EPISODE #359

Hey, builders.

Before we begin, I have a quick question for you. Are we connected on social media?

The reason I'm asking is because as.

Much as I love giving you the podcast episode every single week, I'd love to take our relationship deeper. So if we're not connected on social media, let's connect. I'm on LinkedIn @robynmindsteps. I'm on Twitter @robynmindsteps.
I'm on Facebook at Robyn Jackson, please let's connect so we can keep the conversation going. Now on with the show.

You're listening to the School Leadership Reimagined podcast, episode 359. How do builders like us make a dramatic difference in the lives of our students in spite of all the obstacles we face? How do you keep your vision for your school from being held hostage by resistant teachers, uncooperative parents, ridiculous district policies, or lack of time, money, or resources? If you're facing those challenges right now, here's where you'll find the answers, strategies, and actionable tips you need to overcome any obstacle you face. You don't have to wait to make a difference in the lives of the people you serve. You can turn your school into a success story right now with the people and resources you already have. Let's get started.

Hey, builders. Welcome to another episode of the School Leadership Reimagined Podcast. 

I'm your host, Robin Jackson, and by now you've heard my big announcement. Stay. Starting April 15th, this podcast has a new name, the 100% principle podcast. So I wanna spend this episode telling you exactly what that means. Not just the name change or the new format, but what we're actually building here, who it's for, and what you're gonna find every single week when you tune in. So let's start with who this is for, because I really think that this matters more than almost anything else I could tell you about the show.

So this podcast is first for principals who have decided that 100% student success is not an aspiration, but it really is a commitment. And they are committed to it. They're committed to it more than anything. So they realize that 100% success is something that they don't just talk about, but they're actually committed to building. They're not trying to chase it or inspire it into existence. They're actually building it. And so I call that principle a 100% principle. And I want to be clear about what that means, because it's not about where your school is right now.

So this isn't a credential that you earn after you hit a certain number. A 100% principal is someone who's just drawn a line in the sand and said, listen, in this building, every kid succeeds. And not only that, they're committed to building the conditions that make that possible. So I imagine right now, if you're a principal, you became a principal for exactly that reason. Right? You believed that every kid could succeed and should succeed, and you wanted to be in a position where you could make that happen. So you worked hard, you led well, you motivated people, inspired them, pushed them, but at some point, the results stopped matching the effort. And that's because leadership has a ceiling.

I've talked about that. And I also believe that every principal who's really committed to this work is eventually going to hit that ceiling. They're going to hit the point where they're working harder, and they realize that they're working harder and leading better, but it's not going to move the needle anymore. A lot of times when that happens, we beat ourself up because we think that it's something that we're doing, but it's not you. It's the design limit of leadership itself. So when you become a 100% principle, you stop trying to make leadership do something that it was, frankly, never designed to do, and you start building a school that will. And that's who this podcast is for. If you've ever had a quiet, sneaking suspicion that there's something more to this work than what you were trained to do, this is for you.

And if you are done with the idea that one more PD or another initiative or another motivational speech is going to get you there, well, this podcast is for you. And if you've decided that 100% is the only. Only acceptable answer and you're looking for a way to make that happen in your school, this is for you. So if you're sitting at 15% or 52% or 70% right now, and you're wondering if this podcast is even for you, it is. It's especially for you. Because a 100% principle isn't defined by where they are. They're defined by what they have decided to build. Now, I know that not everybody listening right now is a sitting principal, so I want to speak to you directly for a moment.

If you're an AP or an instructional coach or department head, you know, you're somebody who holds a leadership position in school right now, but you're not a principal yet, this podcast is for you, too, because maybe you're thinking about becoming A principal someday, or maybe you're not even sure yet. But you know this, you know that, you know that you still want to have this mindset. And here's what I know about the principals who struggle most when they finally step into the role. They're the ones who spent years watching leadership and absorbing the completely wrong model, that leadership model. The ones who strive are the ones who built the right mental model before they ever had the title. And so this podcast is where you build the 100% principal mindset now, before you need it. So that when that day comes, and it will come, you're not learning on the job, you're already thinking like a builder now if you're a district leader. And so you've moved out of the principalship and now your job is to support principals.

Well, you probably have already discovered that, that the leadership advice that you were probably trained to give, well, that advice isn't cutting it anymore. 

So this podcast is going to give you something different to offer them. So when you walk into a principal's office, you'll have a real understanding of what they're actually up against right now, and you're going to know exactly what they need right now. So if you're not a principal, you can still adopt the 100% principal mindset and you can still get huge value from tuning in every single week. Okay, so now let me tell you about what you're actually gonna get every Wednesday, because the format is really simple. Every single week. I start by writing a newsletter. It's one idea, it's fully developed, and that newsletter becomes the episode.

But I wanna tell you what that actually looks like and what that feels like. Because this isn't gonna be like a tips podcast or best practices roundup or something like that. Every single week it's gonna follow the same four part structure, it's gonna section, which is what I'm seeing now. It's not a statistic or a trend piece. It's something really specific. It's a moment from a coaching call, or it's a pattern I notice from talking to three different principals in three different states and three different kinds of schools. Maybe it's something that one of our builders has said to me this week that stopped me cold and sometimes might even be something that I'm reading. I read a lot.

I read research and books outside of education and things that most people don't have time to get to. So when something connects directly to what's happening in schools right now, I'm going to bring it to You. And then after that section comes the why it matters. And this is where I go underneath the surface. Because most of the challenges that you are facing right now look like one thing, but a lot of times they're actually something else entirely. So you might think you have a staff resistance problem, but it's often a problem that has to do with your vision. Or you might think that you have a culture problem, but it's often a problem that has to do with your messaging. You might think that maybe there's a data problem, but there's really a trust problem.

So this section is going to name exactly what's happening, what's at stake, if you keep addressing the symptom instead of the cause. And it's also going to talk about, like, why, you know, like getting deep into the why and so that you can really understand what's happening and stop batting away at the symptoms. So this is the part that makes you stop and think, and sometimes it may even be a little uncomfortable, but it's the part that really helps you to think through your work. And then comes the center of everything, which is the 100% principle. Ple. Principle. Right. Every week, I'm going to name one principle, one counterintuitive idea that governs how 100% principles operate differently from traditional leaders.

It's something that's going to be specific enough that you can argue with it if you want, but it's defensible enough that by the end of the episode, you probably won't be arguing with it anymore. This is the part that you'll quote. This is the part that you're going to screenshot and put on your walls. And this is the part that over time, will accumulate in a completely different way, you know, so that you're going to see your school differently as a result of it. Hey, builders, real quick, before we get on with the rest of the episode, I want to talk to you about the 100% collective.

If you are interested in becoming a Builder and developing that 100% mindset, then the 100% collective is for you.
Not only do we have monthly masterclasses, Live masterclasses, where I show you how to take some work that you are already doing, but do it like a builder, do it in a way that is more effective, more efficient, in a way that takes the work and stops it from being drudgery and makes it actually something that feels meaningful, that moves you forward. We also have done for you toolboxes with all the tools you need to be able to include implement and we have step by step playbooks that lay out the entire process for you. So you don't even think about it. You just take the playbook and you can implement it right away in your schools.
And we have a supportive community.

So this is a safe place where you can bring your challenges. 

And there are other people, other builders just like you, who are encouraging you, who are applauding you when you win, and who are giving you their experiences as well so that you can learn from each other. If you are tired of just kind of going through and doing the work the way you've always been doing it, and you're ready to stop being a leader and to start building something amazing, the 100% collective is where you need to be. Join us@brewershipuniversity.com community now. Back with the program. And then after that, we're going to close with your 100% move this week. This is the one thing, this is one specific action that you can take Monday morning that is connected directly to the principle that we just named. And I do this because ideas without practical application, it's just entertainment. And you're not here to be entertained. You're here to build something real.

So I want to be able to give you something that will help you do that. So that's it. That's the structure every single week. And over time, and this is the part that I'm really the most excited about, over time, these principles will accumulate into a library. So if you're dealing with a resistant teacher in October, there's going to be an episode for that. If you are presenting your vision in January, there's an episode for that. If you're hitting a wall with your data or your culture in March, there's going to be an episode for that. And the goal is that this podcast becomes the most useful thing in your professional library.

Not because it will cover everything, but it's going to cover the right things. It's going to deal with the stuff you're dealing with right now. Now, here's the part I want you to hear pretty clearly, because it changes how you're going to engage with the podcast going forward. The newsletter comes first every Friday before the episode drops on Wednesday. The full piece is already in your inbox. And here's why that matters. You see, I'm often going to be reading the newsletter directly on the podcast. Same content, but different formats.

So the podcast episode is something that you can listen to once, but the newsletter is something that you keep. You can save it. You can come back to it. You can share it with a. With someone who needs to hear it. You can pull it up on a Monday morning when you're trying to remember what your next move is. It's the same idea, but it's in a format that you can actually use more than once. And so you can subscribe to the newsletter right now by going to 100% principal.

It's free, it drops every Friday, and every issue is one real idea. It's fully developed. It's for principals who are building something real. So this Friday, the first newsletter drops. It's good. I love it. And so you want to make sure you get signed up so that you can get the newsletter this Friday. Now, April 15th is when the first episode of the 100% principal podcast drops.

And you'll be able to listen to it on your podcast feed. You'll be able to watch it on YouTube with a lot of, you know, have a lot more visuals and things like that up there. And you'll also be able to read it in the newsletter. So no matter how you like to consume your information, you will have it available. So again, to get the newsletter, which drops this Friday, subscribe to it at 100% principal.com and then show up next Wednesday and let's build something incredible together. I'm really excited about this. I hope you're excited, too, and I can't wait for you to see the newsletter that's dropping on Friday. I can't wait for you to hear the episode that's happening Wednesday, and I can't wait to continue the conversation as we go forward.

So again, 100%. 100. 100% P e r c e n t principal p r I n c principle p r I n c I p a l dot com 100% principal dot com and make sure you're staying tuned because next Wednesday, the first episode drops. Thanks and I'll see you then.

Hey, if you're ready to get started being a builder right away, then I want to invite you to join us at Buildership University. 

It's our exclusive online community for builders just just like you, where you'll be able to get the exact training that you need to turn your school into a success story. Right now, with the people and resources you already have. Inside, you'll find our best online courses, live trainings with me, tons of resources, templates and exemplars, and monthly live office hours with me where you can ask me anything and get my help on.

Whatever challenge you're facing right now. If you're tired. Tired of hitting obstacle after obstacle and you're sick of tiny little incremental gains each year. If you're ready to make a dramatic difference in your school right now, then you need to join Buildership University. Just go to buildershipuniversity.com and get started writing your school success story today.

Hey, this is Robin and thanks for listening to the show. Now, if you really enjoyed the content, would you do me a favor and share it with? All you need to do is pull out your phone, click on the little three dots next to the show, and you'll see an option there to share the show. Click that and send it to somebody else who could really benefit from what. You learned here today. Not only are you gonna look like a rock star, but you're gonna be. Helping out somebody else who really could use this information. Plus, I will be so grateful. So just go ahead. Right now, click on those three dots and share the show. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.