Lead Yourself First: The Awakening Every Principal Needs with Joël McLean

🎯 The Ruckus Report

Quick take: If you're leading from an empty tank, you're not leading at all. Joël McLean learned the hard way that transformational leadership starts within — and he built a roadmap any school leader can follow.

🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Joël McLean is a former principal turned certified leadership coach, committed to helping leaders at every level develop skills and confidence to thrive. With 27+ years in education and founder of Inspire Leadership Coaching, he's on a mission to spark transformation from the inside out.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules

In this episode, Joël McLean challenges traditional education paradigms:

🤯 Key Insight #1: Self-Leadership Over More Initiatives

• What's broken: More hours, more meetings, and more pressure are seen as the solution to underperformance.
• The shift: Joël argues that success starts with self-leadership and intentional reflection.
• Impact: Leaders who focus inward show up with clarity, energy, and stronger school-wide influence.

🤯Key Insight #2: Leadership Is Human, Not Just Measurable

• What's broken: Leadership is treated as purely results-driven, often ignoring the personal development of the leader.
• The shift: Joël reframes leadership as a human-centered, values-based journey.
• Impact: Schools thrive when principals build themselves first, then build others.

🤯 Key Insight #3: Cross-Discipline Growth Builds Better Leaders

• What's broken: Rigid leadership paths discourage creative growth and perspective-taking outside education.
• The shift: Joël models how borrowing from business, coaching, and mindfulness unlocks new leadership capacity.
• Impact: Innovative thinking and intentional design create empowered, future-ready campuses.

💬 Quotable Ruckus

"If people are depending on me as a leader, then I need to make sure I'm at my best." – Joël McLean

🧗‍♂️ Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Block 15 minutes for uninterrupted reflection. Ask yourself: "Who do I want to be as a leader this week?"
• This Month: Write your own Leader's Code. Define your values, vision, and what success looks like for you.
• This Semester: Begin building systems to support adult learning and staff development aligned with your leadership code.

🔗 Connect & Continue

🌟 Get the full episode transcript here

👩🏻‍💻 Follow Joël McLean:

• My website: inspireleadership.ca
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspirelifeleadershipcoaching
• Instagram: @inspireleadershipcoaching

📕 Buy Transcending Your Leadership here.

📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act

If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn't about doing school better.

It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible.

🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey

📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news

🗳 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf. https://ruckusmakers.media

💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club

🫸 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind

🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:

• ODP Business Solutions®

Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments.

🔍 Visit **odpbusiness.com/education** and let's Do School Different.

• IXL

IXL takes the guesswork out of lesson planning for teachers. IXL's ready-made lesson plans are aligned to your textbooks and state standards, so teachers can turn to IXL for the exact content they need to help their students.

🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders

• PLAY PIPER

This episode of Better Leaders Better Schools is sponsored by Play Piper. Every student starts with curiosity - Piper keeps it alive. Our hands-on STEM kits turn gaming passion into real engineering skills.

🔍 Spark confidence in your students at https://www.playpiper.com/ruckus

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