Surviving to Thriving Leadership
by Nick Davies
Start the week off right with a short-form podcast with Dr. Nick Davies. One to two times per month, the focus is on lessons learned from meetings with leaders across the country and Dr. Nick's thoughts on trending topics in education. Each episode is around 15 minutes and is intended for people to listen to on their morning commutes to work.
Episodes
-
Theory Can Only Take You So Far - #70
Theory Can Only Take You So Far: I met with Patrick Mongrain, a veteran teacher and entrepenuer. He has held many roles in schools, and recently came out with an App called Edchanger Pro. This app helps school leaders transform ‘classroom observations with real-time engagement tracking, instant...
-
Walk With Who You Serve #69
Walk With Who You Serve Cheryl Johnson and I were connected by our mutual connection, Jethro Jones. Cheryl has had a different career path than many of the education leaders I interviewed. She spent most of her career in Training and Development for different corporations. Cheryl wrote the book,...
-
Be A Perpetual Learner #68
Be a Perpetual Learner: I met with Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge, a force in the education world around Culturally Responsive Education. I have been fortunate enough to work with him at multiple schools and see his work first hand. He does an incredible job pushing teachers and leaders in their…
more -
The Principal Time Audit - #67
The Principal Time Audit - Thank you Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation for publishing another article of mine! https://www.edutopia.org/article/principal-time-audit This is a great tool for understanding how you are using your time and how to make the most of it! Let me know if you...
-
Don't Leave a Path of Destruction - #66
Don’t Leave a Path of Destruction: I met with Andy Rodford, a veteran school leader from Canada. Andy now runs Venture Gained Consulting where he helps school and business leaders tackle problems that they wouldn’t get to by themselves. Be sure to check out what he has to offer:...
-
Leading with Purpose - #65
Leading With Purpose: I met with Dr. Ralph Watkins, a visionary school leader and a friend of mine. Dr. Watkins has spent a lot of his career in schools with a predominantly native population. He just wrote a book: Leading with Purpose: A Leadership Framework for non-Native School Leaders serving...
-
Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself - #64
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself: I met with Dr. Wilnic Gideon, a veteran principal who is also the author of 2 books: Mindful Learning: Unlocking the Gifts of the Teenage Brain and Raising Ready Teens: 21 Milestones for Learning and Life. We had an awesome conversation. Be sure to pick up your copy...
-
Slow it Down!
Slow it Down! I met with Woody Howard, a veteran Washington principal and current president of the Association of Washington School Principals. Woody has become a friend of mine over the past few years and we often meet to talk about leadership and just about anything else. It was a lot of fun to...
-
Top 5 posts from 2024
Top 5 Themes from 2024: I want to end the year by highlighting some of the big themes that have come from my leadership conversations. This year I did significantly fewer posts than 2023, but there were still a lot of great things I learned. It was hard to narrow it down to 5, and at the end of…
more -
Increase the Humanity You Have With People
Increase the Humanity You Have With People: I met with Jethro Jones, a veteran school leader and coach. We had an awesome conversation and we ended up spending a lot of the time talking about productivity for school leaders. You will want to listen to the full episode to hear Jethro’s ideas on...
-
Be In It For the Long Haul with Dr. Barb Flowers #60
Be In It For the Long Haul: I met with Dr. Barb Flowers, a veteran educator and life coach. We had a great conversation around building more sustainable leadership practices. Be sure to check out her podcast, The Principal’s Handbook. We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to...
-
How Can I Help You Be the Best You Can Be? - #59
I met with Dr. Robyn Hansen, a professor at NAU and former principal and president of NAESP. She has written the book, The Principal’s Desk Reference To Professional Standards - be sure to get a copy! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three key takeaways. Never Say No to...
-
The Leadership Framework - #58
Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed more than 80 educational leaders across the country, and a few from Canada and Australia. This was a personal project to learn as much as possible about school leadership. The process pushed me out of my comfort zone, and some major themes emerged. I’ve...
-
Don't Wait For a Stamp of Approval
Don’t Wait Around for a Stamp of Approval: I met with Chris Ballew, former lead singer of The Presidents of the United States, and former children’s musician, Casper Babypants. We had an awesome conversation that went in directions I wasn’t anticipating. Be sure to checkout his website or listen…
more -
You are in the People Investment Business #56
You are in the people investment business! I met with Dr. Peter Rios for a great and engaging conversation. Dr. Rios is on a mission along with his spouse, Dr. Ruby Gonzalez-Rios, to build and develop people so they can maximize their potential and live healthy fulfilled lives. He recently wrote…
more -
Building Active Players #55
Building Active Players: I met with Camille Empey, an associate principal in Washington, and soon to be full-time entrepreneur. She is embarking on a journey to start filling some gaps that she has noticed while working in school systems. She is providing great opportunities for students…
more -
How Are You Building Community? #54
How Are You Building Community? I met with Khalid Maxie, the principal of Jesuit High School in Portland, OR. Khalid and I have known each other for a long time. Over the years, he has been a colleague, friend, mentor, and even a workout partner! I went to visit him at his school recently, and we...
-
Have Laser-Like Focus
Have Laser-Like Focus: I met with Dr. Shon Hocker, the superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene school district. We had an excellent conversation spanning a lot of topics. Dr. Hocker is a thoughtful and strategic leader, and his leadership is clearly working - Coeur d’Alene is ranked in the top 2 for...
-
We Are Going To Get After Teaching Our Kids! #52
We Are Going To Get After Teaching Our Kids! I met with Dr. Derek Bub, the superintendent of the West Ada School District in Idaho. You can see the great work they are doing on the district website. We had a fantastic conversation around leadership and cover many topics, but I always narrow it…
more -
One or Two People Cannot Do It All #51
One or Two People Cannot Do It All: I met with Jeanette Crone, a veteran elementary educator, fantastic assistant principal, and a friend of mine! We have known each other for a couple of years, and finally sat down for a great leadership conversation. We talked about many things, but I always...
-
No One Really Cares About Your Title
No One Really Cares About Your Title: I met with Dr. Darrin Peppard for an inspiring conversation! He has a podcast (Leaning into Learning), a newsletter, and a book (The Road to Awesome). Check them all out on his website: https://roadtoawesome.net/. Dr. Peppard has been a state principal of the...
-
Culture is What You Allow #49
Culture is What You Allow: I met with Lacey Griffiths, an associate principal in Longview. She was the 2019 AWSP Assistant Principal of the Year for Washington. She is a well-known and well-respected AP across our state. I have been fortunate to know her for five years, and we finally sat down…
more -
Just Breathe
Just Breathe: I met with Jennie Ehleringer, a former special education teacher who now had her own private practice. Check out her website: https://www.jennie-ehleringer.com/ to find out about the great services she can provide. We had a great, and wide ranging conversation, but I always narrow…
more -
Bring Education Back to Life
Bring Education Back to Life: I met with Luc Goudreault, the CEO of Vireo. They are doing great work around gardening in classrooms, but they do so much more. Check out the website to see what they can offer to your school.https://www.vireoeducation.com/en/home. Luc and I met in the summer of…
more -
Never Wish Anyone A Mistake Free Career
Never Wish Anyone a Mistake Free Career: I met with Lisa Parry, a principal from South Dakota. Lisa is a fantastic person, an engaging speaker, and has really interesting thoughts on education. You can find out more about her on her website: https://principalparry.com/. We talked about many…
more -
The Time-Starved School Leader #45
Edutopia published my latest article this week about being a Time-Starved School Leader! https://www.edutopia.org/article/time-management-school-leaders I am grateful to Edutopia and also to Tom Berger and Brittany Collins for their help with the article. I’ve been mentioning this idea for a…
more -
School Leadership Matters! #44
School Leadership Matters!:I met with Jack Arend, Deputy Director at AWSP. Every conversation with Jack is incredible! I’ve been fortunate enough to attend many of his trainings, and this time I got to ask my specific leadership questions. Be sure to check out the great work that is going on at...
-
It's Never About You #43
It’s Never About You: Joseph McQueen is a 6-12 principal and author of Calming Young Minds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW2HRF61/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_7ZY7CBFE29ZGDJBT5XV7 We had a great conversation and I encourage you to check out his book! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down...
-
2023 Wrap Up Post and Announcements
This week I am highlighting the top 7 blog posts/podcast episodes from 2023! These posts either had the most number of people read the article, react to the post, or listen to the episode. Given all of the awesome people I met with, I didn’t want to limit it to the top 2 or 3. Today’s post will…
more -
You Are the Example
You Are the Example: I have been committed to posting articles every week for over a year. Based on what I’ve learned from leaders, I am going to start posting less than I have been. I will still post almost every week, but I will take time off to recharge and ‘turn off.’ I want to commit to…
more -
Build Even Better Relationships
Build Even Better Relationships: I met with Doug Whitewolff for a great conversation focused on AI. Check out Doug’s website: https://www.transformationmath.com/ for more information about what he does and how he might be able to support you! We talked about many things, but I always narrow it…
more -
Don't Do More, Be More
Don’t Do More, Be More: I met with Dr. Corissa Mazurkiewicz for a fantastic conversation. We talked about many things, but there was a theme of being present in your work and life. I appreciated how she connected my questions on leadership to both education and being a parent. Here are my three…
more -
The Work Will Be There Tomorrow
The Work Will Be There Tomorrow: I met with Mark Shellinger, the Director of the National SAM Inovation Project https://www.samprocess.com/. Will Parker and Kerensa Wing encouraged me to look into his work, and they were right! Mark and I had a great conversation about the SAM process and how...
-
Who Wants to be a Great Superintendent and a Miserable Father?
Who Wants to be a Great Superintendent and a Miserable Father?: Over the past year I met with 7 leaders from the US and UK who, for one reason or another, asked me to not post about the individual conversations. Over the next two weeks I will be posting about my ‘unreleased interviews.’ What...
-
Take the Roast Out of the Oven
Take the Roast out of the Oven: Over the past year I met with 7 leaders from the US and UK who, for one reason or another, asked me to not post about the individual conversations. Over the next two weeks I will be posting about my ‘unreleased interviews.’ What follows are the main themes after...
-
Every Child Should Attend A High Performing School
Every Child Should Attend a High Performing School: I met with Jayne Ellspermann, the 2015 National Principal of the Year, past NASSP President, Tedx speaker, and the list goes on! She now works for herself as a school leadership development expert. Make sure to reach out to her if you need an...
-
Not One Darn Thing Can Be Done By Yourself
Not One Darn Thing Can Be Done By Yourself: I met with Dr. Mary Templeton, the superintendent of the Washougal School District in Washington. Washougal is a fast growing community, and the school district is doing some great things! https://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/ We talked about many things…
more -
Be Mission Driven
Be Mission Driven: I met with Dr. Talina Corvus for an excellent conversation. Dr. Corvus is the director of Pacific University’s PhD in Education and Leadership program. If you have any interest in earning a PhD, check this program out! https://www.pacificu.edu/phd-education-leadership I have…
more -
Accomplish Your Vision By Focusing on Others
Accomplish Your Vision by Focusing on Others: I met with Niiamah Ashong for a great conversation! Niiamah is an entrepreneur and coach, and I encourage you to check out his website for more information about what he has to offer! https://niiamahashong.com/ We talked about many things, but I…
more -
You Have Never Arrived
You Have Never Arrived: I met with Kerensa Wing, a former principal and current educational consultant. Kerensa was the 2020 NASSP National Principal of the Year, and we had a great and practical conversation about school leadership! Make sure to check our what she has to offer on her website:...
-
Every Action Must Be Intentional
Every Action Must Be Intentional: I met with the inspiring Jim Wichman recently for a conversation that left me with more energy than when I started! Jim is a longtime administrator with a strong track record of success in schools. Make sure you check out his website to see what he might be able…
more -
Teachers’ Emotional Wellness Impacts the Classroom
Teachers’ Emotional Wellness Impacts the Classroom: I met with Dr. Rana Razzaque for an awesome conversation about mindfulness and its impact on our educational system. This was a different conversation than my normal leadership focus, but I was so interested in the topic that I wanted to learn…
more -
Journey to Your Own Brand of Excellence
Journey to Your Own Brand of Excellence: I met with Matt Dixon, founder of Purple Patch Fitness. He has been extremely successful as a professional triathlete coach and as a business owner. He has written multiple books and hosts a weekly podcast as well. Check out his website:...
-
Never Lose the Capacity for Bold, Audacious Ideas
Never Lose the Capacity for Bold, Audacious Ideas: I met with Dr. Brent Chrite, the president of Bentley University. I was fortunate to meet Dr. Chrite in person at the Global Minded Conference in June, and then I was able to listen to him speak on a keynote panel. What an inspiring leader! Make...
-
Get Your Ego Out the Door
Get Your Ego Out the Door: I met with Bobby Dodd, a National Digital Principal of the Year and overall awesome school leader. I was able to hear him speak at the NASSP Ignite conference and we later met to talk about more specifics of leadership. We talked about many things, but I always narrow…
more -
On the Other Side of Discomfort is Joy
On the Other Side of Discomfort is Joy: I met with Dr. Colleen Kelley, an Army Veteran, college professor, and comic strip writer. Dr. Kelley not only writes comics, but they are about organic chemistry and they are geared towards kids aged 8-10! Check them out: https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/...
-
Be a Dream Maker for Kids
Be a Dream Maker for Kids:I met with Dr. Cynthia Clauson, a veteran administrator and superintendent from the state of Washington. Ted Howard connected us because Dr. Clauson has been such a good mentor to him and many other successful school leaders. We talked about many things, but I always...
-
Step by Step
One Step at a Time: I met with Jenn David-Lang, a former teacher and administrator and now she writes the Main Idea. https://www.themainidea.net/ Jenn reads books and then writes detailed summaries so educators can still get the main idea without reading the entire thing. This is an extremely...
-
Be Humble... and Don't be a Jerk!
Be Humble and Don’t be a Jerk!: I met with Kim Marshall, who writes the Marshall Memo each week. If you haven’t seen his work, I strongly suggest you check it out! https://marshallmemo.com/ He does an excellent job synthesizing a lot of work so we don’t have to! We talked about many things, but I...
-
Drink A Lot of Water
Drink A Lot of Water: I met with Ted Howard, an assistant superintendent in Seattle. We had a great conversation that was extremely practical and filled with great tips to be successful in this work (like drinking a lot of water!) We talked about many things, but I always narrow it down to three...
About this show
Start the week off right with a short-form podcast with Dr. Nick Davies. One to two times per month, the focus is on lessons learned from meetings with leaders across the country and Dr. Nick's thoughts on trending topics in education. Each episode is around 15 minutes and is intended for people to listen to on their morning commutes to work.
Hosted by
Nick Davies
Categories