Episode 338

full
Published on:

3rd Jan 2025

Creating Connection: Schools as Communities, Not Just Classrooms

Join CT as he chats with Superintendent Michael Laub about fostering trust, connection, and engagement at North Royalton City Schools. Discover how the district creates belonging through intentional culture-building, celebrating successes, and encouraging extracurricular involvement.

Also listen to strategies for nurturing leadership with tools like 360 feedback and Clifton Strengths, creating a collaborative and inclusive environment. Perfect for leaders looking to inspire growth and connection in their schools.

Key Takeaways:

Building Belonging

Foster trust and relationships by prioritizing connection both inside and outside the classroom.

Beyond the Classroom

Encourage student growth through extracurricular activities like robotics, esports, and the arts to deepen engagement.

Leadership as a Lifestyle

Embrace leadership at all levels with tools like 360 feedback and Clifton Strengths to promote growth and collaboration.

Celebrate Success

Highlight achievements to boost confidence and reinforce a positive school culture.

Strategic Culture-Building

Develop intentional plans for trust, engagement, and community involvement to create lasting impact.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:50 School Uniqueness

04:17 Beyond Classroom

07:22 Leadership Lifestyle

09:22 Culture & Climate

12:18 Strategic Planning

15:25 Leadership Journey

26:16 Team Feedback

29:12 Building Leaders

39:40 Advice for Aspiring Leaders

Connect with Dr. Jim: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with <featured guest>:

Music Credit: Shake it Up - Fesliyanstudios.com - David Renda



Join us at Engaging Leadership to learn and connect with a community of leaders in education just like you. This is the space where top people leaders share actionable insights and practical playbooks in fostering a high-performing workplace of the future.

Sign up as a member today for community updates on the latest leadership resources and exclusive event invites: www.engagingleadershipshow.com/subscribe

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Principal Office Hours

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

Profile picture for CheeTung Leong

Jim Kanichirayil

Profile picture for Jim Kanichirayil
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.