Here’s a fascinating article from the business world about “fixing” a distorted corporate culture. In many ways, it’s essentially an expansion of the “You can lead a horse to water, but …” mantra that we’ve all heard before, but with specific tips on getting that horse to drink!

Executive coach, Art Petty, posits that in struggling organizations (or in our case, schools), we should never assume that the culture is broken. Instead, we need to realize that it’s simply been distorted … possibly by poor leadership or flawed decisions. And the job of any new leader is to respect and leverage the existing culture, not to “fix” it by attempting to force immediate change.

Creating a supportive, effective school culture takes time. But by focusing on key issues and leading by example, you can move your school culture towards a climate of renewal and positive growth.