The Power of Curiosity

Posted on December 9, 2025 Written by

Highly-effective principals can often transform challenges from a threat into an opportunity. One unique strategy is to use the power of curiosity. This has the potential to change a parent or teacher’s attitude by expressing a desire to learn instead of becoming argumentative.

As an FBI undercover agent for 24 years, LaRae Quy used this approach to defuse situations that were much more serious than the conflicts school principals face. As she points out, “It’s often not until someone asks us to explain a concept that we realize our limited understanding of it.”

Simply put, the effective use of this unique strategy has the potential to lead to reasonable conflict resolution.

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Five X Factors of Leadership

Posted on August 19, 2025 Written by

Here’s a fascinating article from the world of business that outlines five key factors that distinguish effective leaders. As the author points out, “Charisma and credentials aren’t enough. In the pressure cooker of leadership, it’s the subtle, often invisible factors that determine who lasts—and who doesn’t.”

To paraphrase his closing thoughts, you likely won’t see these Five Factors in a workshop or PD training. But they often define the difference between short-term control and long-term trust. And over time, they can help change you from simply being the “school boss” to becoming the kind of powerful leader that others choose to follow.

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What NOT to Say!

Posted on August 5, 2025 Written by

If you want your team to hear and understand what you’re trying to communicate (and not roll their eyes), then avoid trite, dismissive, or insincere phrases such as “We’re a family.”

Corporate communication coach, Joel Schwartzberg, offers nine “say this, not that” tips that can help you flip the script for better team interactions. While this article was written for the business world, the basic principles apply to schools, too. As Schwartzberg points out, “Being direct makes a significant difference in your impact, especially when you’re communicating solutions and their intended effects.” And that’s a common goal of all highly-effective principals!

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Great Leaders Truly Listen!

Posted on June 24, 2025 Written by

Great leaders have the ability (and humility) to listen carefully to those around them … even when they have to weed out the noise to find the important feedback. Leadership coach, Ross Judd, offers three specific tips for learning to listen effectively.

In addition, great leaders develop the listening skills necessary to recognize when team members drop hints about deeper conversations they want to have. They then follow up by giving them their full attention and summarizing their words for clarity.

As Judd points out, “The more you listen and seek their input, the more your people will gather information for you.”

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