Episode 284: Great Schools Start with Great Leadership Teams
About this episode
This episode discusses the dynamics of building an effective leadership team in a school setting.
What does it take to build a leadership team that truly works? In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership , Dr. Darrin Peppard sits down with Marlene Rombach, Rocio Rhoads, and Christina Shires—the leadership team at Locust Grove Middle School in Locust Grove, Virginia—to reflect on their first year leading together. With a first-year principal, a first-year assistant principal, and an assistant principal stepping into a significantly expanded role, this team faced enormous challenges from day one. Yet through intentional communication, trust, coaching, and a commitment to shared leadership, they built a culture that allowed both staff and students to thrive. This conversation is an honest look at leadership in action—the successes, the struggles, and the systems that make sustainable excellence possible. In this episode, you'll hear: Why trust is the foundation of every successful leadership team How vulnerability and accountability strengthen leadership The importance of role clarity and intentional communication Practical systems that reduced discipline referrals by nearly 30% Why supporting teachers leads directly to better student outcomes How coaching accelerated growth and…
More episodes of Leaning into Leadership
- Episode 288: Building Belonging Through Microinclusions with Tom Walls
- Episode 287: Becoming the BISON - Leading Classrooms with Intention with Kim Gameroz
- Episode 286: Building the Bench - Growing the Next Generation of Leaders with Joshua Stamper
- Episode 285: The Future of School Leadership with Debra Wilson
- Episode 283: Leadership Is the Intentional Creation of Conditions
- Episode 282: The New School Leader's Playbook with Erika Bare & Tiffany Burns
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