EPISODE 181

Rewind: 6 Early Warning Signs of a Toxic School Culture

Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want to Miss:
  • A toxic culture can completely derail any change efforts you want to make so it is really important to detect and deal with any sign of toxicity first, before you begin your change efforts. Otherwise, that toxic culture will completely destroy any efforts you make to secure real change in your school.
  • There are 6 key Early Warning Signs that your culture is turning toxic. The good news is that if you get to them early, you CAN overcome these toxic elements before they permeate your entire school culture.
  • Builders don’t wait for things to get toxic before they intervene. Builders are constantly on the lookout for signs of toxicity and they deal with the quickly before they have a chance to get any worse.

One of my favorite sayings is "Culture eats strategy for breakfast."

If you've got a toxic culture, it really doesn't matter what your strategic plan or vision is. Your culture always trumps your strategy. That's why Builders protect their culture by spotting and getting rid of toxicity before it has a chance to spread.

In this episode, I'm sharing 6 early warning signs that your culture is turning toxic. If you can nip these in the bud before they have a chance to infect your entire culture and ruin any initiatives you are trying to launch, you can clear the way to achieve your school-wide vision and get everyone on board.

Check out these highlights:
  • The sneaky reason so many of our school initiatives never get off the ground.
  • Are people in your culture risk averse? It’s a good chance you’re already seeing Early Warning Sign #1.
  • When people focus on rules more than the mission, you might be dealing with Early Warning Sign #2.
  • Why Early Warning Sign #3 can lead to infighting, feuds, and all out war.
  • How Early Warning Sign #4 can cause you to totally lose control over the narrative of your school.
  • How Early Warning Sign #5 poses the biggest threat to collaboration and collegiality.
  • Why Early Warning Sign #6 can lead to a negative climate.
  • The good news? If you can identify and deal with these Early Warning Signs early, you CAN overcome these toxic elements before they permeate your entire school culture.
Links mentioned in this episode:

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