Dec. 15, 2025
Episode 53: You Don't Have to Leave to Lead: Dr. Chris Jochum's Leadership Journey
Send us a text What if the most powerful leaders in a school aren’t the ones with the titles? We sit down with Dr. Chris Jochum department chair, coach, and author of You Don’t Have To Leave To Lead, to unpack how everyday teachers can move culture, improve learning, and lift colleagues without stepping out of the classroom. Chris traces his journey from rural roots and language classrooms to higher education, highlighting mentors who asked bigger questions at pivotal moments. We break down ...
What if the most powerful leaders in a school aren’t the ones with the titles? We sit down with Dr. Chris Jochum department chair, coach, and author of You Don’t Have To Leave To Lead, to unpack how everyday teachers can move culture, improve learning, and lift colleagues without stepping out of the classroom.
Chris traces his journey from rural roots and language classrooms to higher education, highlighting mentors who asked bigger questions at pivotal moments. We break down the research connecting teacher leadership to student achievement, morale, and retention, then translate it into concrete practices: craft a clear personal mission, align core values to daily actions, navigate conflict with calm, and use small, compounding habits to build a resilient culture. You’ll hear why shared leadership outperforms command-and-control, and how a coaching mindset, support, feedback, and trust frees teachers to take smart risks.
For Principals and APs, Chris lays out practical moves you can implement this week. Know your roster so you can align strengths and goals. Run stay interviews to get ahead of attrition. Celebrate small wins, coach privately, and make data human by pairing outcomes with experience. For teachers weighing their next step, we explore the bell curve test: are you one tough day from quitting or ready to serve at a larger scale? Either way, a personal leadership mission can anchor your choices and multiply your impact.
If you care about teacher retention, school culture, and student success, this conversation offers a clear playbook. Listen, take one habit into practice tomorrow, and watch the 1% gains add up. If the ideas resonate, follow Chris at cjleadership.com, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a quick review so others can find the show.
Connect with Dr. Chris Jochum:
email: chris@cjleadership.com
Dr. Chris Jochum's Books:
You Don't Have to Leave to Lead: A Practical Guide to Teacher Leadership (Amazon)
The Department Chair: A Practical Guide to Effective Leadership (Amazon)
Teach Better Mid Roll Network Ad
Click Here to Connect with Principal JL:
00:00 - Meet Dr. Chris Jochum
04:32 - Early Inspirations To Teach
08:48 - Leadership’s Ripple Beyond Titles
13:34 - From K‑12 To Higher Ed
19:44 - Why Study Leadership
26:25 - The Department Chair Playbook
30:35 - You Don’t Have To Leave To Lead
38:25 - Shared Leadership And Culture
WEBVTT
00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:03.879
Have you thought about leaving the classroom to step into a leadership role?
00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:08.039
Well, today's guest says you don't have to leave to leave.
00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.759
Today we welcome in Dr.
00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:11.879
Chris Jochum.
00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:19.800
He is the founder and CEO of CJ Leadership Solutions, and a trusted speaker, trainer, coach, and thought leader.
00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:25.719
He is currently the chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hayes State University.
00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.919
He's also the author of two powerful books.
00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.759
The Department Chair, a practical guide to effective leadership.
00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:39.960
And his newest release, You Don't Have to Leave to Lead, a Practical Guide to Teacher Leadership.
00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:48.840
Chris has spent almost three decades in the K-12 in higher education, empowering people to lead from where they are.
00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:52.039
And today we get to unpack that leadership journey.
00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:59.079
Where it began, what shaped it, and what he's doing now to strengthen schools and organizations everywhere.
00:02:59.079 --> 00:03:02.599
Now let's get into the conversation with Dr.
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.280
Chris Jochum.
00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:19.000
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Educational Leadership Podcast.
00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.920
Today I have Dr.
00:03:20.920 --> 00:03:22.759
Chris Jochum in the house.
00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:24.360
Chris, welcome to the show.
00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:25.159
Hey, thank you.
00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:26.439
Excited to be here.
00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:34.120
All right, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to start you off like I do every guest on this show and ask you this one question.
00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.800
What inspired you to become an educator?
00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:43.560
Well, I assume that this is very common, certainly when you ask educators.
00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:48.200
And when you say educator, I think of what got me into K-12.
00:03:48.200 --> 00:03:56.280
And, you know, you and I, I think we have a lot in common in terms of our home state and even having a rural upbringing.
00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:02.599
And what really inspired me were the wonderful teachers and coaches that I had growing up.
00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:11.000
You know, in a small town where maybe the most people that have a college education are probably working at the school.
00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.599
And again, I'm not saying I was always the best student.
00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:27.319
They I probably challenged them at times, but just having really good teachers and mentors is what inspired me, probably at an early age, to start at least considering being a teacher.
00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:28.759
There you go.
00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:38.439
So what inspired you to get into you know teaching Spanish and English as a second language as a teacher when you got into that role?
00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:44.279
Yeah, well, you know, I picked my profession first and my my subject second.
00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:52.439
And I was a high school teacher because I probably didn't, I wasn't good enough to teach elementary and kindergarten.
00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:56.120
Those folks, you know, there's a special place in heaven for those folks.
00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:09.240
But, you know, it I go back, Jeff, to uh many, many years ago in my small rural Nebraska community, we would usually have one or two foreign exchange students a year.
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:16.439
And the year that I was taking high school Spanish coincided with us having an exchange student in my class.
00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:17.959
She was from Japan.
00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:23.720
And I thought it was so cool that someone my age could learn another language, go to another country.
00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:28.439
And, you know, and sometimes, as I joke, Spanish class was one of the few classes.
00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:32.120
I think I made it through all school year without having to go to the office at least once.
00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:33.800
So I was good at it.
00:05:33.800 --> 00:06:01.399
And, you know, I go back 30 plus years ago to when that happened, and that really planted the seed for me to not only be a teacher, but to serve as an educator through foreign language and helping others through whether it's English as a second language or being a high school Spanish teacher, which you know turned into in college my ability and my love of study abroad and really opened it up.
00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:03.399
So I go back to that influence.
00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:11.480
I think I was a sophomore in high school, and that's what really got me started on ESL foreign language and bilingual education.
00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:12.120
All right.
00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:23.079
So during that time as a teacher, is there a story or something that you learned as a teacher that helped you into your leadership that you have today?
00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:24.519
Wow.
00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:27.800
Yeah, there are many instances.
00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:36.840
I think when people ask me about leadership journey, again, I've been fortunate to have had great role models as teachers, coaches.
00:06:36.840 --> 00:06:43.240
I think as people like you and others, I tended to have some leadership leanings, you know, early on.
00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:47.639
You know, there was a few years I was the class president or things like that.
00:06:47.639 --> 00:07:05.560
Uh but I think overall seeing the effect of family members and friends, so whether they're in education or not, but I always like to remind people that leaders really do make all the difference.
00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:13.560
Leaders can be the reason that somebody either buys a house or sells a house, that they either pack a U-Haul or unpack a U-Haul.
00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:27.480
And so I would just say, overall, what really got me focused on how can I be a better leader and how can I help others lead is that realization that the best way to improve an organization is to improve and affect the leader.
00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:30.040
And leaders affect everyone.
00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:31.720
Leaders affect everyone.
00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:39.639
There are human beings that sit around the dinner table, and kids know their parents' boss's name for better or worse.
00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:41.240
There are group techs out there.
00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.800
If you're a leader, your name's in those group texts.
00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:57.399
And so I think that's really going back really about 20 years, where I started being intentional and saying, if I'm ever in a formalized leadership role, how can I do this better and help others?
00:07:57.639 --> 00:07:58.040
You bet.
00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:00.519
I kind of I don't know if you don't know if you remember Dr.
00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.800
Troxel or Mike Troxel, not not Dr.
00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.199
Troxel, but Mike, you remember Mike Troxel?
00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:07.319
Oh my gosh.
00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:08.439
Well, I'll just say it here.
00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:11.399
Trox is one of the reasons I became a teacher.
00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:19.560
Mike Troxel was my he was my biology teacher starting from fifth grade all the way to my junior year.
00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:25.639
And yes, if you're listening, Trox, hey, you I you're doing, you know, you had an influence on my life.
00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:27.160
But yes, yes, I know Mr.
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:28.199
Troxel very well.
00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:28.519
Yeah.
00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.759
So Mike Troxel was my principal when I was teaching at Hershey.
00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:47.799
And so when I became when I was studying to get my master's in administration, he was my administrator, he was my principal that I would, you know, basically shadow and learn from.
00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:50.519
And and so that's my connection to Mike.
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:55.399
I knew he was at Hurt Sutherland for a long time, but then he was a principal there.
00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:56.919
Then he came over to Hershey.
00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:57.799
Him and Dr.
00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.360
Cunning were there when I was at that time.
00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:04.519
And so I actually got to watch Mike Troxel retire.
00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:09.879
But one thing he kind of told me is like, you know, you know what they do with good teachers?
00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:11.559
They make them administrators.
00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:16.039
So and so I thought that was kind of funny.
00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.279
But yeah, so we went through that whole deal.
00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:26.600
And so it was really great to see what I learned a lot about leadership is by watching the people that were leading the building.
00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:30.919
So the people that were in leadership roles, such as you know, Mr.
00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:32.360
Gray at Twin River, Mr.
00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:34.840
Higher at Twin River, Mike Troxel, Dr.
00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:46.039
Cunning, Hershey, you know, Brian Begley, you know, all these principals that I got to watch lead, I got to take something from that, and that informed my leadership today.
00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:52.360
That was really great that you share that because I started thinking about all the leaders that I watched as a teacher.
00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:55.639
And I thought maybe we might have that connection with Mike Troxel.
00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:58.519
And people listening, I, you know, it's a small world.
00:09:58.519 --> 00:09:59.799
I did not know that.
00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:06.279
But honestly, when I list my influences and I say, you know, leadership is influence regardless of title.
00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:13.799
And just growing up when Troxel before he became principal, he was still one of the most influential people in the building.
00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:14.519
And Dr.
00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:24.120
Cunning, if you're listening, I still apologize for the time in second grade that I got called to your office because I was running around at the football game and shouldn't have been.
00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:30.600
I mean, since my my dad and Mike are dear friends of over 40 years, I can promise you that I got it worse when I got home.
00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.399
But yes, that's another person that I know very well.
00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:34.440
There you go.
00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:36.200
Yeah, that's awesome.
00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:37.879
You know, we've been teaching.
00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:46.840
So, what motivated you to go from the high school setting and get into upper post-secondary education?
00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:48.039
What motivated you?
00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:49.639
What was there a story behind that?
00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:54.679
What was it that got you to go from high school to to college?
00:10:55.000 --> 00:11:02.519
Yeah, I well, I didn't necessarily start out early on saying I'm gonna end up in the college level, right?
00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:08.039
As you said, it's mentoring, it's people pulling you aside, tapping you on the shoulder.
00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:13.080
So when I was doing my undergrad, I had a had an influential teacher named Dr.
00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:17.320
Tom Contney, and he taught at University of Nebraska Kearney.
00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:24.200
And great teacher, very energetic, worked with Madeline Hunter way back when at UCLA.
00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:47.180
And I remember one time he uh he he called me, he said, Hey, why don't you stop by my office tomorrow?
00:11:47.180 --> 00:11:52.220
And so my default is, well, I've been coming to class doing all the things.
00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:56.380
And I'll never forget, he looked at me and he said, Have you ever thought about teaching teachers?
00:11:56.380 --> 00:12:01.020
Now I'm like a junior or senior in college, I haven't even been a real teacher yet, right?
00:12:01.020 --> 00:12:02.540
I said, I don't know, sir.
00:12:02.540 --> 00:12:04.300
I'm just trying to get out of college.
00:12:04.300 --> 00:12:12.300
And he said, Oh, I know, but I just wanted you to know that I think maybe down the road, after you get some experience, I see a few things in you.
00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:15.020
I think you'd be really good at teaching teachers.
00:12:15.020 --> 00:12:22.780
Okay, I kind of filed that away, had a chance to go right into being a high school teacher after I graduated.
00:12:22.780 --> 00:12:27.020
My my college department asked me if I wanted to be a graduate assistant.
00:12:27.020 --> 00:12:36.300
Now, I thought a graduate assistant was a football coach because you know I'm a first-generation college student, and you know, I used to watch football and they'd say so and so's the GA.
00:12:36.300 --> 00:12:41.820
And when they told me that I could teach a little, go back to Mexico, all those things.
00:12:41.820 --> 00:13:03.680
So I got a taste of higher ed, but I wanted to get into K-12.
00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:12.000
And I think I was kind of at a crossroads where I felt as though maybe I was ready to move in to a different role.
00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.880
I had my license to be a secondary principal.
00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:27.600
And it just so happened, one thing led to another, and I had an opportunity because I was also working on my PhD at the time, just had an opportunity to get into higher education.
00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:32.480
And so for nine years, I I prepared future teachers.
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:40.960
Eight of those years, I was at at my alma mater for my undergrad and graduate Nebraska Kearney and worked with future foreign language teachers and ESL teachers.
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:42.880
So glad I did it.
00:13:42.880 --> 00:13:51.520
Certainly love my time in in K-12 and wonder what might have been had I gone down the other path to do what folks like you do, Jeff.
00:13:51.520 --> 00:13:58.080
But uh just had somebody tap me on the shoulder early on and maybe set my sights on teaching teachers.
00:13:58.400 --> 00:13:58.880
Awesome.
00:13:58.880 --> 00:13:59.920
Well, that's really great.
00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:10.000
I mean, someday I thought about how could I help give back and help teach teachers down the road just because of you know the experiences I have, I think that would be kind of fun and exciting to do.
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:16.000
So I appreciate the work you do do because I think you know they need you know a dose of reality.
00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.840
This is what it's really like out there, guys.
00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:26.400
And you know, I think some people you know may not do that at the college level, and they're just sticking with theories and probabilities and what may or may work.
00:14:26.400 --> 00:14:36.480
And so when you're able to speak to the things that you've seen work and you know people in the business doing the groundwork, you know, being able to speak to that is really awesome.
00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.200
So you did some research, right?
00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:39.520
Yes.
00:14:39.520 --> 00:14:44.640
So what drew you to leadership development as your primary area of research?
00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:56.880
Well, you know, one of the things that when you when you decide to make a career, at least if you want to stick around and get tenured and promoted in higher ed, you have to research to some degree.
00:14:56.880 --> 00:15:05.120
Now, my heart is with regional comprehensives, such as the school I work at now, such as the school you and I attended in Nebraska Kearney.
00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:11.600
I really believe in the transformative life experiences they they give people, certainly first gen students like myself.
00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.920
But nonetheless, you have to research a little bit.
00:15:13.920 --> 00:15:19.920
And so, you know, early on in my career, I always I always tell people I'm mentoring, research what's in your backyard.
00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:24.800
If you're a teacher scholar, research what you can observe, what interests you.
00:15:24.800 --> 00:15:35.600
And you know, going back to gosh, probably the late 90s, when I watched my first John Maxwell video.
00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:47.600
And I I again I've always been intrigued by people that can shape culture, by coaches that turn things around, by bosses that, you know, do all those things.
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:52.240
And it planted a seed early on that, oh, this there's a science to this.
00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.640
You can actually learn and get better at this.
00:15:54.640 --> 00:15:57.920
And I saw the connection right away to being a classroom teacher.
00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:59.840
And so I've always carried that with me.
00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:08.480
Like I said, I've always had great mentors in my life, people that have, you know, have been principals, superintendents, college presidents, et cetera.
00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:18.560
And as I grew and matured and got into certainly a formal leadership role, I decided, you know, we write the books we wish we had.
00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:22.320
We are most qualified to help the person we once were.
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:28.160
And about six years ago, I decided to write a book on chair leadership to help people in universities.
00:16:28.160 --> 00:16:33.280
And then I started about that time teaching a class on teacher leadership.
00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:45.120
And the more I learned about that, and the more I learned that, you know, really leadership is leadership, that's what brought me to my most recent book, You Don't Have to Leave to Lead a Practical Guide to Teacher Leadership.
00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:58.400
So again, I've always been into that as someone that I don't know if I have a lot of hobbies, but one of them is I'm leadership is my hobby, getting better at that, mentoring others, speaking on it, writing about it.
00:16:58.400 --> 00:17:01.600
Not because I have all the answers, but probably the opposite.
00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:06.079
I've made a lot of mistakes, and these are things I wish I would have been told along the way.
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:15.119
And at the end of the day, as you know, it's one of those things that it's it can make a difference in in people's lives, both personally and professionally.
00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.400
So that's why I'm real passionate about it and hopefully can help people with it.
00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:18.880
Yeah.
00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:19.759
No, that's awesome.
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:20.319
That's great.
00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:33.519
I know, you know, like you said earlier before, I mean, organizations are the their success is really dictated by the person sitting in the seat, the person that's leading the people to that success.
00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:34.959
And it's kind of interesting.
00:17:34.959 --> 00:17:36.479
You talked about coaches, right?
00:17:36.479 --> 00:17:39.919
I I coached 17 years of football, I've coached wrestling track.
00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:49.039
That's where I learned my leadership style is through coaching and how I can help kids learn things, but also teaching as well.
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:56.319
And that's why I look at my leadership as more of a coach than I do like the authoritarian, you know, dictatorship model.
00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.239
I don't, I'm not a big fan of that.
00:17:58.239 --> 00:18:06.879
I'm more like, how can I support help you so you can get what you need, so you can go out there and be successful in the game, because I'm not in your classroom teaching anymore.
00:18:06.879 --> 00:18:08.239
You know, I'm not doing that no more.
00:18:08.239 --> 00:18:10.559
I'm there to support you to do the best you can.
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:18.959
And so I really think that's really cool that we kind of both have that similar experiences in different in different ways.
00:18:18.959 --> 00:18:25.999
And so let's talk about you know, your book about becoming a department chair.
00:18:25.999 --> 00:18:31.679
Tell me what you want people to take away from that when you wrote that book.
00:18:32.239 --> 00:18:40.879
Well, uh again, like I said, about five, six years ago now, my first book was to help people really in middle-level leadership roles in higher ed.
00:18:40.879 --> 00:18:49.839
And the reason for that, I don't know if we can ever fully be prepared when we take that initial or formal step into the titled role.
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:58.479
But, you know, unlike folks like yourself that go into school leadership, you know, you have to take a master's level program.
00:18:58.479 --> 00:19:01.359
You do learn, at least you're intentional, right?
00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:06.639
About learning some things about leadership and curriculum leadership and budget and law.
00:19:06.639 --> 00:19:12.399
In higher ed, essentially, you can be the best professor on campus.
00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:17.519
And that in and of itself usually qualifies you to move into leadership.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:26.079
And unfortunately, what makes you successful as a as a professor, in and of itself, does not lend itself to leadership.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.839
In some ways, it's the antithesis.
00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:39.119
So I wrote the first book simply because I wanted to help people and those that are in the organizations being led by those folks, primarily in colleges and universities.
00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:48.479
I wanted to one, show them that you can go into college or university leadership and it can be rewarding, but you need to do it for the right reasons and you have to have a growth mindset.
00:19:48.479 --> 00:19:50.479
So that was the main reason.
00:19:50.479 --> 00:19:56.399
And as I said before, there are great books out there on higher ed leadership.
00:19:56.399 --> 00:20:01.519
I just wrote the book that I think would have helped me personally when I was starting out.
00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:04.559
And so that was the impetus for for the first book.
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:09.759
And and I think it's you know been well received and and has has helped some people.
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:12.639
So I I I think I've been successful in that regard.
00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:13.919
You bet, you bet.
00:20:13.919 --> 00:20:17.439
I really enjoyed that insight about that first book.
00:20:17.439 --> 00:20:23.919
Now, your newest book, you don't have to leave the lead, a practical guide to a teacher leadership.
00:20:23.919 --> 00:20:25.759
So tell us about that book.
00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:27.679
What inspired this book?
00:20:27.679 --> 00:20:29.599
You know, how did it come together?
00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:34.079
And then what are some of the big takeaways you want people to get out of that book?
00:20:34.399 --> 00:20:34.719
Okay.
00:20:34.719 --> 00:20:37.279
Well, you know, what inspired it?
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:39.679
Again, as I've said, I've always been interested in leadership.
00:20:39.679 --> 00:20:46.799
And and I think those of us that are teachers, we always look at how can I leverage what I'm doing right now?
00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.159
You know, I I'm I'm involved with this activity.
00:20:50.159 --> 00:20:52.959
Is there something that I could bring into my classroom?
00:20:52.959 --> 00:20:54.959
Is there something I could learn from this?
00:20:54.959 --> 00:20:56.879
And so I've always thought that way.
00:20:56.879 --> 00:21:04.559
And as I said, about five, six years ago, kind of by accident, I was asked to teach a special topics class in our department.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:10.319
And maybe, like a lot of you, I had heard the term teacher leadership.
00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:15.839
And I thought, you know, maybe it was just another one of those buzzwords that fill in the blank.
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:26.319
I don't want to say any, but you know, over the years that you know, you you show up on a Monday for an in-service and it kind of goes along with your coffee and your donut, and okay.
00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:31.439
And so I almost challenged myself to say, okay, what is this here?
00:21:31.439 --> 00:22:37.419
And I learned that for about 40 years now, there's been research, if you're into that, that has shown us that when we empower classroom teachers, when we do what I call give people perspective and permission, to understand their inherent superpowers as leaders and to unleash that in a good way, both in the classroom, the school, the district, and the community.
00:22:37.419 --> 00:22:39.339
The research is pretty clear.
00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:54.220
We never say cause causes with correlation, but we say it tends to go alongside increased student achievement, increased faculty morale, and teacher retention, which I think right now we would all say I need more of that.
00:22:54.220 --> 00:23:01.419
And so the more I started looking at this, what happened is I taught the class for about four years.
00:23:01.419 --> 00:23:10.460
I taught it to future teachers, I taught it to seasoned teachers, current admin, a bunch of people would sign up for it for extra credit, whatever.
00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:15.099
And eventually the students, especially The teachers said, This is really valuable.
00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:16.539
This should be in a book.
00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:27.819
So I took a lot of the activities we were doing, took a lot of my own, you know, the videos I would make, and essentially put it into the book that just came out.
00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:34.939
And what I want people to take away from it is first of all, I wrote this to be conversational and to be developmental.
00:23:34.939 --> 00:23:41.019
So it is as if I were in front of your faculty at a meeting or training.
00:23:41.019 --> 00:24:31.399
Now there are some things in there that there's some research to support it, but certainly after the first couple chapters, it is developmental in nature.
00:24:31.399 --> 00:24:40.119
And my goal is to not give you something more to put on your plate, but instead to use this as a way to strengthen that plate.
00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:52.359
I use the analogy, Jeff, that that training up your staff to be leaders from where they are is akin to asking your athletes to eat well and lift weights.
00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:58.679
It's not just one more thing, it's something that is necessary so we don't have problems down the road.
00:24:58.679 --> 00:25:01.639
So I want them to take away that everyone is a leader.
00:25:01.639 --> 00:25:10.919
You have more inherent ability to control not only your environment, but your reactions and in part what you get back.
00:25:10.919 --> 00:25:19.799
And you have a lot, lot of inherent talent and ability to mentor and work with your colleagues and your community members.
00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.359
We talk about, I talk about conflict management.
00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:34.039
I talk about how to develop a mission statement, how to go through and identify culture, you know, culture, climate, and core values, all of these things that Fortune 500 companies spend a lot of money training their leaders to do.
00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:40.279
Teachers do inherently, and my goal is to just help them uncover and then enhance what they can already do.
00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:03.879
00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:08.039
00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.759
00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:11.879
00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:19.800
00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:25.719
00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.919
00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.759
00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:39.960
00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:48.840
00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:52.039
00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:59.079
00:02:59.079 --> 00:03:02.599
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.280
00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:19.000
00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.920
00:03:20.920 --> 00:03:22.759
00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:24.360
00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:25.159
00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:26.439
00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:34.120
00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.800
00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:43.560
00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:48.200
00:03:48.200 --> 00:03:56.280
00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:02.599
00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:11.000
00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.599
00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:27.319
00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:28.759
00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:38.439
00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:44.279
00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:52.439
00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:56.120
00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:09.240
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:16.439
00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:17.959
00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:23.720
00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:28.439
00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:32.120
00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:33.800
00:05:33.800 --> 00:06:01.399
00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:03.399
00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:11.480
00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:12.120
00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:23.079
00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:24.519
00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:27.800
00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:36.840
00:06:36.840 --> 00:06:43.240
00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:47.639
00:06:47.639 --> 00:07:05.560
00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:13.560
00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:27.480
00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:30.040
00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:31.720
00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:39.639
00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:41.240
00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.800
00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:57.399
00:07:57.639 --> 00:07:58.040
00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:00.519
00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.800
00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.199
00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:07.319
00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:08.439
00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:11.399
00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:19.560
00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:25.639
00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:27.160
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:28.199
00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:28.519
00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.759
00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:47.799
00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:50.519
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:55.399
00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:56.919
00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:57.799
00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.360
00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:04.519
00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:09.879
00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:11.559
00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:16.039
00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.279
00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:26.600
00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:30.919
00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:32.360
00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:34.840
00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:46.039
00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:52.360
00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:55.639
00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:58.519
00:09:58.519 --> 00:09:59.799
00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:06.279
00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:13.799
00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:14.519
00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:24.120
00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:30.600
00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.399
00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:34.440
00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:36.200
00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:37.879
00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:46.840
00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:48.039
00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:49.639
00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:54.679
00:10:55.000 --> 00:11:02.519
00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:08.039
00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:13.080
00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:17.320
00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:24.200
00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:47.180
00:11:47.180 --> 00:11:52.220
00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:56.380
00:11:56.380 --> 00:12:01.020
00:12:01.020 --> 00:12:02.540
00:12:02.540 --> 00:12:04.300
00:12:04.300 --> 00:12:12.300
00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:15.020
00:12:15.020 --> 00:12:22.780
00:12:22.780 --> 00:12:27.020
00:12:27.020 --> 00:12:36.300
00:12:36.300 --> 00:12:41.820
00:12:41.820 --> 00:13:03.680
00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:12.000
00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.880
00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:27.600
00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:32.480
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:40.960
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:42.880
00:13:42.880 --> 00:13:51.520
00:13:51.520 --> 00:13:58.080
00:13:58.400 --> 00:13:58.880
00:13:58.880 --> 00:13:59.920
00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:10.000
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:16.000
00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.840
00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:26.400
00:14:26.400 --> 00:14:36.480
00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.200
00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:39.520
00:14:39.520 --> 00:14:44.640
00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:56.880
00:14:56.880 --> 00:15:05.120
00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:11.600
00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.920
00:15:13.920 --> 00:15:19.920
00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:24.800
00:15:24.800 --> 00:15:35.600
00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:47.600
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:52.240
00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.640
00:15:54.640 --> 00:15:57.920
00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:59.840
00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:08.480
00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:18.560
00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:22.320
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:28.160
00:16:28.160 --> 00:16:33.280
00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:45.120
00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:58.400
00:16:58.400 --> 00:17:01.600
00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:06.079
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:15.119
00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.400
00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:18.880
00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:19.759
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:20.319
00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:33.519
00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:34.959
00:17:34.959 --> 00:17:36.479
00:17:36.479 --> 00:17:39.919
00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:49.039
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:56.319
00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.239
00:17:58.239 --> 00:18:06.879
00:18:06.879 --> 00:18:08.239
00:18:08.239 --> 00:18:10.559
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:18.959
00:18:18.959 --> 00:18:25.999
00:18:25.999 --> 00:18:31.679
00:18:32.239 --> 00:18:40.879
00:18:40.879 --> 00:18:49.839
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:58.479
00:18:58.479 --> 00:19:01.359
00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:06.639
00:19:06.639 --> 00:19:12.399
00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:17.519
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:26.079
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.839
00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:39.119
00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:48.479
00:19:48.479 --> 00:19:50.479
00:19:50.479 --> 00:19:56.399
00:19:56.399 --> 00:20:01.519
00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:04.559
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:09.759
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:12.639
00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:13.919
00:20:13.919 --> 00:20:17.439
00:20:17.439 --> 00:20:23.919
00:20:23.919 --> 00:20:25.759
00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:27.679
00:20:27.679 --> 00:20:29.599
00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:34.079
00:20:34.399 --> 00:20:34.719
00:20:34.719 --> 00:20:37.279
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:39.679
00:20:39.679 --> 00:20:46.799
00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.159
00:20:50.159 --> 00:20:52.959
00:20:52.959 --> 00:20:54.959
00:20:54.959 --> 00:20:56.879
00:20:56.879 --> 00:21:04.559
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:10.319
00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:15.839
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:26.319
00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:31.439
00:21:31.439 --> 00:22:37.419
00:22:37.419 --> 00:22:39.339
00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:54.220
00:22:54.220 --> 00:23:01.419
00:23:01.419 --> 00:23:10.460
00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:15.099
00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:16.539
00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:27.819
00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:34.939
00:23:34.939 --> 00:23:41.019
00:23:41.019 --> 00:24:31.399
00:24:31.399 --> 00:24:40.119
00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:52.359
00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:58.679
00:24:58.679 --> 00:25:01.639
00:25:01.639 --> 00:25:10.919
00:25:10.919 --> 00:25:19.799
00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.359
00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:34.039
00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:40.279