Effective school leaders know that it’s the team that drives great results.
And how does one build a great team?
As Jim Collin’s famously stated you want “the right people on the bus.”
Just as important as the right players is the type of culture that nourishes the spirit and development of each team member.
Showing staff appreciation in both small and big ways consistently is a good choice to build culture. This post shares strategies used by principals to appreciate their staff.
Today I want to drill into one specific strategy, most likely never considered by you: the bucket list.
Our lives are short. The spirit of the bucket list is to identify those things we want to experience or accomplish before we kick the bucket.
In the context of culture-building, the bucket list offers a distinct advantage — it builds relationships and helps teams really know each other.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https://youtu.be/5QSg6waVewE” _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_video][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″ width=”80%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_blur=”8px”][gravityform id=”15″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”3px||2px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.2.2″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″]Think about it.
You’ve worked with “Sally” for the last 5 years at Remarkable Middle School. But do you really know what makes her tick? What dreams and desires lurk below the surface that she shows you at work?
Where are the places she wants to travel?
What are the milestones she wants to achieve?
What goals does she have (most importantly — outside of work!)?
You have worked with Sally for 5 years, but do you really know her?
By creating a bucket list as a staff and then creating a space where staff can share with each other, you will be on your way to building an amazing culture.
It’s a simple 6 step process:
This last point is the most important of the post.
You need to act on your staff’s dreams and make them come true.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″ width=”80%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”0px||30px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_blur=”8px”][gravityform id=”15″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”0px||2px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.2.2″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″]You may not be in a financial position to send Sally to Bali for 3 months, but I bet you can take action on something on her bucket list.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Bucket-List-Travel-scaled.jpg” _builder_version=”4.2.2″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”30px||||false|false”]Here are 2 quick stories from my life:
In the mastermind, I asked members a few years ago to create bucket lists and turn them into me.
Jess had a dream to mentor a novice principal.
Guess who sends an email to over 2,000 school leaders each week?
I figured at least a few of those 2,000 were first-year principals. So I quickly created an application, wrote an email, and asked novice principals if they would like to be coached by a veteran in the field.
Responses flew in. I handed those off to Jess. She picked a principal to work with. Voila — Bucket list item complete!
Mark wanted to run a half-marathon.
I save a percentage of my revenue each month earmarked for gifts.
(This is something you should absolutely do as a leader as well)
I looked at how much I had saved up and sent Mark a Garmin GPS running watch with a handwritten note encouraging him to start running.
I wouldn’t have been able to serve Jess or Mark in this way unless I knew what they dreamed to do.
I knew those dreams because of the bucket list activity. That is exactly how you use a bucket list to build a better school culture.
Those stories illustrate how relationships and culture were nurtured between me, the leader, and those I serve.
But imagine what would happen if you encouraged your staff and made a game of making each other’s dreams come true.
What positive energy might you unleash on your organization if you had the courage to do that?
Might it be a better investment of time for your next staff meeting?
If you take action on this idea, I’d love to hear the results. Feel free to email me: [email protected].
Who knows? Maybe we’ll make a podcast from your story ?
Creating a bucket list is an act in self-awareness. By looking inside and getting in touch with your dreams and desires you build emotional intelligence.
By taking the steps of creating the space, sharing among staff, and taking action on the bucket lists you improve your social awareness and relational management.
Research shows that top leaders have strong emotional intelligence.
If you enjoyed this post, here are three books on culture that have been favorites in my leadership community:
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.2.2″ width=”80%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.2.2″ custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_blur=”8px”]
[gravityform id=”15″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
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.