BTS Spark

In the fast-paced world of school leadership, it's easy to fall into the trap of relying on what's familiar. But curiosity is what sets great leaders apart. By staying curious, you open yourself to new ideas, diverse perspectives, and better solutions. School leaders who lead with curiosity ask thoughtful questions, seek out alternative viewpoints, and encourage their teams to think creatively. Curiosity helps us challenge our own assumptions and biases, allowing us to make more informed, inclusive decisions. Are you creating a culture of curiosity in your school or district? It might just be the key to uncovering your next breakthrough. #educationalleadership #principalsschools #coaching #leadership 

Here's an overview of our Speak Like a Leader journey and its compelling AI-enhanced feedback tool, Virtual Sapiens. It's worth a watch... https://lnkd.in/eydErytK Plus we're hosting a free walk-through webinar on it Oct. 30 6pm EST USA; 3pm PST USA; 9am AEDT AUS (Oct 31st). Register at https://lnkd.in/evyaMq8S

Struggling with Principal and Staff Retention in Your School District? Join us for success stories and insights about how professional leadership coaching has empowered educators to thrive in their complex roles, leading to improved retention and job satisfaction. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn effective strategies that can make a real difference in your district! #PrincipalRetention #StaffRetention #LeadershipCoaching #EducationLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #HumanResources #EducatorsThrive

We had such an overwhelmingly positive response to our “Speak Like a Leader” webinar that we are hosting it two more times in October, on the 23rd and the 30th. These free, live demonstration webinars are not recorded and will help you up your public speaking game. They'll also give you a glimpse of our new online self-paced class of the same name. 

In school leadership, the most impactful communication appeals to both the intellect and the emotions. Facts and data are essential, but without an emotional connection, your message may not fully resonate. Compelling communication requires a balance – engaging the mind with clear, logical reasoning, while also touching the heart by sharing values, vision, and stories that inspire. When your message reaches both, it not only informs but also motivates action and fosters trust. To lead effectively, consider how you can blend logic with emotion in your next communication. How are you making both a rational and emotional connection with your audience today? #educationalleadership #principalsschools #coaching #leadership 

It's so easy to believe that you're listening well to someone ... and yet the other person doesn't feel heard. I'm always needing to work at quietening my own 'inner voice' sufficiently so that I am genuinely there for the other person.

Too often, school leadership is defined by the ability to solve immediate problems. While this is important, true impact comes from a shift in perspective – from being reactive problem solvers to proactive progress-makers. Progress-makers don't wait for problems to emerge; they drive change, initiate new strategies, and focus on what’s possible rather than what’s wrong. School leaders who have worked with a BTS Spark coach share that they thought they were proactive progress-makers, when, in reality, they were really effective problem-solvers. They acknowledge they need the help of a coach to explore the nuance and impact of fully embracing a forward-looking strategy for themselves and their teams, especially when it feels like there are so many ‘problems’ to solve every day. #educationalleadership #principalsschools #coaching #leadership 

The discussion we held during the United Nations General Assembly Week (UNGA) recently brought together key leaders for a high-level talk on leadership. It unpacked how leaders must be nimble and agile, but also purposeful and passionate. Rather than number crunchers the most effective leaders are ones that inspire and convey purpose.   All three speakers - Jessica Skon, President and CEO of BTS Group, Essie North, CEO of Big Change the UK-based catalyst for change organization, and Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises - exuded purpose in leadership. But perhaps it was best summed up by Yasmine. "A good leader empowers others and values justice - you can't have peace without it. Leadership takes courage and conviction to do good; intelligence to stay optimistic; and emotional intuition to lead the way. Leaders are torchbearers. Every one of us should tell our story." Telling our story and being more vocal is becoming much more the role of an effective leader.   Telling our story to our school parents and community.   Telling our story to our staff and teams.   Telling our story to our students. Telling our story helps us create a culture and galvanize others to join in. It gives direction and lays out a path for growth.   It also has the added benefit of reminding us, ourselves, of why we entered this profession and why we view it with such great potential.

We join UNESCO and others around the world to celebrate #WorldTeachersDay and the role #teachers play in nurturing and shaping young minds. At the same time we also pay tribute to the #schoolleaders who support and inspire their school communities and create a culture in which both teachers and students can succeed and thrive. https://lnkd.in/gxJ--xMF #educationalleadership #principalsschool

The concept of listening is quite complex. Many people use the words listening and hearing interchangeably, and yet they mean different things. Hearing is a sense, whereas listening is a skill. Hearing is a sensory-based passive process and – presuming a person has normal hearing – it takes no effort to hear. Hearing happens all day long. Listening, on the other hand, is a cognitive skill built on learned behaviors. The brain has to translate the sounds they hear into meaning. As leaders in schools, where people are in constant need of you, how often are you checking yourself to see if you’re really ready to listen? Ready to listen to understand what the other person needs? Ready to listen for how they are feeling? Ready to only listen to the one voice talking to you and not the voice in your head that is busy preparing your response or reminding you of your to-do list? #educationalleadership #principalsschools #coaching #leadership