TregoED Blog — Building Leadership Capacity

Plowing Through Tough Decisions by asking the Right Questions

Navigating winter storms takes on a whole new layer of complexity when it comes to school districts and decision making – ice, snow, floods, wind, and cold are all important considerations when it comes to making the call.  Using the pertinent questions from TregoED problem solving and decision-making frameworks can help you plow through these Read the full article…

7.3 Miles – A Lesson in Leadership

With the suitcases loaded in the rental car and the girls buckled in the backseat, we set off on our mini adventure into New York City. Our agenda was set and Central Park was loaded into Waze for directions. Although I had been to New York several times, I had never driven in the city. Read the full article…

Looking forward to your next meeting?  In many cases, the answer to that question is “nope.”  Many meetings have been viewed as at worst – time-sucking obligations, mind-numbing information dumps, frustrating rehashes and/or contentious public forums of off-track topics, or at best dull and uninspiring.  Holding meetings in an online platform has only amplified those Read the full article…

The pandemic has laid bare many faults and inequities in education systems, but it has also highlighted essential skills and successful leadership practices that have proven successful in addressing pandemic-related problems.  We have seen firsthand how proven decision-making and problem-solving processes have been the linchpin of success for leaders during times of crisis or stability. Read the full article…

Anyone familiar with theater recognizes the concept of the understudy – the person who learns another’s role to be able to step in on short notice and play the part.  Preparing for sudden departures, turnovers, and the Silver Tsunami in education, means building the leadership capacity for succession.  Succession planning in education is an essential Read the full article…

Have you decided where your ESSER money investments will be most beneficial?  If so, how do you ensure these decisions actually reach your goals?  How can you prevent outside factors from “raining on your parade”? The success of a decision depends on the success of its implementation and the active management of the risks.  An Read the full article…

What’s good for the goose…. I ran across a great little video from Edutopia of “words kids love to hear” reflecting the Whole Child SEL mantra that we know to be so important to our children’s mental health, always, but especially after the year they just had.  But what about the Whole Staff Member approach?  Read the full article…

The 5 P’s of Ever-Ready Leadership

Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) are conditions prevalent – increasingly so – in an education leader’s world.  We cannot necessarily foresee the needs, emergencies, or issues of tomorrow.  Education leaders must be prepared to handle anything.  The most effective way to ensure this is to build the capacity for ever-ready leadership.  This capacity enables Read the full article…

Are your communications calm, consistent and clear? Or do they reflect the current VUCA environment—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous? Perception is reality. Communication is the key to the public’s perception of how you are managing your world—in crisis or not. Think George Bush—communicating from the site of 9-11—perceived as a “take charge” and “swift, coordinated Read the full article…

“Running a school district is one of the toughest most complex jobs in America – John Kim, Senior Lecturer @HBS during A Seat at the Table: Strategies and Tips for Complex Decision Making Webinar Education leaders are living in a VUCA world – a world characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity as they face Read the full article…