Leading a school is extraordinarily stressful without a cohesive team that has clarity, communicates expertly, and consistently executes day-to-day.

Motivated by the joys of working with such a productive team, schools have asked us to help them gain advantage through a leadership retreat--one that is designed to increase leadership capacity, organizational health, and continuous improvement.

What evidence would you look for in a school where the leader says:
"Our people are our greatest asset."

A few months ago we received a call from one of the best human resources directors in education because she was searching for a professional development program on managing difficult people and conversations. Her school had gone through some challenging situations that required courageous leadership to successfully navigate through the danger zones. She knew that with the right training and skills, the administrative team would be better prepared to make the best decisions to guide the organization forward.

Most of the world's richest people are successful entrepreneurs--people who had the courage and stamina to take a business from startup or early stage to remarkable profitability. Just this week, for example, the founders of mobile app Snapchat were inducted into Forbes list of billionaires. You may not have people in your school community at that level of wealth, but your likely to have some successful entrepreneurs who have substantial leadership skills and financial capacity.

Every school goes through rocky periods, where conflict causes hurt feelings, dissension, and division. In such difficult times, how can you minimize the emotional and cultural damage in order to sustain your noble mission? What is the best way to model the utmost in leadership? Is a pattern of "ungrace" limiting your growth potential?

Arnold Anderson has a reputation--he's actually notorious. He's a math teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School in New Brunswick, NJ, who was tardy over 110 times in the last two school years. As reported in the Courier News ("Teacher keeps $90K job after being late 111 times"), due to his 14 years of experience and the local public school compensation schedule, Mr. Anderson is very well paid at over $90,000 in salary and benefits.

What would you do if your personal emails were exposed to the world? Could some of the comments you made in "private" be misconstrued or become downright embarrassing? Let's look at at some leadership insights from the Tom Brady email leak by Roger Goodell and the National Football League.

Part of the NFL's investigation of the alleged deflation of footballs by the New England Patriots in last season's playoffs included the confiscation and release of personal email exchanges between Tom Brady and some friends. A few emails that received relentless media and social media attention regards the never-ending comparison between Brady and Peyton Manning, and Brady's desire to be the best.

Press and online outrage has been brewing about two women for doing what they were asked to do. Both the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Michelle Obama, and Principal of the W.F. Burns Middle School (POTWFBMS), Priscella Holle, have been ridiculously criticized. It's time for people to step back from the keyboard and breathe. Leave FLOTUS and POTWFBMS alone please.

Have you heard the one about the Superintendent who became a pirate? It's a scary tale, but the lessons learned must be shared for the benefit of others like yourself.

Translating the plans you have for this year into a compelling story enables you to attract more people to commit their time and money to achieve it. Your goal is to respond more quickly to changes in the community by thinking more creatively about your school design. Better relationships and greater trust are key for your long-term success.

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