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Welcome to the Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care. I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we explore strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, we’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.

Welcome everyone! Today, I’m excited to have Darrin Peppard with us — a leadership coach, author, and speaker. We’ll be discussing organizational strategies for principals. This topic comes up often, as principals juggle many initiatives and systems. So I thought this would be a great conversation. Welcome, Darrin!

Darrin Peppard:
Thank you so much, Barb. I appreciate being here and look forward to our conversation.

Barb:
Can you start by sharing a bit about your background and experience as an administrator?

Darrin:
Of course. I was a public educator for 26 years — starting as a middle school teacher, then high school teacher and head basketball coach, moving on to assistant principal, principal, and eventually superintendent. I’ve pretty much experienced the full range of public education leadership.

My work now is tied to a concept called the “Road to Awesome,” which is both the name of my company and my book. The phrase reflects pivotal moments in my career — inspired by Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. We all face forks in our careers, and I want to share two key moments that defined my story.

First, as an assistant principal, I was responsible for discipline and attendance at a high school of about 1,200 students. I processed over 2,200 discipline referrals that year. The culture was really poor. At one staff meeting, someone raised a hand and asked, “Why does it always have to be about what they do wrong? Why can’t it be about what they do right?” That was a turning point for me.

Second, when I transitioned from assistant principal to principal, I carried over all my previous duties and tried to be the superhero, doing everything myself. This led to burnout and ineffective leadership — I was just a firefighter putting out fires all day. I was fortunate to have a leadership coach come in during my second year and ask me: “Do you want to be a leader or a firefighter?” That question helped me refocus.

Barb:
I love that firefighter analogy because so many principals feel like they’re just putting out fires. Let’s talk about organizational systems around teacher support and development. You worked with curriculum and instruction — what strategies do you recommend?

Darrin:
It starts with clarity. Get very clear about what you want as a leader, both for yourself and your team. This is foundational. Craft a compelling vision — not just a poster on the wall, but a real vision that you help everyone understand and own.

Then, know your people. Meet your teachers where they are, just like we expect teachers to meet students where they are. Teachers vary widely in experience and personal circumstances. You have to listen well to understand their needs.

As a leader, be a great listener and spend time with teachers — both in and out of classrooms — to understand how to support and grow them. You also need to be in classrooms when kids are there to provide immediate support.

Depending on your resources, your instructional leadership team might include instructional coaches and assistant principals who help identify trends and needs in classrooms. Use these insights to design professional development, either from within your team or by bringing in outside experts.

Without clarity, knowing your team, and a system for feedback, it’s hard to build effective support systems.

Barb:
That listening piece really resonated with me. When I became principal, I had to respect what previous principals had started and continue some initiatives rather than constantly starting new ones. How do you help leaders manage that?

Darrin:
One tool I love is the “Start, Stop, Continue, Consider” protocol. At staff meetings, have teachers write on sticky notes what they think you should start doing, stop doing, continue doing, or consider doing. This helps clarify what’s on their plates and their perceptions.

This process helps calm the waters when there have been multiple leadership changes and shifting initiatives. It gives you, as a leader, a clear picture of what teachers feel they’re responsible for, so you can align expectations.

Barb:
That’s so true. I’ve heard so many teachers say, “They said we have to do this,” but no one knows who “they” are. Miscommunication is a big challenge.

Darrin:
Absolutely. Communication needs to be clear, frequent, and consistent. Teachers want to do their best but need clarity about priorities. Many are people pleasers and will try to do everything — even things you’ve said to stop doing. So having protocols like this helps reset and realign the team.

Barb:
Let’s talk about systems for school culture and climate. How do you approach that?

Darrin:
Culture starts with how you lead. In my role as discipline and attendance lead, I used to walk the halls looking for what kids were doing wrong — that had to change. I shifted to being visible and positive — greeting kids at the front door, building relationships.

Teachers are people pleasers who want to be seen and valued. So creating a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and trusted is essential. You can’t do that from your office; you have to be present, engaged, and visible.

Culture is everyone’s responsibility. Set clear expectations together as a staff, then recognize, reward, and reinforce the behaviors and attitudes you want to see. For example, my school used the Jostens Renaissance program, which focuses on positive recognition tied to attendance, behavior, and academics.

We even transformed pep rallies into celebrations for academic achievement and positive behavior — these events became hugely popular and motivated students.

Barb:
I loved that you connected visibility with culture. I worked in a small school and visited every classroom daily. Teachers expected it, and it helped me support them better and stay connected.

Darrin:
Exactly. You don’t have to spend a long time in each classroom — even less than a minute can give you a good snapshot. Doing this daily builds trust and shows students you’re invested.

Barb:
I want to ask, how did you manage to get into every classroom every day?

Darrin:
Mornings were best — typically from 9 to 11 when things were calm. I scheduled walkthroughs daily and kept them short. For newer principals, I recommend starting with a couple of grade levels per day and building from there.

Delegation is key — one principal I know visits classrooms multiple times a day because he has a strong team managing other tasks, freeing him up to be visible.

Barb:
That connects to owning your time. How did you manage interruptions?

Darrin:
I blocked high-priority times on my calendar and my assistant knew not to interrupt me then. We developed a system called “911/411”: if I was in a classroom, I wouldn’t be disturbed except for emergencies (text “911”) or important info (text “411”). This allowed me to focus without constant interruptions.

Barb:
That’s great! As we wrap up, what systems do you recommend for reflection?

Darrin:
Reflection is critical. I blocked time on Sundays to schedule my priorities for the week. I focused on six key leadership priorities:

1. Building positive culture and climate

2. Ensuring staff feel seen, heard, valued, and trusted

3. Empowering student voice

4. Being instructional leader

5. Leading with a coaching mindset

6. Championing the organization

Every day, I set aside time to reflect on progress toward these priorities.

I also practiced “balcony level leadership,” stepping back to observe the big picture — literally standing on the gym balcony to mentally check in on those six priorities. My staff noticed this and it encouraged reflection across the school.

Barb:
I love the balcony view idea. I also encourage principals to find a leadership coach — it’s invaluable for gaining perspective and support.

Darrin:
Absolutely. Coaching was a game changer for me. It gave me perspective and helped me become a systems thinker. Now I have coaches myself. It’s one of the best investments a leader can make.

Barb:
Thank you so much, Darrin. Where can listeners find you?

Darrin:
Visit roadtoawesome.net for resources, coaching info, and the Principal Academy. You can find me on social media as “darrenmpeppard” or email me at darren@roadtoawesome.net.

Barb:
Thanks again for joining us today!

Darrin:
Thanks, Barb. I appreciate it.