As a new school year approaches, I’ve been thinking a lot about the important priorities that need to be moved forward. If you are reading this, I know you are too. Education is a busy place and it requires the special attention our students and teachers deserve. Since I often write the posts I need …
"Decide what you want to be, and then do that work." - Ryan Holiday After nearly two decades in education, amidst the hustle and bustle of learning, teaching, being active in student life, attending and facilitating meetings and professional learning sessions, constant reading, relentless podcast listening, reflective writing, and creating systems and structures to help …
Who is the leader you wish to become, Lauren? My answer is, I wish to become the leader I always needed. This is a question I continuously ask myself as I navigate the ebbs and flows of education and leadership. These sentiments are woven throughout my book The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire …
Continue reading Coaching Aspiring Leaders: A Pathway to Growth
Let your hopes lead you forward, while leaving your fears behind. While writing this, the words “hopes” and “fears” struck a chord with me, reflecting on my journey as a blogger over the past several years. Each blog post I share carries a piece of my story and the fear that accompanies it. In the …
Continue reading The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within
“I believe that everyone is born with the desire to do something beyond themselves.” I recently heard this sentiment shared by entrepreneur and college professor Ed Zschau, on an episode of Tim Ferriss’ podcast. This insight reminded me that there will be moments in our lives that confirm that we are destined for things we …
Continue reading Embracing Coaching Principles in Leadership
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” - Viktor Frankl I paused over this quote while scrolling through social media the other day. It resonated deeply, especially after a recent event where an acquaintance asked if …
“The best champions for change are experts in aspects of the initiative being implemented—those who combine emotional intelligence, expertise, humility, and ambition for improvement.” As I was reading the ASCD article by Jim Knight titled, The Problem with Nominal Change, it brought me to deeply reflect on the constantly evolving landscape of education. Education is …
“To truly support students, everyone in a school building must operate as both leaders and practitioners, seeing all angles of their school’s landscape.” This sentiment was shared by building leader Shayla Ewing in an Education Week article titled, “Principals, You Aren’t the Only Leader in Your School.” Ewing’s insights really hit home for me, reminding …
“Leaders need to be visionary, but they need to also be able to utilize the people they work with to create a vision of what school should and could be together” (p. 9). This sentiment was shared by George Couros in his latest book co-written with Allyson Apsey, titled, What Makes a Great Principal: The …
The frame for this piece is collaborative in nature. You are invited to engage in conversation on cultivating your legacy for leadership. Imagine this post as an interactive conversation with three thought partners. It may read more like loosely connected haiku poems than a deep dive piece. We are grateful to collectively compose this piece …
Empower. Collaborate. Connect. 