Leadership That Communicates: 6 Moves for Building Focus, Trust and Shared Ownership Artwork

The Making Schools Work Podcast

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The Making Schools Work Podcast

Leadership That Communicates: 6 Moves for Building Focus, Trust and Shared Ownership

July 08, 2026 • SREB

0:00 | 21:22

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Strong school leadership is not just about having the right plan. It is about making the work clear, actionable and human for everyone in the building.

In this summer highlight episode, Ashley Shaw looks back at six powerful conversations from the first two seasons of the Making Schools Work podcast. Each clip explores a different communication move leaders can use to build focus, strengthen trust, support teacher growth and create shared ownership across a school.

This episode features practical insights from Marck Abraham, Natasha Brown, Bethany Wilson, Baruti Kafele, Tony Johnson and Thomas Murray.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

Clarify your school’s focus so your team can repeat it and act on it
Talk about data in ways that help students build ownership and pride
Move from “I work” to “we work” by inviting others into the work
Make teacher feedback feel like a growth conversation, not a gotcha
Lead across different generations, values and motivations
Communicate carefully enough to protect trust when the pressure is on

Featured clips from:

Creating a School Culture of Love: Data & Accountability With Marck Abraham
Featuring Dr. Marck Abraham

Underdog Leadership: Driving Growth in High-Need Schools With Natasha Brown
Featuring Dr. Natasha Brown

The High-Growth Blueprint: 5 Years of Level 5 Excellence
Featuring Dr. Bethany Wilson

The Art of the Feedback Conversation: Part 2 With Principal Baruti Kafele
Featuring Principal Baruti Kafele

The Language of Motivation: Bridging Generations and AI in the Classroom
Featuring Dr. Tony Johnson

The Curse of Knowledge: Communication Science for School Leaders With Thomas Murray
Featuring Thomas Murray

Listen for these practical takeaways:

Leadership communication is bigger than emails, announcements and staff meetings. It shows up in the way leaders explain priorities, talk about data, invite teachers into the work, give feedback, understand different motivations and respond when trust is on the line.

Strong leaders do not just communicate more. They communicate with clarity, purpose and care.

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Subscribe to the Making Schools Work podcast wherever you listen, and follow along this summer as we revisit some of the most practical ideas from our first two seasons.

The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce.