Fixing School Culture Through Leadership And Communication

We lay the foundation for the Building Bridges Blueprint by showing why most problems are communication problems, not performance problems. We share concrete steps to lead with clarity, consistency, and care so trust grows and culture thrives.

• framing leadership as influence and presence, not titles
• why unclear expectations create resentment and burnout
• clarity builds confidence and consistency builds trust
• four habits: be clear, be consistent, be visible, be human
• how to align words and actions for credibility
• a simple self‑audit for communication and trust
• the role of data: send the staff survey and close the loop
• authenticity over perfection as a leadership standard
• setting rhythms for updates, decisions, and feedback

Please take a second and leave us a star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you need the free Building Bridges survey, email ed@edwarddeshazer.org. Check out RYZESuperfoods.com and use code EdwardDeShazer for 15% off.

www.EdwardDeShazer.org

Transcript

Communication Beats Performance Issues

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Most of the problems that we face, 80 to 90 percent of them, aren't necessarily performance problems, they are communication problems. When people don't know what's expected, uh, when they don't know what is be the when they don't know the why behind decisions, or if they're hearing mixed messages from different people, communication will uh break down, frustration will end up filling those gaps, and then frustration turns into resentment, and resentment will quietly kill your culture. So the first big takeaway of today is you know, most school problems aren't performance problems, they are communication problems.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

If you're an educator that's passionate, but you're tired and you're burnt out and you're wondering what to do next, this is a show for you. We're gonna learn together, we're gonna recharge together, and we're gonna grow together so you can be the best you and serve your students and your community to the best of your ability.

Welcome To Teachers Ed Podcast

The Building Bridges Blueprint

Why Leadership And Communication First

Survey Follow‑Up And Data Mindset

Clarity Builds Confidence And Trust

Reviews, Reach, And Sponsor Shout

Leadership Is Influence Not Titles

Four Habits Of Clear Communication

Self‑Audit For Transparent Culture

Authenticity Over Perfection

Core Reminders And Series Roadmap

Closing, Resources, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 1:03

What's going on, Pod? Welcome back to the Teachers Ed Podcast. I'm your host, Edward DeShazer. Teachers Ed Podcast is the place where the best and brightest in education come to be inspired, to connect, to learn, and to grow. And if you've been following along, uh we are in the middle of our Building Bridges Blueprint series where we're diving deeper into the uh four um pillars of school culture. Um, number one, leadership and communication, collaboration and teamwork, staff wellness and morale, and professional growth and recognition. Um, and today we're kicking it off with the first pillar. This is part two of a five-part series. Um, so we're kicking it off with pillar one of leadership and communication. And this is the first and most important pillar of the um entire framework. Because when leadership and communication are strong, uh everything else in the school will flow better. Um, and when they're weak, everything else will start to crack. So uh before we jump in, I want to follow up on what we talked about last week, which is the survey. If you sent the survey out, great job, appreciate it. Your staff will appreciate it because once you get the data, you can turn around and act on it. Uh, then that's leadership and action. That is not just uh talking about making the changes, that is actually collecting data so we can make the changes. Um, you know, you are showing your staff that their voice matters and that you care enough uh to measure the things that actually impact their day-to-day experience. And if you haven't sent it out, uh that's okay as well. But let's not let another week um go by without you doing that because it will not improve by accident and you cannot fix uh what you can't measure. And if you're new to the podcast or if you've never received the survey link, uh please just shoot me an email, ed at edwarddeshazer.org. Um, and I'm happy to share it with you. It is free and it's one of the best ways for you to start leading with real data instead of just feelings and uh whatever good vibes you're trying to ride on. So let's jump right in, let's talk about leadership and communication. And of the four pillars, uh, this one is the most important. Um, if this one is not solid, everything else is going to shake. So this is the actual foundation of the Building Bridges blueprint. And because uh, you know, the truth is when leadership isn't clear, collaboration falls apart. Um, when communication is inconsistent, morale will drop. And when people stop trusting the message, they will stop believing in the mission. Leadership and communication go hand in hand, and one cannot exist without the other. Uh, good leaders communicate clearly, um, great leaders communicate clearly, consistently. Um, and clarity will build confidence, and that consistency is going to build trust. And when confidence and trust meet, this is when your culture will begin to thrive. And from what I've seen in my, you know, many times I've been in other schools and been in in other organizations, most of the problems that we face, and I would estimate 80 to 90 percent of them aren't necessarily performance problems, they are communication problems. When people don't know what's expected, uh, when they don't know what is be the when they don't know the why behind decisions, or if they're hearing mixed messages from different people, communication will uh break down, frustration will end up filling those gaps, and then frustration turns into resentment, and resentment will quietly kill your culture. So the first big takeaway of today is you know, most school problems aren't performance problems, they are communication problems. You know, the teacher who seems resistant more than likely doesn't feel heard. The the team that may seem disengaged, um, they just might not understand the why behind what you are asking them to do. And the inconsistency that you see from classroom to classroom, that is not necessarily a motivation issue, as it is a clarity issue. And if you really want to fix the culture of your school, if you really want to fix the culture of your uh organization, you have to start by fixing your communication. Because when clarity and consistency meet, trust is gonna grow. And when trust grows, culture thrives. So before we take it any further, for those listening here, for those uh as we are also live on uh TikTok, I want to um ask you if you are listening on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify to take a second and leave us a star review on there. Um, if you are listening on TikTok live, feel free to hit a heart or whatever folks do over there. But please leave a review. It helps me continue to get in front of uh more educators and uh school people like yourself. And before I even go any further, one I got to shout out our sponsor, uh Rise Mushroom Coffee R-Y-Z-E. It is packed with six different functional mushrooms uh that help you support fo that help support your focus, steady energy, gut health, and even can help you manage stress. Uh, I love it. Take it every morning, two cups every morning. And if you want to check it out, head over to RISESUperfoods, R-Y-Z-E, Superfoods.com, and use code Edward DeShazer for 15% off your purchase. All right. Now, what leadership really looks like. So let's take a second to talk about what leadership really is. Uh, leadership is not about power, leadership is not about titles, it is about influence. You do not have to be the principal or the CEO or the district instructor or whatever your title is to be a leader. Every single staff member in your building, every single teacher, every single person in your building uh is a leader because leadership is simply about influence. Every day you are influencing students, you are influencing coworkers, you are influencing parents, whether you realize it or not. The question is not whether you're leading, the question is how are you leading? Good leadership is built on communication. And here is the key uh communication isn't just about what you say, it is about what people hear and what they feel. So if your message is not landing, it does not matter how many times uh that you say it, you have to communicate with clarity, you you have to repeat yourself consistently, and you have to make sure that your words line up with your actions. You can't hold people accountable for what you have not clearly communicated. And I want to say that again for the people that that may have missed it. You cannot hold people accountable for what you never clearly communicated. If your expectations were vague, your results are going to be inconsistent. If your goals keep shifting, your people will stop trying to hit them. And if your words don't match your actions, people will stop trusting you. So here is what effective communication can look like. First, I need you to be clear, spell out your expectations, do not assume that people just know. I want you to spell them out as clearly as you possibly can to whoever you are communicating them to. The next is being consistent, do not move the goalposts halfway through the game. The third is be visible, do not lead from behind your desk. I need you to get out there and get in the game, get in the action. And then last, I need you to be human. Communicate, care, not just the tasks that you need done. People do not just need information, but they also need uh connection. And I want to say this part, kind of want to say this one part over again. You can't hold people accountable for what you did not communicate clearly. If your expectations are unclear, your outcomes are always going to be inconsistent in school leadership. Clarity will build confidence, and confidence and consistency is going to build trust. And when your team knows exactly what's expected and they trust that the standards aren't going to change, that is when your culture is going to start to grow. Leadership is not about controlling people, it's about creating clarity and consistency so your people can uh thrive. So, what I want you to do uh this week, I want you to take a look at your communication. I want you to do a little self-audit. I want you to ask yourself, um, does my staff feel informed? Do they understand the why behind the decisions that we are making? Do they believe that my communication is consistent? And do they feel like they can come to me openly? Because communication isn't just about what you say to your staff, it is also about what your staff uh feels comfortable saying to you. And if your culture doesn't allow people um to speak up, then you don't have loyalty, you have silence. And silence is where great ideas go to die. It is the the silence is the great idea uh graveyard. So I want you to make space for dialogue, make space for questions, make space for feedback. Um, because leadership doesn't mean that you have all the answers, it means that you are open enough to listen. And when I first really got into leadership, I thought leadership was being the one with the answers. I thought that as a leader, I had to look confident 100% of the time, even when I wasn't sure. But I learned something powerful that people don't follow perfection, they follow authenticity. When we make a mistake, we own up to it. When something changes, we explain it. When people are frustrated, we listen because leadership is communication, not just in what you say, um, but also in how you show up. The best culture you'll ever build is where people don't uh just hear the words, they see your consistency. That is when they will start believing in your whatever your mission is going to be as a school or or as an organization. People don't follow perfection, they follow authentic authenticity. Leadership is not about pretending to have it all together, it is about showing up, it is about owning your mistakes, it's about communicating with honesty. Because when people see that you lead with transparency, they will begin to trust you more and more. And when they begin to trust you more and more, they will go anywhere that you are going. That is the foundation of leadership. That is the foundation of communication, uh, not power but presence. So um, as we're getting ready, I'm gonna land this plane and wrap up this episode as we talked about leadership and communication. There's some tools that we have. Um, again, I we have a whole course built out, but first and foremost, you have to get that survey out. So as we get ready to wrap this episode, and we'll come back, and I may even extend this one out and do two leadership, two of each pillar. So this may end up being a nine-episode series, which will push us really close to um the new year. But the foundation of every strong culture is leadership, and leadership lives and dies through your communication. If the people don't know where you're going, they can't follow you there. If they don't understand the why, they will never buy in. And if your words don't match your actions, they just won't believe you. Uh, again, leadership and communication is not about being perfect, it's not about having all the answers, it is about clarity, it's about consistency, and it is about care. That is how you build trust, that is how you build culture, and that is how you will build bridges in your school and in your organization. And we'll come back and we're gonna do one more episode because I don't want to I I want to go deeper into leadership, but I'm not trying to make these episodes 45 minutes long. I'm trying to give it to you so it's digestible. Um, but we'll come back next week with another episode um about leadership and communication. We'll dive just a little bit deeper now that we've basically laid the groundwork. Um and then after that, we'll go into uh collaboration teamwork. Um, but again, I appreciate you all for tapping in. I appreciate those that are tapped in on uh TikTok live. I appreciate those that are watching this on YouTube. If you're watching on YouTube, please smash the little like button. Um if you're listening on your podcast, please, please, please leave a star review. And if you're even feeling generous, leave a written review. Um that allows me to continue to get in front of more educators just like yourself. Um, but that is it today for the uh teachers ed podcast. Again, I'm your host, Ever DeShazer. Uh, if this if this episode hit home for you, please take time and share it with a colleague of yours. Uh, feel free to tag me if you are on a social media as you share it. Um, and again, if you have not, please get the free building bridges survey. Uh, it is your first step towards leading with data and not your feelings. It's got to get out of our feelings if we want to be dynamic leaders. And we need to have data. And this is the first data-driven culture uh program that I have ever seen. Uh, so I encourage you guys to jump in and join me. But again, uh keep believing in yourself, keep believing in your coworkers, keep believing in your students. The work that we are doing in education matters, despite how it may feel on a day-to-day basis. But I truly, truly, truly appreciate you all for tapping in with me wherever you are tapping in with me. I look forward to connecting and in connecting with you all soon. Uh, but again, like this episode, uh, smash the like button, share it. Uh, if you're looking for any of these resources, please feel free to email me at ed at edwarddeshazer.org. And then make sure you check out our sponsor, Rise Coffee, R Y-Z-E-Superfoods.com. Uh, they have coffee, they have overnight oats, they have it all. They even have a pumpkin spice creamer uh that is phenomenal. I had it the other day. Uh, but check them out and use code EdwardDeschaer. That will save you 15%. Um, and until next time, we'll see you all next week. I appreciate you all for tapping in. I appreciate you for all the work that you do. Um, and keep believing. Have a good rest of the night.