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Colleagues,
Did you choose to win today? I don’t usually do three emails about a podcast episode, but as I said on Tuesday, this one was really good. Simone talked about “connection before correction”: the idea of building a relationship before we try and make someone better. Here’s the thing: growing inherently involves risk. Anytime I am trying to do something I haven’t done before, there is a chance of failure. Without a relationship (especially feeling valued and trusted), that risk feels gigantic. Conversely, a strong relationship decreases risk. It’s like putting a safety net below the tightrope. If you want someone to get better (and you should) build the relationship first. Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues, You might deduce from yesterday’s message that there is a lot of self-reflection in yesterday’s podcast. Like this quote: “What’s the point of leading if I’m not willing to grow?” How can we expect to grow others if we aren’t growing ourselves? I’m actually wading into this in a couple weeks – exploring my own growth, especially when it comes to implementing change. I’m happy to acknowledge Kaleidoscope Adventures as a sponsor of yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast! I appreciate their support and encourage you to connect with them if you are thinking about planning a school trip!  Cheers!
Frederick Colleagues, Did you choose to win today? I’m just curious 😉 Another sector-agnostic episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, so read and then listen. Simone Lieschke is the Primary School Co-Principal at the American International School of Lusaka, Zambia. She is deeply committed to empathy-driven, student-centered leadership and to fostering a connected, caring school culture. She also makes a FANTASTIC podcast guest! Simone is full of energy and optimism. And if you are American, you’ll probably also find her Australian accent charming 🤣 One of the really cool things we talked about was the transition into leadership and the need to see yourself differently before expecting others to see you differently. This is especially important when rising up to a role that is hierarchically above your colleagues. It’s worth reflecting on this question: do you see yourself as a leader? Thanks again to IXL for sponsoring today’s episode.  Cheers!
Frederick Colleagues,
Welcome to the last month of 2025. This year has gone fast in some ways and been a long painful trainwreck in others. This is an easy time to lose focus. If you work in or with schools, there are only about two weeks left before Christmas break. I’ve seen a lot of educators and administrators take their foot off the gas at this point. I get it, everyone is tired and the holidays bring a certain energy that can easily spill into the classroom (or whatever your workspace happens to be). I wrote and talked about in the podcast last week about how I keep score of each day. It is a win or a loss. It is silly, but I also couple that practice with Tony Robbins’ seven morning affirmations (the last of which is “Today, I choose to win.” The real power in this is that I make a conscious choice. There have been a couple times I have said, “I am spent today, I will take the loss.” There also have been many more days I have said, “I am spent, but I choose to win today.” The point: we all can choose each day from now until break. We can choose to coast (lose) or choose to focus on making a difference, on being a lighthouse, on supporting and growing our people. We all face the same choice. What choice will you make? Cheers! Frederick |
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