How can schools save time, reduce overwhelm, and achieve better outcomes with the right external partnerships? Chris Pryor, founder of Lead Team Partners and School Partner Connect, shares the answer in this episode.

As school leaders juggle daily demands and big-picture priorities, Chris shares why outsourcing is more critical than ever—and how to find the right partner to move your initiatives forward.

Tune in for actionable strategies to streamline the process and unlock new possibilities for your school.

What You'll Learn From Chris Pryor:

• Clarify the Problem First: Before seeking external partners, school leaders must clearly define the problem, goals, budget, and internal resources needed.
• Outsourcing Saves Time, When Done Right: Finding external partners can reduce workload and increase efficiency, especially for initiatives that demand specific expertise.
• Avoid Local Bias: Schools often default to nearby providers but miss valuable talent. A national or global search can uncover high-quality partners.
• Alignment and Preparation Are Key: Successful partnerships require internal buy-in, thoughtful preparation, and a shared understanding of the project scope.
• Measure Twice, Cut Once: Develop a rubric to objectively evaluate external partners and encourage healthy discussion when narrowing down options.

Discussion Prompts

• Clarify the Problem: Are we clear on the problem we are trying to solve with our current or future projects? How can we ensure alignment across our team before engaging external partners?
• Evaluate Outsourcing Opportunities: What current initiatives could benefit from external expertise or support? Are there tasks we’re handling internally that external partners would more efficiently manage?
• Rethink Partner Selection: Do we default to local providers, and could broadening our search lead to better options? How can we diversify the types of external experts we consider?
• Align Internal Resources: How can we better prepare internally to support successful partnerships? What steps can we take to align internal stakeholders before initiating a project?
• Plan for Long-Term Impact: How might outsourcing help us tackle big-picture priorities more effectively? What systems or tools could we implement to improve how we manage external partnerships in the future?