top of page
Search
All Posts
Don’t Give Them the Answer
A Series on Growing Leaders For much of my career, I thought being a good leader meant having answers. Someone brings you a problem. You listen, draw on your experience, make a decision, and tell them what to do. Problem solved. And sometimes that's exactly what leadership requires. There are moments when the situation is urgent, the risk is high, or the decision simply belongs to you. But most of the time, I've come to believe there is a better way. Don't give them the answe
larrywpittman
3 days ago2 min read
The Culture That Catches Things Early
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. — Benjamin Franklin Some schools are good at responding after something goes wrong. The better schools are good at noticing before it does. That is the difference between a reactive culture and a risk-aware culture. One waits for the problem to become loud enough that it can no longer be ignored. The other pays attention while the issue is still small enough to correct. A door that does not latch. A concern no one wants to name
larrywpittman
Sep 75 min read
The Budget Is Not Just Numbers
Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship. — Benjamin Franklin Some risks show up in obvious ways. A door left open. A drill no one takes seriously. A suspicious email. A culture weakened by gossip. A person quietly struggling in front of us. Other risks hide inside the numbers. A line item that keeps growing. A small purchase that becomes a habit. A discount that is never reviewed. A contract that renews without anyone asking questions. A program that co
larrywpittman
Aug 305 min read
The People No One Noticed
The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention. — Richard Moss Some risks are easy to see. A door left open. A suspicious email. A failed process. A drill no one takes seriously. A culture being weakened by gossip and negativity. Other risks sit quietly in front of us. A student who stops laughing as much. A teacher who seems worn down. A staff member who becomes unusually quiet. A colleague who is always “fine” but clearly does not seem fine. A parent
larrywpittman
Aug 225 min read
The Employee Gossip That Poisons a School Culture
Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. — J.C. Watts Some risks do not begin in a boardroom, a budget meeting, a safety drill, or an email inbox. Some risks begin in employee conversation. A comment in the hallway. A side conversation after a meeting. A frustrated remark at lunch. A text message sent too quickly. A whisper behind a closed door. A complaint repeated one more time than it should have been. A negative story passed from person to person until it
larrywpittman
Aug 166 min read
The Drill We Didn’t Want to Do
Sweat more in training, bleed less in war. — Military proverb Some risks are reduced by noticing. Some are reduced by speaking up. Some are reduced by checking the door, slowing down before clicking, or verifying what looks routine. But some risks require something more. They require practice before the pressure comes. I was reminded of that recently during a reunification drill. Like many drills, it did not happen at the perfect time. It interrupted the rhythm of the day. It
larrywpittman
Aug 85 min read
The Email That Looked Real
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. — Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson Some risks are impossible to miss. A storm. A broken pipe. A door left open. A student injury. A crisis that forces immediate action. Others are easy to overlook. They do not disrupt the building. They do not trigger alarms. They do not demand attention in the moment. They arrive quietly—in an inbox. They look routine. Polite. Professional. Urgent. Familiar. A message that feels like it belongs.
larrywpittman
Aug 25 min read
The Door Left Open
Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. — Abraham Lincoln There is something simple about a door. It is either open or closed. Locked or unlocked. Watched or unwatched. Secure or unsecured. Most of the time, we do not think much about doors. We walk through them all day long. Classroom doors, office doors, exterior doors, gym doors, gates, side entrances, delivery areas, and back hallways. They are part of the normal rhythm of a school day. Un
larrywpittman
Jul 264 min read
Somebody Should Say Something
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. — Often attributed to Edmund Burke There is a certain kind of silence that can settle into a room when everyone senses something is not quite right, but no one wants to be the first person to say it. Maybe the plan is unclear, but the meeting keeps moving. Maybe a decision is being made without the right people in the conversation. Maybe a student concern has surfaced in several different places,
larrywpittman
Jul 194 min read
The Little Things That Protect the Mission
The Things We Walk Past The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. — Paulo Coelho Most of us have walked past something and thought, “Somebody should probably take care of that.” It may have been a spill in the hallway, a door that did not latch, a student sitting alone who seemed a little off, or a strange email asking us to click a link. It may have been a parent conversation that felt like it was heading in the wrong direction, a broken step, a missing cone
larrywpittman
Jul 113 min read
The Optics Are the Lesson
Leaders Are Always Teaching Leaders are always teaching. Not just when they speak. Not just when they present. Not just when they make a decision. Leaders are teaching through what they model, what they tolerate, what they excuse, what they ignore, and what they personally do when the standard becomes inconvenient. That is why optics matter. Some leaders dismiss optics as superficial. They say, “I know my intent.” They say, “People should not assume.” They say, “That is not w
larrywpittman
Jul 55 min read
Controls Are Not Suggestions
Leaders Must Follow the Standards They Expect Others to Follow One of the fastest ways for a leader to weaken trust is to treat company policy as optional. It may not seem like a big deal in the moment. A skipped approval. A late expense report. A verbal authorization instead of written documentation. A purchase outside the normal process. A control bypassed because the issue was urgent. A policy ignored because the leader was busy, senior, or confident the decision was right
larrywpittman
Jun 286 min read
Own the Miss
Accountability Before Explanation There is a sentence every leader should get comfortable saying: “I own that.” Not after ten minutes of explanation. Not after describing how complicated the situation was. Not after pointing to all the factors that contributed to the problem. Not after making sure everyone understands why it was not entirely your fault. First. “I own that.” Accountability loses power when it arrives after a speech. By then, it can sound like strategy instead
larrywpittman
Jun 225 min read
Do Not Waste the Room
Meeting Discipline Is Respect in Action Every meeting has a cost. Most organizations do not calculate it, but they should. Put six, eight, or ten people in a room for an hour, especially senior people, and the organization has spent real money before the first word is spoken. More importantly, it has spent attention. That matters. A meeting pulls people away from decisions, projects, employees, families, and problems waiting on their desks. That does not mean meetings are bad
larrywpittman
Jun 145 min read
Start on Time
Punctuality Is a Respect Issue Being on time is one of the simplest leadership habits, which is probably why it gets overlooked. It does not require a strategic plan. It does not require a consultant. It does not require a new system. It requires discipline. In the military, time was not treated as a suggestion. If formation was at 0600, you were not pulling in at 0600. You were already there. Gear checked. Mind right. Ready to move. That standard was not about being rigid fo
larrywpittman
Jun 74 min read
Silence Creates the Story: The Importance of Timely Communication
Leadership communication is not only about sequence. It is also about timing. A leader can eventually say the right thing, with the right tone and the right intent, and still lose trust if the message arrives too late. That is one of the most common communication failures in organizations. Leaders wait until every detail is confirmed, every approval is secured, and every possible question is anticipated. That may feel responsible. But silence has consequences. When leaders do
larrywpittman
May 314 min read
The Order Matters: Why Sequencing Communication Is a Leadership Discipline
Leadership communication is not just about what gets said. It is about when it gets said, who hears it first, who needs context before the broader message goes out, and who will be expected to carry the message forward once it is delivered. That is why the order matters. A good message delivered in the wrong sequence can still create confusion, frustration, and distrust. Leaders sometimes assume that because they communicated something, they have done their job. But communica
larrywpittman
May 175 min read
Leadership Is in the Little Things
Leadership is often discussed in broad terms: vision, strategy, culture, transformation, and execution. Those things matter. But leadership credibility is usually built or damaged in smaller, more routine moments. It is built in how communication is sequenced. It is built in how quickly leaders communicate when people need clarity. It is built in whether meetings start on time, whether colleagues’ time is respected, whether mistakes are owned, and whether leaders follow the s
larrywpittman
May 102 min read
Strong Culture Requires Strong Leadership—Especially When Things Get Hard
It is easy to talk about culture when things are going well. It is easy to talk about teamwork when people are getting along, budgets are stable, and the mission feels clear. It is easy to talk about values when nothing is testing whether those values are real. But leadership is not proven when things are easy. Culture is not proven when things are comfortable. Teams are not truly tested until things get hard. That is where leadership matters most. I have seen that truth in e
larrywpittman
May 35 min read
The Fastest Way to Kill a Team Is to Avoid Hard Conversations
Most teams do not break all at once. They break down slowly. Usually not because people are untalented. Not always because the mission is unclear. More often than leaders want to admit, teams begin to weaken because people stop saying what needs to be said. They avoid the hard conversation. They let misalignment sit. They tolerate behavior they know is hurting the team. They choose comfort over clarity. That is where the rot starts. I have seen this in a lot of different sett
larrywpittman
Apr 264 min read
bottom of page