The Private School Leader Podcast

Have you ever had this conversation with your spouse or partner? “Where do you want to go for dinner?” “Oh, I don’t know, you decide.” “How about sushi?” “No, not sushi.” “OK, how about Thai?” “No, definitely not Thai food tonight.” “Well, then where do you want to go?” “Oh, I don’t know, I want you to decide.” Has this ever happened to you? You get home from a long day at school, you sit down for the first time and you say to yourself, “I am not making one more decision today”. Then one of your kids walks up to you and says, “What’s for dinner?” If either of those scenarios sounded familiar to you and/or made you cringe a little, I have a theory that I would like to share with you. I think that these situations have less to do with how you communicate with your partner. I think that you may have succumbed to decision fatigue. As an independent school leader, you make hundreds of complex decisions a day. Some of them are high stakes decisions. Many of these decisions will be second guessed by teachers, parents, students, board members or all of the above! Your ability to make decisions is FINITE. As the day goes on, the research shows that your ability to make good decisions falters. This phenomenon is called decision fatigue. On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, you are going to learn The 7 Best Strategies For Overcoming Decision Fatigue: 1) Acknowledge that it is real 2) Plan your day 3) Have an index card on the corner of your desk 4) Proactively reduce the number of decisions that you make 5) Clarity is your friend 6) Give yourself fuel 7) Schools are not emergency rooms If you implement just one or two of these strategies, you will make better decisions at school and, hopefully, have a little left in your tank so you can decide what to eat for dinner! So, while you're driving to school or walking the dog, pop in your earbuds for your weekly dose of motivation, inspiration and PD! Check out a bunch of free resources for you at www.theprivateschooleader.com/resources and grab the show notes at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode12 

If you have had the time to watch any TV during the last week of the year you have probably noticed commercials for gym memberships, smoking cessation programs and storage bins that will help you get more organized. Tis’ the season for self improvement! We make New Year’s resolutions because we are always trying to better ourselves. The “clean slate” of a new year seems like the perfect time to lose weight, stop smoking or make ourselves better in some meaningful way. As leaders, we are always trying to make our schools better, our teachers better and ourselves better. On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, you are going to learn The 4 New Year’s Resolutions That Every Private School Leader Should Make: !) I will follow the 15/30 rule of self care, 2) I will always know what to do next at work, 3) I will practice intentional encouragement once a day, 4) I will have an intentional plan for my leadership growth. I know that you are SUPER busy, so when you are driving to school, working out or running errands, pop in those earbuds and listen. I strongly believe that making even one of these New Year’s resolutions will significantly impact you and your school in 2023. I hope that you will listen. More importantly, I hope that what you hear will help you THRIVE as you serve your school community. Check out a bunch of free resources for you at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/resources and grab the show notes at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode11

I want to ask you to use your imagination about something that COULD be true one year from today. I want you to imagine what your school would be like if, over the next year, the quality of teacher parent communication improved SIGNIFICANTLY. I’m not talking about a small improvement, I’m talking about a massive improvement. What COULD your school look like one year from today? Happier kids? Happier parents? Happier teachers? Higher student retention rates? Higher parent satisfaction scores on your annual survey? All of this is possible and I’m going to tell you how to get there. On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, I am going to teach you The 5 C’s of Effective Parent Communication: 1) Competence, 2) Confidence, 3) Care, 4) Consistency, 5) Collaboration I can hear what you are saying: “Mark, this is great, but the people that really need to be taught these strategies are my teachers.” Well, I’ve got you covered! I have created a free “Plug & Play PD” for you. This is a 45 minute webinar complete with guided notes. It contains everything from this episode as well as everything that I taught back in Episode 2 (The Top 5 Ways To Build Effective Relationships With Difficult Parents). You can use it at a staff meeting or to just coach up a teacher that needs to grow in the area of teacher communication. You can grab the free webinar and guided notes at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode10. I know how busy you are. That's why I created a weekly podcast that you can listen to while driving to school, working out or running errands. Think of this podcast as your weekly dose of inspiration, motivation and PD, all while doing something else! I hope that you will listen. More importantly, I hope that these strategies will help you as you serve your school. Thanks for making a difference! Please follow, rate and review this podcast. The rating helps this podcast to be heard by more leaders and your review gives me valuable feedback so that I can better serve you in future episodes. If you got value from this episode, please text the link to an aspiring leader at your school. Also, you can check out all of the free resources available to you at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/resources Thanks!

In the Summer of 2014, our school was in the midst of a retention crisis. We had families leaving for local public schools, local private schools and some families that were moving out of the city to have their children attend suburban public schools. But then we got to work. By the summer of 2015, we had decreased our attrition rate by 35%. By the spring of 2016, our parent survey results were off the charts with an overall level of parent satisfaction of 97.75%. By the summer of 2016, our retention rate school-wide was over 90% In fact, the turnaround was so profound, we were invited to speak at the National Jewish Day School Conference in February 2017. My HOS, Admissions Director, Marketing Director and I traveled to Chicago to talk about what we did to turn things around so quickly. How did we go from a CRISIS in the summer of 2014 to a 97% parent satisfaction rate in spring 2016 and a 90% retention rate in summer 2016? On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, I am going to tell you EXACTLY what we did and give you the 8 ways to increase student retention that ACTUALLY WORK. Those 8 strategies are: 1) Be Proactive, 2) Ask, ask then study the data, 3) Identify “Decision Years”, 4) Treat every family like a new family, 5) Create a “culture of anticipation” and “paint a climactic scene”, 6) Surprise and Delight, 7) Say Goodbye, 8) Retention is everyone’s responsibility Research shows that it costs 7 times more resources (money, time, advertising, etc.) to find and enroll a new student than to keep an existing student. If you use these 8 strategies, you will keep the students that you have worked so hard to get. I know that you are SUPER busy, so when you are driving to school, working out or running errands, pop in those earbuds and listen. I hope that you will be motivated and inspired as you serve your school! You can head over to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/resources to check out all of the free resources available to you. Show notes can be found at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode9 Please follow, rate and review this podcast. The rating helps this podcast to be heard by more leaders and your review gives me valuable feedback so that I can better serve you in future episodes. If you got value from this episode, please text the link to an aspiring leader at your school. Thanks!

In May of 2017, my oldest sister, Cathy, passed away from breast cancer. In July of 2018, my twin sister, Ruth, passed away from breast cancer. In February of 2019, my sister Marcia passed away from a heart attack. Three sisters in three years. Fortunately, my school has an excellent Employee Assistance Program and I was able to connect with an outstanding grief counselor named Virginia. We talked a lot and she helped me a lot. So, when my 92 year old father passed away in September of 2021, I reached out to Virginia again. I talked and she listened. After about 20 minutes, she said, “Mark, I don’t think that you are only dealing with grief. I think that you are experiencing severe burnout.” Over the next 11 months, I went on a journey of learning about burnout, what it is, what it isn’t and learning how to get better. It was a long process, but I am doing much, much better now. On today’s episode of the Private School Leader Podcast, you are going to learn “How to Overcome Burnout With Boundaries”. You are going to hear some shocking statistics about the state of independent school leaders. Many of you are “not OK”.  You will also learn the five ways that you can prevent or overcome burnout by creating some boundaries in your life. These 5 strategies are: 1) Establish your priorities, 2) Take a mini-sabbatical, 3) Use a designated workspace at home, 4) Beware the “Electronic Leash”, 5) Clearly and assertively communicate your boundaries. These strategies took me from depleted, burnt out and miserable to energized, happy and optimistic about the future.  I know how busy you are. That's why I created a weekly podcast that you can listen to while driving to school, working out or running errands. Think of this podcast as your weekly dose of inspiration, motivation and PD, all while doing something else! I hope that you will listen. More importantly, I hope that these strategies will help you prevent or overcome burnout in your life. Thanks for making a difference! You can get show notes at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode8 and you can check out a bunch of free resources for you at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/resources

Do you ever get to the end of the day and feel like you didn't get anything done even though you worked really hard? Does the "tyranny of the urgent" control your day? Do you wish that you felt productive during the day instead of feeling exhausted from putting out fires all day long? Do you ever sit down at your desk and not know what to do next, so you start checking email? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I have two pieces of good news for you. First, you are not alone. Nearly every independent school leader feels this way almost every day. Second, it doesn’t have to stay this way. On this episode of the Private School Leader Podcast, you are going to learn The Top 4 Productivity Hacks For Busy Private School Leaders! There is a better way and this IS POSSIBLE! I promise you that if you apply these strategies to your day at school that you will feel more productive, less discouraged and more energized. I hope that you will listen, but more importantly, I hope that what you hear helps you to THRIVE as you lead your school. Thanks for making a difference!

In Episode 5, we talked about the five characteristics that every Servant Leader displays: Demonstrates humility Displays integrity Helps others grow Encourages safe participation by being approachable, visible and having a predictable mood. Inspires others through influence rather than position. I strongly believe that adopting the characteristics of a Servant Leader can dramatically change your school culture. In this week’s episode, we are going to get super practical and turn these characteristics into action. Episode 6 is called: “The Top 10 Things That Servant Leaders Do”. If you do even some of the things on this list, you will transform yourself and transform your school. I know that you are SUPER busy, so when you are driving to school, working out or running errands, pop in those earbuds and listen. I hope that you will be motivated and inspired as you serve your school! Thanks for making a difference!

Nelson Mandela was once asked, “What makes you a good leader?” Mandela said that he was the son of a tribal chief and, when he was a boy, his father would take him to the tribal council meetings. Mandela watched his father closely at these meetings and said that he learned two important things:  1) They always sat in a circle  2) His father was always the last to speak. Nelson Mandela's leadership style can transform you as a leader and it can also transform the culture of your school. In fact, when employees are surveyed about the preferred leadership style of their boss, there is one answer that is always at the top of the list.  Servant Leadership. Serve first and lead second. That may sound easy, but it's not. Teachers don’t want to work at a top down, command and control, “do it because I said so” organization. They want to feel emotionally safe at school. They don’t want to follow someone because of their position, they want to follow someone that they know cares about them as a human being. In today's episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, you will learn the 5 Characteristics of a Servant Leader. You will also learn that Servant Leadership is not a tip or trick or leadership hack. It is a way of life. So, when you are driving to school, working out or taking your dog for a walk, pop in those earbuds and listen. I hope that you will be motivated and inspired as you serve your school! You can head over to www.theprivateschoolleader.com to check out all of the resources available to you. If you got value from this episode, please text the link to an aspiring leader at your school. You can grab the Show Notes at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode5 Thanks! Please follow, rate and review this podcast. The rating helps this podcast to be heard by more leaders and your review gives me valuable feedback so that I can better serve you in future episodes. Thanks!

Do some of your students give up easily when faced with a challenging problem or concept? Are your students sometimes too worried about “looking smart?” Do any of your students get extremely upset when they make a mistake on an assignment or get a question wrong on a test? Do any of your students attach their self worth to the grades on their report card? This is a very common problem in our independent schools. Some of the children at our schools have been told all of their lives: “You are so smart!” Many of our students cruise along with their natural intelligence until they come up against a concept that they’ve never seen before and WHAM, they shut down, they cry, they literally slide the piece of paper back across the desk to the teacher and say, “I can’t do this.” Do you want to know how to fix this problem at your school? I have watched this problem almost disappear at our school. We have sustained this change for six years. I have heard a 4th Grader say, “Wow, now I don’t have to keep acting smart.” If you are curious about how you can make this transformation take place for your school, today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast is for you as we learn how to Turn “Pedestal Kids” Into “Gritty Kids” By Implementing Growth Mindset. About 30 years ago, Stanford University psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck and her colleagues began researching attitudes about failure. Those findings led to more research that showed a student’s underlying beliefs (mindset) about learning and intelligence significantly impacted motivation and achievement. Dweck coined the terms “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset” to provide a frame for her research that could be more easily understood. Implementing Growth Mindset at our school was the most impactful decision that I have made in my career. I hope that you will listen to this episode and find it valuable. More importantly, I hope that you will see that this can have a positive impact on the kids at your school. After you listen to this episode, you might want to consider implementing Growth Mindset at your school. If so, I’ve got you covered. For Episode 4, I have created a free “Plug & Play PD” for you called Turn “Pedestal Kids” Into “Gritty Kids” By Implementing Growth Mindset. This is a 45 minute webinar complete with guided notes and 5 Mini-lessons with Google Slideshows and Student Handouts. You can use it with your teachers at a staff meeting and begin your Growth Mindset journey at your school. You can grab the free webinar and guided notes over at theprivateschoolleader.com/episode4 Thanks!

So, let me ask you a few questions. Have you ever gotten to the end of a day at school and felt discouraged and overwhelmed? Have you ever had a day when you worked really hard, but at the end of the day it felt like you hadn’t accomplished anything? After you walk in the front doors of your school, Does the tyranny of the urgent keep you from working on the parts of your job that are actually the most important? When your Head of School or board president starts to talk about “work-life” balance, do you think to yourself, “that sounds nice, but it also sounds impossible”? Well, if you answered “yes” to any of these questions I have good news and bad news for you. I’m going to give you the BAD NEWS first. If you keep doing this, you are going to put yourself in the hospital with physical problems or mental health problems or both. I know, because I've been there. I’ve been at the lowest of all low points. I’ve been in the hospital with ulcers. I’ve had lousy relationships with my family because they never saw me. I’ve worked really, really hard and felt discouraged and overwhelmed at the end of the day. That's the bad news. The GOOD NEWS is that it doesn’t have to stay this way and I am going to give you tangible, actionable, bite-sized steps that can transform your life at work and at home. By the end of this episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, you are going to be equipped with seven strategies, seven habits that can change all of this. Today you are going to learn the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Private School Leaders! These habits are based on Stephen Covey’s international best seller and I am convinced that if you develop even just one of these habits it will change your school year and it will change your life! For Episode 3, I have created a free “Plug & Play PD” for you called “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Private School Teachers”. This is a 45 minute webinar complete with guided notes and discussion questions. You can use it at a staff meeting or to just to coach up a teacher that needs to focus more on these habits. You can grab the free webinar and guided notes over at theprivateschoolleader.com/episode3 You can head over to www.theprivateschoolleader.com to check out all of the resources available to you. If you got value from this episode, please text the link to an aspiring leader at your school. Thanks! Please follow, rate and review this podcast. The rating helps this podcast to be heard by more leaders and your review gives me valuable feedback so that I can better serve you in future episodes. Thanks!