"We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." - Bill Gates One of the core expectations I have for the principals I coach is simple: Ask for feedback. In fact, I encourage every campus leader I work with to administer climate and culture surveys multiple times throughout the school year. If we truly want to improve our leadership, strengthen relationships, and build better schools, we need to know how others experience our leadership. As coaches, we s

“When a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. When a child doesn’t know how to behave, we… teach?” - Tom Herner If you want your academic systems to thrive, your behavior systems have to be just as intentional. At Steenport Leadership Coaching, we believe PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is not an add-on, it’s foundational. Just like academics, we cannot assume students show up knowing exactly what we expect behaviorally. That has to be taught, modele

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Leaders don’t lack ideas. They lack clarity on what matters most, and accountability to follow through. That’s where coaching comes in. Not advice. Not telling. Not fixing. Coaching. From Answers to Awareness One of the most important shifts a leader can make is this: Stop being the answer. Start being the thinking partner. The International Coaching Federation (ICF)

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” — Stephen Covey This time of year matters. As we head into the final week before STAAR, there’s a natural tendency to feel the weight of everything, instruction, systems, walkthroughs, data, culture. And for many principals, that pressure shows up in one specific way: Am I in classrooms enough? Let me be clear, this work is not about perfection. We often talk about the goal of spending two full days each week in clas

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.” — William Hutchison Murray There’s a story often told about a military commander who landed his troops on enemy shores and immediately ordered the boats burned. There would be no retreat. No reconsidering. No turning back. The only path forward was through. This idea, “burning the boats”, represents the moment when a leader fully commits

“The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.” — Steven Pressfield There is a battle most leaders never name out loud. It doesn’t show up on a data dashboard. It doesn’t appear in an accountability rating. But it quietly shapes outcomes every day. It’s internal resistance. In The War of Art , author Steven Pressfield describes Resistance as the invisible force that rises up whenever we attempt to grow. He writ

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” — Phil Jackson Every spring, the same question echoes through schools across Texas: “How do we prepare our students for STAAR?” Too often, the answer turns into packets, drills, countdowns, and a narrowing of instruction that disengages both students and teachers. But high-performing campuses know something different. The schools that consistently see growth don’t “prep for STAAR.”

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” — Benjamin Franklin On Saturday, January 24th, I woke up early, around 3:30 a.m., as I usually do on Saturdays, ready for a planned 22-mile run. Instead, I was greeted by a hard truth: 34 degrees, rapidly dropping temperatures from a major cold front, and steady, driving rain. About a half mile in, I turned back. The rain wasn’t just cold, it was painful. A true downpour. I quickly realized my gear plan was wrong and that I needed

“Mutual accountability means we give each other permission to tell the truth in service of the work.” - Jim Knight Over the past several years of facilitating work with principals and their Guiding Coalitions (teacher leadership teams), I have been intentional about collecting feedback and studying which strategies actually move the needle during school improvement efforts. Across academic and behavioral systems, school-wide structures, and campus culture work, a few consist

"We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey Once again, we have reached the midpoint of the school year. As I do with the leaders I serve, this moment offers a powerful opportunity to pause and reflect—on the work we are grateful to do, the successes from the fall, the adjustments that need to be made, and the intentional planning required for summer 2026 and the 2026–2027 school year. This can be a tempting time to coast. But tha

"Expectations are infinite. Time is finite. You are always choosing. Choose well." - Laura Vanderkam Every October, many of the leaders I partner with choose to administer a climate survey—not just to gather feedback on their leadership, but to gain an honest pulse on the overall health of their organization. When districts already have their own survey tools, we often borrow key questions so the data is comparable over time. It’s a vulnerable process and never an easy one,

“The one who does the work does the learning." - Terry Doyle AI, Leadership, and Learning: Who’s Doing the Thinking? Over the past few years, serving my clients has been nothing short of incredible. Watching them grow, reflect, and push toward their goals has inspired not only them—but me as well. What I love most about this work is the mutual learning that takes place. As my clients explore who they are and how to reach new heights, I’m continually learning more about human

" You can get knocked down, and it hurts and it leaves scars. But if you're a leader, the people you've counted on will help you up. And if you're a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet ," - General Stanley McChrystal from 2011 TED Talk Active Recovery for Runners—and Leaders As my weekly mileage climbed (35–90 miles) and I trained for the Leadville 100 (DNF—going back next summer), I realized the hardest part isn’t the workout. It’s the recovery. The sa

"Always remember, your focus determines your reality" - George Lucas Over the past few years, our team has worked with well over a...

"Learning always occurs in a context of taking action, and they value engagement and experience as the most effective strategies for deep...

"I knew where I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come-if alive." - William...

“I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come if alive." -Sherman, in a letter to Grant.”...

“You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.” — Daniel Keys Moran Some time ago, I worked with a...

“If you choose to not deal with an issue, then you give up your right of control over the issue and it will select the path of least...

“Whether a mile or a marathon, you get there the same way… one step at a time. Such is life.” – Baylor Barbee Life is an odyssey rife...