troop from a burning building to get out of a tardy.
Danny is not sure if it was the very made up story, the very real cookie he offered his teacher, or a combination of both that got him out of a detention that day …
That experience taught him it pays to develop your storytelling skills.
Danny has been telling stories since then, most recently on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts, and via his two bestselling books, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader and Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan.
He also loves telling stories while facilitating in person leadership workshops at national conferences and for school districts.
Danny’s mission is to help Ruckus Makers Do School Different™.
Soniya, hailing from the culturally rich land of India, is a dynamic professional in the field of web services, crafting digital landscapes. Soniya’s journey into the world of technology is a testament to her unwavering passion and commitment to excellence, transforming ideas into impactful online realities.
Since 2022, Soniya has played an important role in supporting BLBS with her comprehensive website services.
She loves to travel and cook new recipes.
Music is an inspiring art form. Sound is conveyed via the air to the ears of living beings, and each being perceives it in its own unique way, eliciting a certain feeling. Dragan feels the same sensation every time he hears music, from infancy to now, as if it were a part of his existence that he couldn’t fathom living without. Dragan opted to deal with sound his entire life despite his formal degree, and today he is one of the most passionate audio producers you can meet and chat to about sound and music all day long. His enthusiasm for audio production, student-like thinking, and curiosity keep him continually mobile in generating new, quality, and enjoyable sound on a regular basis.
Dragan has been producing BLBS audio and video content since 2020.
My passion for both baseball and literature was the initial catalyst that led me into education. Growing up as a softball player and a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs from the North Side of the city, I developed a profound appreciation for the South Side of Chicago, not enough to convert me into a White Sox fan. As a National Board certified teacher, with over 16 years of experience on Chicago’s South Side, my journey as an educator has taken me from my roots in the Windy City to Virginia, as an instructional coach.
From the very beginning, I have been an unwavering believer in the philosophy of BLBS. My journey alongside Danny has been one of daring innovation and audacity, right from the moment he challenged me to say, “boom” and drop the mic during our initial city-wide professional development event. He has cultivated a team capable of winning a World Series, and I am deeply honored to be a part of this community of individuals who consistently push the boundaries and endeavor to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Premaria Mutambudzi is the BLBS Office Administrator, This is her 2nd year, she has served in the administrative field for 5+ years, Prim is originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She has been married for 7 years to her husband Takunda, and is blessed with two children.
Prim loves meditation, creative writing, poetry, and reading. In her spare time, Prim is a talented and creative Makeup Artist.
– Head Coach
Sofía’s lifelong search for a profession that would “leave the world a little better than she found it” led her to study philosophy and comparative religions, become a teacher, lead schools and educational projects, work for the Argentine Ministry of Education, contribute as a volunteer in various NGOs and become personally committed to causes that raised awareness about the world’s challenges and the potential of education to overcome them.
She is a practically-minded idealist, a profound believer in people and their potential for good, committed to collaborative leadership environments, and instinctively and naturally drawn to create order and systems in seemingly chaotic contexts.
After more than 30 years in the classroom and almost 20 as a school leader, Sofía now divides her time as Schools Development Manager for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Executive Secretary for the International Confederation of Principals, Facilitator for the ESSARP Teacher Training Centre in Argentina and BLBS Mastermind Coach.
Each of her current roles allows her to travel near and far while contributing to her own lifelong learning, and that of school leaders across the world, in the slow way she cherishes: one experience, one adventure, one conversation and one relationship at a time.
– Head Coach
Once a roller derby ref, now enjoying “retirement”, Dan’s got some wild tales from the track. Picture this: Dallas, a Division 1 tournament, and Dan’s zipping around as an “outside pack ref” when suddenly, BAM! He gets bulldozed by “Ruthless Red” charging out of the penalty box. But did he stay down? Not a chance! Dan bounced right back up, finished the game like a champ, and jetted off to Barcelona for the World Cup, broken tailbone and all.
Bruises and broken bones couldn’t keep Dan out of the action. Those derby days weren’t just about dodging collisions—they taught him about grit, resilience, and leadership skills that he’s been flexing for 15 years as a school leader. Whether he’s coaching leaders as part of The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ team or dodging freight trains in the fast-paced world of roller derby, Dan is always willing to lean into the next challenge.
– Head Coach
Jason P. Dropik (Babaamii-Bines / Eagle Clan) is the School Administrator for the Indian Community School (ics-edu.org), in Franklin, WI, which serves Native students in the metro Milwaukee area. A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (BadRiver-nsn.gov), Jason is committed to supporting students, families, staff, school/community leaders, and the community both near and far.
Having recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA.org), he advocated for and spoke on the importance of tribal sovereignty, policy, appropriations, and student support across the country. As a Board Member of NIEA, Jason continues with that work, championing training and providing information for schools and community organizations, while creating visibility and understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
His greatest passion is creating welcoming spaces for students to develop their identity, take pride in their language and culture, and to celebrate the rich legacy and the promising future of Indigenous communities.
– Head Coach
First and foremost, I’m a husband, father and son. I’m someone who is driven by my faith. I’m the Principal of A. Russell Knight Elementary in Cherry Hill, NJ. The Parks are animal lovers. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Some things that I’m loving at the moment is playing Pickleball and cooking for my friends and family. I also have the privilege and joy of serving as a BLBS Mastermind coach.
– Head Coach
Back in high school, Jesse used to painstakingly unthread the logos from his clothing and hats so that he wouldn’t be seen as part of the status quo.
He didn’t know it then, but that was the start of his journey as someone who finds unique ways of communicating ideas.
Then when he discovered his connection to youth with disabilities, he realized that he was among experts who’ve been finding ways to do things differently all their lives.
Leaning into these connections has brought him to become the Innovation Lead for a statewide project called I’m Determined – developing and producing animated videos and feature-length movies, facilitating events and building tools and resources for youth, families, and educators – all as ways to help students ink their journeys for the world to see.
As a leadership coach, Jesse is someone whose consistent presence is there to listen and add value and belonging.
– Head Coach
Leadership skills were evident as early as first grade for Paige Kinnaird when the teacher pointed out that “Paige is an eager beaver who completes her own work and then monitors what everyone else is doing.”
This taught Paige the importance of servant leadership. To never expect work from others that she is not fully committed to also putting forth the effort to accomplish.
Paige has used this as the central driving force of her work ever since… a willingness to be part of the work, not just driving the work.
– Head Coach
Karine Veldhoen, M.Ed., is the founder of Learn Forward™ and a creative force in education. While her name may be difficult to pronounce, her mission is simple, to champion extraordinary potential. As an educational leader (15 years) she created the first model Learn Forward™ school while simultaneously founding and serving as Executive Director of Niteo Africa. She’s taught Teacher Candidates at both UBC-O and UNBC and serves as a coach for Better Leaders Better Schools.
In all of her roles, she considers herself a modern-day pilgrim who stands for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Now, she dedicates her professional practice to championing EdLeaders to design thriving schools. When Karine is not carving new paths for education, you’ll find her with her husband and three children, her heart-song.