Our brains love to focus on the teachers who refuse to follow your lead, the parent who comes in raging at you, or the district admin who consistently fails to support you. There are always going to be people who are solely there to criticize every little move you make. But the great news is these are not your people.

On the flip side, there are teachers who are eager to work with you, the parents who are your biggest cheerleaders, and the district admins who are warm and understanding. These are your people. And as you go into hiring season, remembering to focus on the people who are your people is vital.

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A teacher comes to you upset, overwhelmed, and frustrated, telling you that they want to quit. They’re saying things like, “It’s not working, the kids aren’t making progress, and the job isn’t what I thought it would be.” You’re caught off guard, scared, and don’t know what to do.

Principals across the board are dealing with teachers who want to quit. They’re seeing new teachers who had a different idea of what the profession would look like, as well as veterans who just decide they can’t do it anymore. You’re going to have lots of thoughts and feelings about what they’re saying, and I’m showing you what you can do in these moments. 

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Today, I’m talking to all school leaders, whether you’re new or a veteran who has ever felt the crushing agony of a past mistake or a recent failure. As humans, this happens to all of us. None of us are perfect, and we need to own the actions that led to undesired outcomes, and that’s where the concept of Compounding Comebacks comes in.

When a client comes to me reeling from a mistake they’ve made or feeling anguish at a defeat they’ve experienced, I remind them that it’s part of the human experience and that every adversity you face is an adversity you can overcome. So, even though it sucks right now, I’m showing you how to turn any failure into a win.

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School leaders are in the business of making lots of decisions every single day. You make so many intentional, conscious decisions that require your time, energy, effort, and focus, that very often, you’re left completely fatigued. On top of that, there are countless unconscious decisions that are playing out in your day-to-day too.

So this week, I’m introducing you to one of the most powerful exercises I’ve ever tried and I call it the Decision Audit. This practice is all about looking at our decisions, big and small, professionally and in our personal lives, to gain awareness around our brain’s decision-making protocol so we can make our most empowered decisions. 

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When your school is a well-oiled machine and things are working well, our brains tell us it’s good enough. We don’t want to push our teachers and staff harder than necessary or add more work to everyone’s plates. But if you knew you could take your school beyond the current rubric that is available to you now, what results would you go after?

When things aren’t working, our brains love going to work finding solutions. But what about the things that are working just fine? Have you considered how good it can really be, or what would work better? What can you do to take your school from good to great?

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