Mental Models - Better Leaders Better Schools™

The Ultimate First Year Principal Checklist: How to Make a Legendary School

August 15, 2023

The start of a school year is like a rocket launch. You’ve put in tons of effort and planning. The energy and excitement is great at launch, of course, but…

Adapt or die

June 11, 2020

Evolution isn’t just for biologists. It is a useful mental model for Ruckus Makers to make sense of life and leadership. The idea is quite simple: adapt or die. “Organisms…

You’re slowing down your organization

May 22, 2020

Have you ever stepped on some gum while walking in the street? It’s annoying because it’s difficult to get off the sole of your shoe and with each step you…

How to make better decisions

April 14, 2020

A few reasons we make poor decisions: If you’d like to start making better decisions today, let me introduce you to the “Decision Journal.” I originally learned about this “decision…

Hanlon’s Razor: Are Your Coworkers Evil or Just Dumb?

January 20, 2020

What percentage of your coworkers are deep-down, no-good, dirty, rotten scoundrels? 35% … 50% … 75% … More? I consider myself a recovering pessimist and I’m not alone. Assuming the…

Second-Order Thinking: Forget the Immediate to Focus on the Future

January 13, 2020

Second-Order Thinking: Forget the Immediate to Focus on the Future Estimated reading time: 5 minutes (+ videos) What is second-order thinking? Second-order thinking is our ability to think past the…

Latest Blog Posts

The Ultimate First Year Principal Checklist: How to Make a Legendary School

Adapt or die

You’re slowing down your organization

How to make better decisions

Hanlon’s Razor: Are Your Coworkers Evil or Just Dumb?

Second-Order Thinking: Forget the Immediate to Focus on the Future

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