Whether you are a novice searching for your school leadership style or a veteran needing a tune-up this year, this post is for you.
There are many things you can do as a school leader, but Ruckus Makers ask themselves this question:
What will give me the most leverage as a school leader?
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
-Archimedes
Education is the lever for society.
The school leader is the lever for education.
“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”
-Cal Newport
Deep work will change your life and leadership.
Not all work is created equal.
Every task does not contain the same inherent value.
Knowing the difference between what matters and what doesn’t is the first lever the most effective school leaders pull.
Warning! It feels really good to check off low-value tasks from the to-do list.
You must resist this feeling of accomplishment. The “hack” is to break bigger projects into smaller milestones and celebrate accomplishing the milestones along the journey.
Schedule at least one 90-minute deep work block into your calendar.
You do use an ideal week, right?
Your focus for that time is to work on anything only you can do. Focus on the tasks and projects that will move your school forward. Focus on what will create momentum and value.
“In a world of constant change, the fundamentals are more important than ever.”
-Jim Collins
Tech companies with billions of dollars and an army of neuroscientists are designing tools that will make you ineffective.
Don’t believe me? Check this out.
Your ancient brain didn’t have to set boundaries around things like social media and email. You do have to create those boundaries if you want to be a high-impact school leader.
The easiest boundary you can create is to go back to the basics.
Each night I have a 10-minute routine that includes asking myself my daily reflection questions, establishing my “Big 3” tasks for the next day, and writing my daily agenda on a 3×5 notecard.
I learned this method from my latest coach. He helps a lot of people and makes a lot of money. If this strategy works for him, then I thought it could work for me.
And it does.
By going back to the basics, I eliminate the need to have an online calendar open. I have one less temptation to get lost in the internet, social media, and email because I don’t go to my calendar online.
I can stay focused on the project at hand.
By keeping it simple and analog, I am able to accomplish so much more.
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.”
-Bill Gates
Even though you should look for analog solutions to help you be more effective, adopting tech that can automate your workflow is a great investment.
How do you know what to automate?
If you ever catch yourself using the word “every,” that means you should consider automating that process.
My latest book is available and on my website leaders are eligible for some pretty nifty bonuses.
My website is also the only place people can get an autographed copy of my book (unless they see me speak live somewhere and buy my book).
Every time a book is ordered from my website there are five steps that happen:
This is a five-step process that happens every time my latest book is ordered.
Completing those five steps is necessary. It’s also not the best use of my time nor is it in my zone of genius.
So I personally fulfilled two book orders and recorded myself doing it. Then, I created a two step zap that connects a google form I built with my business email.
This took me about 30 minutes total.
Now the five step process for fulfilling a book order is just one step: forward a book order form to my mom.
You read that right!
Mama Ruckus Maker now fills out the purchase order, enters some data into the google form I built, and then the publisher receives an email from me.
I have turned a 15-minute task into a 5-second task.
Here is the workflow automation in pictures (using Zapier):
My mom gets an email and fills out the purchase order (not pictured)
She then fills out the simple google form (below) and uploads the purchase order.
Then Erica at my publisher gets an email from me.
I wrote this email once in Zapier. The purple stuff tells the automation to grab the data (name of customer, quantity of books, and shares a link to the purchase order in my google drive).
And here is the email that Erica gets to fulfill the order.
I am no longer a bottleneck in this process. All I have to do is forward an email to my mom which takes 5-seconds per order, instead of 15-minutes per order.
The bonuses get delivered automatically by creating an email automation in my email provider.
I am going to sell a ton of books. This is going to save me a ton of my time.
“Eliminate. Automate. Delegate.”
-Rory Vaden
Ari Meisel from Less Doing taught me the 3D framework in his Overwhelmology course.
He taught the 3D framework in regards to processing email. The beauty of the framework is that you can apply it to any task in front of you.
Here is the 3D framework:
I had 100s of emails in my inbox just last week. 82 messages had not even been read. I felt so much stress each time I opened my inbox and wanted to forget I even had email.
Using the 3D framework helped me clear my inbox in about an hour. Now I just have to invest a little bit of time each day applying the 3Ds to clear my inbox.
Do it means you take action right now. This includes forwarding and delegating emails to someone on your team.
Delete it is exactly what it sounds like. You don’t need to respond to everything. People forget they have this tool. I get pitched so much for my podcast these days …
No, I don’t want you to come on my show about school leadership to talk about dogecoin!
And here is one more nugget of wisdom Ari taught me on this topic:
If an email is over two weeks old just delete it. In today’s culture, we want responses in a few days, best in 24-48 hours. If you have sat on an email for two weeks, it is no longer relevant. This helped me clear my inbox quickly!
Defer it. If you have gmail, you can use the snooze function to process an email at a later date.
I’ll use my podcast to illustrate a point again. Every time a guest joins me on the show, they need to deliver to me a 60-word or less bio and headshot. I get those emails all the time for shows I am recording way into the future. So I snooze it to the recording date. But as I type these words I realize I can automate this since I do it for every show!
Apply the 3D framework in order to make decisions quickly and focus on the most important work. Talk about leverage!
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”
-Dale Carnegie
I wish I would have learned this earlier! But it’s never too late to develop your emotional intelligence.
Once I started investing more resources (time + money) into coaching and emotional intelligence I have experienced tremendous benefits including bigger impact, more money, and more free time.
I truly have the best job in the world and I can trace back my success to when I started developing myself, especially around emotional intelligence.
Key question: What is it worth to you to experience abundance in your wealth, health, and relationships?
The Center for Creative Leadership found that 75 percent of careers are derailed because of a lack of emotional intelligence.
TalentSmart surveyed 500,000 leaders and found that three-quarters of them could not accurately identify their emotions as they happen. Meaning, three-quarters of leaders are influenced by their emotions and have no idea why they do some of the things they do (and why they continue to find themselves in the same sticky situations).
TalentSmart also found that 83 percent of people high in self-awareness are also top-performers and you can add $1300 to your annual salary for every point increase you develop in your emotional intelligence. It literally pays to be emotionally intelligent!
Emotional intelligence 2.0 is a quick and practical book that will develop your EQ. There is a survey to get you a baseline of where you are at and then practical activities you can do to improve your emotional intelligence.
What did people like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison leverage in order to be so successful?
And what if that same thing was available to all school leaders?
Well, it is and you can have the same kind of impact. I’ll show you how in my latest book.
Get Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader today!
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.