Reimagining School Leadership with Dr. Lindsay Whorton
Reimagining School Leadership with Dr. Lindsay Whorton
Power Quote: “Leadership has to be a team sport.”
Teaser:
I hope you enjoy listening to today’s episode as much as I did recording it. It’s a wonderful combination of big picture thinking and exploring some new ideas but then also getting down and making some really specific suggestions about next steps so this wonderful blend of 40,000 foot thinking and then being right down on the ground doing the work.
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Show Intro
Guest Bio:
Dr. Lindsay Whorton has served as president of The Holdsworth Center since 2019, leading its growth from seven Texas school districts to 89 districts serving over 1,900 educational leaders. A native of Independence, Missouri, Lindsay graduated from Drake University with degrees in secondary education and English. She captained the women's basketball team to a 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, earning tournament MVP and First-Team Academic All-American honors. A Rhodes Scholar, Lindsay earned her master's and doctorate in social policy from Oxford University, where she also served as a Fulbright Scholar studying Finland's teacher education system. Her most recent book is A New School Leadership Architecture.
Warmup questions:
· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?
· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do?
Questions/Topics/Prompts
- What should be the job of school leadership? (ref my 3 responsibilities and Eisenhower Matrix)
- What would the new architecture look like?
- Is there a way to nibble at the margins?
- What are some conversations leaders could have to plant the seeds of change?
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Closing questions:
· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?
· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?
· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?
· Where can people learn more about you and your work…
Summary/wrap up
· Do the org chart!
· Think about what it would look like if you could increase teacher development capacity (by leveraging different roles)
· And what would it look like of the principal took the lead in developing others’ capacity to coach?
· The AP role: leading through others (goes back to the five gives)
Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!
· Ranford’s homepage: https://ranfordalmond.com
· Ranford’s music on streaming services: https://streamlink.to/ranfordalmond-oldsoul
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranfordalmond/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ranfordalmond/
Sponsor Links:
Kaleidoscope Adventures: https://www.kaleidoscopeadventures.com/the-assistant-principal-podcast-kaleidoscope-adventures/
Close
· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.
· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
· I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at frederick@frederickbuskey.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
· If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html
· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
· Remember the secret to good leadership:
o Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others
o Be fully present
o Ask reflective questions
o And then just listen
o Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.
· Have a great rest of the week!
· Cheers!
Lindsay’s Links:
Frederick’s Links:
Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a
The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520
