Episode 407

full
Published on:

4th Jun 2025

Balancing Voice And Choice - Relationship And Systems Building In Complex School Environments

Summary: Join C.T. and guest Lisa Aguerria Lewis, Principal of Luigi Aprea Elementary School in Gilroy Unified School District, California, as they explore the challenges and opportunities of leading a large, diverse elementary school through times of change. This insightful conversation delves into Lisa’s approach to uniting two distinct communities after a school closure, emphasizing the importance of listening sessions conducted in multiple languages to understand historical context and community needs. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Leading in Complexity: Lisa leads a large, diverse elementary school of about 740 students, recently integrating two distinct communities after a nearby school closure, requiring intentional community building and healing post-COVID.
  • Listening as Foundation: She prioritizes extensive listening sessions with students, staff, and families—conducted in English and Spanish—to understand needs, historical context, and build trust, using feedback to guide actionable changes.
  • Balancing Relationships and Systems: Lisa emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships while simultaneously establishing clear systems and structures to run a large school effectively.
  • Curiosity and Reflection: She practices curiosity by asking open-ended questions like “Tell me more about…” to uncover deeper insights, and reflects continuously on her leadership to improve listening and decision-making.
  • Ego Management and Patience: Lisa stresses putting ego aside, moving slowly, and being open to adjusting her vision based on community input to foster genuine buy-in and avoid repeating past mistakes.


Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:33 Meet Lisa Lewis

01:31 Challenges and Community Building

03:23 Leadership Practices and Listening Sessions

10:59 Balancing Standardization and Autonomy

15:27 Building Effective Systems

24:54 Professional Development Strategies

29:29 The Importance of Reflection

32:02 Coaching and Leadership Advice



Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Lisa Aguerria Lewis: linkedin.com/in/lisa-aguerria-lewis-96b425205



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About the Podcast

Principal Office Hours
Real principals. Real talk. No hall passes required.
Finally—a podcast that proves school principals have personalities (and killer insights, too). Every week, join us for candid conversations with K-12 principals who are navigating the beautiful chaos of educational leadership without losing their minds or sense of humor.

Each 40-minute episode features real principals sharing what actually works in school leadership—from handling helicopter parents and budget nightmares to building school culture that doesn't make everyone roll their eyes. Consider this your professional development that doesn't feel like professional development.

Our guests aren't afraid to share their epic fails alongside their victories. They'll tell you about the initiative that spectacularly bombed during assembly, right before revealing how they turned their school's reading scores around. It's educational leadership with the BS filter turned off.

Whether you're currently wearing the principal badge, aspiring to the big chair, or teaching while secretly taking notes on what you'd do differently, Principal Office Hours delivers actionable strategies you can implement faster than a student being sent to detention.

Subscribe now and join the faculty lounge conversation that's too real for the school board meeting. New episodes drop every week. Warning: May cause spontaneous leadership growth and occasional inappropriate laughter during staff meetings.

About your hosts

CheeTung Leong

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Jim Kanichirayil

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Your friendly neighborhood talent strategy nerd is the producer and co-host for The HR Impact Show. He's spent his career in sales and has been typically in startup b2b HRTech and TA-Tech organizations.

He's built high-performance sales teams throughout his career and is passionate about all things employee life cycle and especially employee retention and turnover.