Dr. Jim: ThanKs for joining us today. This is your friendly neighborhood town strategy nerd, Dr. Jim. Building a unifying vision and mission is critical to the success of any organization. Unfortunately, for a lot of organizations, mission, vision, and value stays posted on the wall, but never gets embedded into the operating rhythm of the organization and their people.

This can happen in K 12 districts as often as it happens in the private sector. Today's conversation will talk through how to embed a kids first commitment culture at all levels of a K 12 district. So who's going to be joining us and sharing with us the story of how they did that? Today we have Dr. David Gentile, who is an accomplished educator with a doctorate in educational leadership and over 17 years of experience as a New Jersey school superintendent. He's rooted in the values of hard work and determination instilled by his working class upbringing.

discovered his passion for teaching early on as a swimming instructor. He overcame his own learning challenges. He became dedicated to helping others succeed [00:01:00] academically. His career spans roles as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent, where he has led transformative initiatives including improving student achievement, addressing inequities, and implementing large scale school improvement projects.

He insists that students come first in the organizations that he leads, and David is also a devoted husband and father, leveraging his personal and professional experiences to create opportunities for students to achieve their dreams. David, welcome to the show.

[00:01:26] David Gentile: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to

[00:01:29] Dr. Jim: Yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to this conversation and particularly because I'm always interested in conversations that move. From strategy to execution. So I have a pretty strong bias for action. So I like those action oriented stories versus the stuff that you typically hear in these conversations, which tends to be more theoretical than practical.

So really looking forward to that. But before we dig into that. I gave a 30 second bio about your entire life story and I don't think that's that's enough So I think one of the more important things that we need [00:02:00] to do is get the listeners familiar with Who you are and what you're about and what i'm particularly interested in Is has to do with some of those defining moments in your life and career That helped shape you into the leader that you are today.

[00:02:14] David Gentile: You mentioned the working class background, and I think that's imperative that I bring out. Growing up, I worked in my dad's little heating and air conditioning business. Learned how to sweep a broom properly. And yes, my father could take 10 minutes to instruct you on the proper way of sweeping up.

But I learned the value of hard work and I learned the value of action. And in school I was in love with athletics, but not so much in love with the academic part. In short, I've had some, learning disabilities growing up. Found out later in life when I got to college, actually, that I was.

Suffering from a form of dyslexia worked very hard to overcome and come up with some great strategies for how to, manage that And went on to be pretty successful as a college [00:03:00] student. But I also learned early on something that I enjoyed doing and something that I was good at was teaching.

And, it first started by giving swim lessons at a, as a 15 year old looking for some other opportunities to make money that didn't include working in the family business. And I was good with kids and people took notice of that. And really I think their encouragement. Helped point me in a direction that's become my lifelong passion and that is, help helping people learn.

[00:03:28] Dr. Jim: I want to dig into a few things. That you mentioned one of the things that you mentioned is that you started You came up from a working class background. You helped out your dad in the family business One of the things that i'm curious about is that typically when you come up in that sort of environment and I come from an immigrant background You have this sense of loyalty where you can't let your folks down and it can be difficult to say no when they ask you to help out in whatever endeavors that they have going on.

So I would imagine that there was some point that came up. [00:04:00] While you were growing up where you had to make a decision, do I stay in the family business or do I strike out on my own? So tell me, tell us a little bit more about that crossroads and how you navigated that because that had to be pretty difficult.

[00:04:13] David Gentile: that's interesting. The interesting part for me is my father, an immigrant, Italian immigrant And my mother was a hairdresser, so both of them no more than high school educations. And my father barely made it through high school. He'll admit that to this day. He really struggled with that, but they both valued education.

As a means to improve a position in life or to pursue other options and for my sister and I, it was incredibly important to them that we had those other options. They wanted us to go to college. I don't think at the time they realized exactly why or what that. Would mean for us, but they did make school important.

And while there was also non negotiables like, you're going to work with dad in the [00:05:00] evenings on service calls, you're going to work on the weekends when other things aren't going on. You're also going to get a decent grades and work hard in the school. I think that it was their valuing education that helped change that trajectory of, Just staying in the family business?

[00:05:16] Dr. Jim: There's another aspect of it that I want to dig into and that you mentioned that there was a set of non negotiables. You had to get decent grades and it wasn't optional for you to not help out in the business in your. Quote unquote off time. What did that teach you or how did that shape you in terms of your overall philosophy on education and leadership?

[00:05:36] David Gentile: I think it taught me that I had to really organize my time well. And that that you could do a lot more than you think you can. I think I hear that a lot. We don't have time for this or we don't have time for that. And for me, I think my Mindset has always been it's what you make time for and how you shape your time, how you use your time.

That'll determine what you get [00:06:00] accomplished. Working with my dad, I knew was a non negotiable after school when I wasn't in a season, a sports season, he did allow me, to go to practices and those kinds of things. But if it was an off season, I knew I was working on service calls before and after dinner every night.

So that meant when I got finished, I had to get, homework done and get ready for the next day. Same thing for Saturday mornings. We began very early, 6 30 AM. I had to be ready and be on the truck. So yeah, so it just helped me organize my time in a way that, I value now.

I don't think I valued it so much as a teenage kid, but

[00:06:35] Dr. Jim: There was something else that you mentioned when you were talking through your journey into education and that was your own experience as a student and finding out later that you had some learning disabilities and navigating that process as well. What was the influence that had in terms of your perspective on not only education delivery, but also leadership delivery?

[00:06:58] David Gentile: Yeah, I think my [00:07:00] experience is powerful in the sense that it influences me as a leader. I think in pretty much every aspect of what I do. But as a kid. We didn't have a lot of these words that we have today. Dyslexia ADHD, all those things that we now understand a little bit better.

When I was going through school, that just wasn't something, that was diagnosed. Instead, it was, he has a lot of energy can't focus, inattentive, depending if it goes to the negative connotation. I always, yeah. New from an early age that if I showed up to school every day and I listened to the teachers, I had a better chance of succeeding on whatever test or homework they gave me when I had to read it on my own or I had to, again, self teach it, from a book if I missed a day of school, I was lost and I knew, from an early age for me, I had to be in school 100 percent of the time if I wanted to be successful. So I had good attendance, I think, for that [00:08:00] reason and, I was able to always maintain A's and B's.

It, I don't think it hurt that my sister was five years older than me and was a straight A student. And I think in some ways the teachers who had her gave me the benefit of the doubt where I don't think some of our kids these days are fortunate to always get that benefit of the doubt.

People were looking for ways that I could be successful and intelligent rather than maybe coming from it from a deficit standpoint.

[00:08:25] Dr. Jim: One of the things that I take away from what you just described is a broader lesson when it Comes to life and work and all sorts of things 90 Of your outcome is determined by just showing up and giving it your best shot And I think that's the other part of it that I take away from what you described I want to switch gears a little bit and talk through kind of your observations when it came to your district.

When you first got in your district and you've seen it evolve over time, what's the landscape of your district look like?

[00:08:54] David Gentile: My current district as I've, shared, I've been now superintendent in four different [00:09:00] districts in New Jersey, which isn't that uncommon might be for other parts of the country. But for New Jersey, that's pretty common. I'm in the Ewing school district, and it's a blue collar town, which I resonate with, we have a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds in the community and a very trusting, supportive community.

So the lay of the landscape, as I saw it when I landed here, was we had a lot of caring educators working in the district And we had a lot of support from the community but not a lot of participation. It was more of, I trust the school is doing what it needs to do, for my kids. And there wasn't a whole lot of involvement beyond that.

And, When you look at any district you come into, you can't help but look at state test scores. You can't help but look at the data and what that tells me. And what that told me was we were underachieving in many ways. We were under performing and, that, that tells me [00:10:00] what the, where the challenge is and where we're starting from.

It doesn't tell me the full story. When I joined the Ewing school district and something I've done in the other places I've been, I embark on a 90 day entry plan and I come in, I tell everybody, I published the 90 day entry plan for everybody to see. So there's no surprises.

It outlines what I'm going to do for the next, 90 days of entering this district. I'm going to look, listen and learn. I'm going to meet with a variety of the stakeholders. I'm going to ask questions. I want to get their input. And I really that helps then better inform what the data. Means to me, do we have people that are apathetic?

Do we have people who just don't believe kids can learn if they come from a, maybe a tough background? So I needed to answer a lot of those questions. So coming in, that was my priority.

[00:10:52] Dr. Jim: So it's interesting that you talk through that 90 day entrance plan, but I want to go back to something that you mentioned [00:11:00] earlier on, which was, you noticed that people valued school in your district, but there wasn't a whole lot of participation. Tell me a little bit more about what that actually looked like in terms of what does good participation at the district level or family level look like.

[00:11:15] David Gentile: yeah, that's a tough question. For sure. But I'll tell you a couple of things that I noticed early on. I happened to come in at a time where we were presenting state test scores. And I noticed that at a board meeting, we had 4 people in the audience. 1 was the teacher association leader in leadership and a couple of their, other association members.

And basically other central administration. We didn't have parents at this meeting sitting there wanting to hear about the test scores and wanting answers for why maybe we were underperforming in certain areas. So when I say there wasn't participation, maybe there wasn't. I won't say outrage because that's not it, but there definitely should be questions [00:12:00] asked when you see test results that aren't necessarily above rat state average, for example.

And then on the flip side, if we go to say family night at one of my elementary schools, it would be packed. And it would be a lot of happy parents, smiling, interacting with the kids, the teachers there it's a very friendly community and in that way, it's extremely supportive, if maybe the critical the critical eye of Asking more than are these people good, right?

Because, I think that they met the teachers and if you meet our staff, we have wonderful staff members. Great people like that. Make them feel welcome. So we exceed in that area. But when we, when it comes to pushing academic Improvement and academic achievement. That's an area that I felt I could help with.

[00:12:48] Dr. Jim: You've referenced a couple of different times that your observations on the district was that the district was underperforming from a test score perspective. Now that's only one measure of a district's [00:13:00] health. There's a lot more stuff that goes into it. But I want to focus in on that area and how that influenced your effort at transforming the district.

The broader conversation that we're having is actually putting kids first as an operating mentality and commitment. So how did those two things come together in your overall philosophy or strategy for the region?

[00:13:22] David Gentile: Great question. And I think I'll try my best to, summarize how I approached it. But when you look at the test scores and state testing, for example, People also know that I'm not a huge advocate for the way we test kids. However, it is one measurement of how a district's doing.

Okay, so it tells me that, we're not at state average or better. That's where I think a district that, like Ewing, like where I'm at should be targeting. We should be trying to get to state average or better. We should shoot for the moon, of course, but, realistically probably falling right around the state average.

Then we Break down the data and look at the [00:14:00] various subgroups, who is performing well and who is not performing well. And that'll tell you a lot of the answers to the, which kids are we putting first and which kids are we leaving. Out of the conversation. I'm happy to say, and I'm, I want to make this abundantly clear about the district.

This was by no means people purposely leaving kids behind or, falling short of including every kid or putting kids 1st because there's You know, they're not good people. These are good people who needed leadership and they needed people to come in and help drive these conversations in a way that didn't feel threatening.

And putting kids first, it's more than just some phrase that I say as an educator, it has to become the linchpin or the, the centerpiece of everything that we do. And that takes time and it's not something we can fix easily. But that's where my mindset came from.

It's like, how are we doing? And when we look at state assessment, we see [00:15:00] that we are maybe we have some areas that we can improve on which kids are achieving at a higher level and which kids maybe are not getting the attention they need. And then how do I elevate and advocate for all voices in that conversation?

That starts my driving force is to try to make sure all kids are being thought of in these planning conversations.

[00:15:19] Dr. Jim: So I like how you frame that. This is really a discussion between, what is, what might be typical in districts is that you focus on the kids that are doing well and everybody else has varying degrees of commitment to everybody else. And what I gather from what you described is that mindset has to shift instead of just some kids coming first, all kids coming first.

So I get that as a philosophical call. Pillar, how did you actually turn that into an actual reality that can be executed day in day out? What was that process like

[00:15:53] David Gentile: The leadership framework that I have followed is from Kouzes and Posner's five leadership strategies. [00:16:00] It's model the way inspire a shared vision, empower others to act, encourage the heart, and challenge the status quo. For me, And my leadership team, those five things are going to become essential to who we are as a team.

These are non negotiable parts of who we will become because, obviously, if we're not willing to be the example and be the voice, others are not going to do that. If we don't do it. Putting kids first is the other ocean. I'll say Japanese use the word ocean for that. It's the direction.

So we're going to use the phrase kids 1st and all that we do. And then when we're making decisions, we're going to make sure that. We're asking, can we honestly say that this is in the best interest of kids and all kids

[00:16:49] Dr. Jim: I like the fact that you've anchored into a core framework that you can build forward from but here's the thing that I'm struggling with you The framework is good Kids [00:17:00] first as an operating principle is good But I'm sure plenty of people that are in the district or in other districts say we already operate with a kid's first mindset this.

Why are we talking about something that we already do? So how did you bridge the gap between the difference between what we're actually doing? And what actually doing things well looks like from a kid's first perspective. That's the piece that's a little fuzzy for me

[00:17:22] David Gentile: right? There are some, let me try to get to the actionable practical ways that this starts to take hold. When I work with the leadership team, we'll spend a lot of time up front clarifying our values and coming up with values that we feel we can all support as a leadership team.

And for us we represent the values for our leadership team. We use the acronym STAR. So our STAR values. So students first. accountability and respect. Those are the things that we are going to stand behind as a leadership team, all members of this leadership team. Cause we built this value set together.

We [00:18:00] voted on it. Consensus, we reached consensus behind it. One of the silly little tools I use, it might sound silly at first, but. When you use it often and always, it starts to really be a powerful tool. So when I'm in a session with our leadership team and we have a decision to come to worry, a consensus to reach, we use something very simple.

It's a thumbs up, a thumbs to the side, and then a thumbs down, a thumbs up means I'm good with this move on a thumb to the side means it may not be my favorite. But I support it and I can live with it. I like it. Keep moving. One thumbs down stops the leadership conversation. And we asked the person with the thumbs down.

Okay, what's it going to take to get you to a thumb to the side? What parts of this are you not able to support? And we Work that process until we get every member either thumbs to the side or a thumbs up and that's before we make any major decision. And what that [00:19:00] does is it tells, first of all, it tells everyone that we value their input beyond simply saying we value your input.

We give everybody a chance to have their voice heard. We give we, we give everyone a chance to challenge each other too. If someone maybe thinks something is a thumbs down another member from the team can say I don't agree with that, but what about this? And so it starts to really take shape.

And have us be the example for how I think decisions should be being made in a district where, you don't have winners and losers. The only winners are the kids, right? And so when we walk out of a room, we're 100 percent supportive of whatever direction we're going. And, going back to the star values, that's how we built those.

So then, taking that star value and putting it in things like our Email the bottom of our email and promoting that and telling staff, Hey, if you see one of us not honoring one of our professed values, I encourage you to challenge us [00:20:00] and in a respectful way, of course, but point out, Hey, I don't think that matches what you said you stand for.

And if you let people start to take risks and you show them that you are encouraging them. To challenge things like that we elevate the conversation and we don't walk around with this artificial harmony, artificial. Everything's great. We're great here. You really can start to get to some tougher conversations.

[00:20:25] Dr. Jim: So I like how you laid that out and I want to get to that decisioning framework in a second But there is something that you mentioned in terms of that star framework that you used, in terms of how Behavior is supposed to be or what are the operating principles as a leadership team? There's one aspect of that I really like, which is if you want to transform a culture of the organization, attitude reflects the leadership of the organization.

So I like that you're working on this as a leadership team and defining what good looks like there. Here's where I have a problem is that. If you try to do things from a top down [00:21:00] perspective, you can find a lot of resistance from folks that are on the front line who say this is disconnected from reality.

So how did you bridge that potential resistance when you develop this at the leadership level and you're trying to bring this to life at the front lines?

[00:21:15] David Gentile: I think that's an important part and a great question. But the 1st thing is when you say top down. I stop you there because we took our organizational chart just as a one of the symbolic measures, of how an organization leads. We kicked it on the side, right? So it's the superintendent in front leading and it doesn't have to be the front.

But I'm On the on the, how do I put this in the front showing the way or modeling the way, but I'm right there with staff rolling up my sleeves. This isn't a top down organization. Then we take those same tools, the same conversations and the same value clarification and we.

Implement that every time we have an opportunity to meet with our staff. So in grade level meetings and staff [00:22:00] meetings working with different committees where teachers are serving and parents are serving. We use all the same approaches so that everyone's voice has an opportunity to be heard. So when we take something, say, from the leadership team and we want to implement it, we're going to take that out and meet with teachers and find out where they stand on it as well.

[00:22:19] Dr. Jim: Now, I really like how you describe that because it actually talks, it actually speaks to what leading from the front actually looks like when you're talking about flipping the org chart on its side where you're at the front or alongside the front line. That's a Good perspective. I want to go back to something that you mentioned, which was the decisioning framework.

You have your thumbs up, thumbs down and that thumb to the side and the intent of that. At least what I take away from it is that you're trying to build consensus and one of the thing interesting things about consensus is that, a camel is a horse that's drawn by consensus. So when you're using that approach to build consensus and a way [00:23:00] forward yeah.

How did you navigate a scenario where you're taking half measures at these key initiatives instead of going full bore? What was the process there to make sure that you have real commitment versus kind of a half hearted attempt at trying to impact change?

[00:23:14] David Gentile: Yeah. So I think investment is the word I use even more than say, commitment or buy in, it's true that as a top down leader, you may be able to take full measure, giant. Decision points that are controversial and on the surface, it might seem like you're getting, a lot accomplished.

However, all that fighting that happens and all the noncompliance pieces that you're not able to see happening really are going to set that. Initiative, whatever that changes that you're trying to get, it's going to set it back anyway. I believe in moving forward in ways that people can support and understand and that they're ready for.

While also asking [00:24:00] difficult questions and trying to push things beyond just half measures. Because at the end of the day, if we're having a conversation of, is this direction. Really the best thing for kids. I find most people are honest in situations and they'll say no, we could do more. So you can really, I think, get more from spending the time in relationship building, consensus building and really, Trusting people to make good decisions for kids.

I think a lot of the resistance we've seen as school leaders or, as a leader period is sometimes there's just a resistance to being told what to do without giving them an opportunity to really have their voice heard and considered. So I find. That I get, I think, a lot more out of folks and certainly have been more successful as a leader using this format and this platform than maybe I did as a very first year superintendent where I thought I could just say what [00:25:00] I thought was right.

And we would just all do it right. That doesn't work.

[00:25:03] Dr. Jim: Digging in a little bit further in that. It's a good framework to build consensus, but you're never going to have a 100 percent success rate in being able to move forward effectively. There's always going to be circumstances where somebody is entrenched in their position as a no go.

When that happens, what was your approach to deal with that situation and potentially overcome it?

[00:25:25] David Gentile: Yeah, I've had this question asked a lot, right? Of what happens if somebody's just stuck on the thumbs down? And I can tell you that in the time that I've used this, it's going on 2 decades now. I think I've had 3 times where I simply could not. And when I say I, the group, we could not move somebody off of their position.

And I think they're all three of those were extenuating circumstances where the person was, trying to make a bigger political statement rather than actually in agreement or not in agreement with the direction we were taking. So yes, there are times where you would have to say, listen if we've had [00:26:00] ample conversation on this, we've given you ample opportunity to help move us in a different direction, compromising, moving forward. And if a person is just stuck to know, and it's obvious to everyone that it's a, that they're stuck to know, we move forward. We're not going to let someone, hijack the situation completely.

The purpose of the tool. Is, to give people weight behind their responses and then an opportunity to help find a way forward. But if you're just going to say no, and you're not going to help find a way forward that everybody can agree to, that's a, I think that becomes something completely different.

[00:26:37] Dr. Jim: I think one of the things that that I want to dig into is that early on in the conversation we talked about. Measuring school success or performance based off of test scores. And that's a really narrow view of how you evaluate anything. It's a it's one measure.

So tell me a little bit more about when you applied kids first as a mindset and a [00:27:00] cultural pillar, how did that influence how you're actually evaluating a district overall and more broadly beyond just test score performance?

[00:27:08] David Gentile: So I think that's one of the key pieces that I'm glad came back to I looked at how the staff responded to Opportunities where they could hear me say we're not performing at the level we can and that our kids are capable of doing more. And what is a true sort of value mark for me in a district is how that staff responds to that.

This staff in Ewing, I can tell you was open, willing And excited about the opportunity to do better for our kids. I think that is an important piece of what any good, leader is looking for in a district is, are the folks that are here are they at the point where they feel like, oh, we've tried all this, we've done everything we can and, here comes another person going to tell us and and I can honestly say that here in Ewing That is not what I was met with.

[00:28:00] I was met with gratitude for the time I was taking to get to know the various people, like the relationship investment the 90 first 90 days. And then beyond keeping up those things where I meet with people regularly, I talk with the staff I'm out in the schools. I'm. I'm visible, I'm approachable and they know that I'm here for the right reasons.

So I think that to me is a very good testament to the type of district that we have and how they've responded to my leadership when I came in. I'm asking some tough questions. Do you guys think that this is the performance level that our kids are just capable of, or can they do better?

And so that, that's one aspect of How I would evaluate this district is positive in that regards. The 2nd part is we launched into doing a strategic plan, which was something everyone was excited about doing as well. And the way I do strategic planning might be a little different than like other places.

This isn't some [00:29:00] strategic plan. That's going to sit on a. On a shelf somewhere and look really good. This is let's get down to the nitty gritty bones, and get to work here. How can we make the district better? And we had parents that were enthusiastic about participating in these conversations and being part of it.

So we did do a great strategic plan here. That's really the end. Helped develop some key goals, for us moving forward. And yeah, I'm really excited about where the direction is going in Ewing right now. And again, it's going to take time, but I think that we have all the right components in place and a commitment from a great board of education too is another huge part of it.

Our board of education could be a segment of its own, just how wonderful they are to work with.

[00:29:45] Dr. Jim: One of the things that that I'm interested to find out, and all of this is a work in process because you're constantly having to Look at the next hill that you want to climb, but I want you to think about the time that's elapsed from the time that [00:30:00] you got here to where you're at now and your effort at embedding that kids first mindset as an operating rhythm within the district.

So when you look at where you're at right now. What's the progress that's been made? How has that impacted the families, the students, the educators, and the leaders within the district? Paint us a picture of what what that looks like.

[00:30:24] David Gentile: The district's put out surveys to ask staff members, parents, just that, where is the mindset right now in the district? And a lot of that data is coming back. Very positive about where we're headed.

We have changed. The way we meet for sure. Teachers feel validated in having their voice heard and being able to really participate in the decision making process. We've made that a key part of who we are. We've put in benchmarking and other. Assessment tools that are giving us additional data aside from just state testing that wasn't in [00:31:00] place prior.

That's helping us, make better decisions instructionally. And curricular as we're moving forward in trying to advance student achievement. So I think we have a lot of early metrics that are pointing in the right direction. It's again, it's something that takes time. And I know that from a practitioner point of view, it's one of my key frustrations is how much time it does take.

But I'm excited about where we are. And I think that the impact so far is pointing in all the right directions.

[00:31:29] Dr. Jim: I want you to take a step back and think through this entire conversation that we've had. And what I'd like you to do is put yourself in the shoes of a superintendent who is listening to this conversation and they're looking at trying to figure out how they can actually embed, their core values or their mission statement or their vision into the day to day action within their district.

So if they're trying to accomplish that, whatever that might look like. What's [00:32:00] your advice in terms of how you actually operationalize that stuff and take it off of the paper and bring it to life in the actual district?

[00:32:07] David Gentile: I think you have to first make sure that you're valuing people, make sure that the relationships that you've invested in and built on a day to day basis are continuously strong, One of our greatest resources is the staff, right? Our, so our number one resource, it's the thing we spend the most amount of money on.

And it always, it pains me when I find out that leaders are not taking time to be in classrooms, to be in meetings and sessions with our staff members. So I would make sure that your staff members feel valued and make sure that you are touching base with them frequently and that you have mechanisms in place for them to communicate.

Things that may not be comfortable to communicate and they can do so safely, really evaluate yourself and how do you respond when someone provides a bit of feedback that's critical? Are you getting defensive? So I think there's a, another piece of [00:33:00] that where the leader has to evaluate themselves and do a lot of self reflection there.

That also includes going back to that. The five principles that have worked for me is, ask yourself, Are you modeling the way or the things that you do day to day, helping advance that or working against it? And if you can't be honest with yourself, again, none of this is going to work. You have to know that your behavior, the things you say and do every single.

Minute is evaluated by people and that's how leadership gets credibility or loses it and it's much easier to lose it than it is to get it. Are you making sure that you're doing the right things day to day? And then inspiring the shared vision, make sure that people know what your vision is.

Where are you going? What are the most important things to you? If it's kids first, great, say it. Okay. Yell it, scream it, wear it on a t shirt, do whatever you can to get that out, really promote that message. Empowering people to act is a key phrase for me. Going back to [00:34:00] Kuznets and Posner, but empowering people to make decisions and really trusting others and the expertise that they bring to the table.

Encourage the heart. Something simple I do is anytime there's a death in one of the staff members families, I write a handwritten card to them. And something as little as that goes a long way in letting people know that you see them beyond just someone that works quote unquote for them.

And I think it's important that we do that on a day to day basis is really encouraging, the human side of what we do. And then that last piece is just always challenging the status quo and making sure that you're not just accepting mediocre because it's comfortable.

[00:34:39] Dr. Jim: If people want to continue the conversation, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you?

[00:34:43] David Gentile: I'm on X right now. At Dr. D Gentile and also feel free to email me

[00:34:50] Dr. Jim: Great stuff, David. I appreciate you hanging out with us and sharing with us your story. And I think it's an important lesson for everybody to listen to.

So when I think about this [00:35:00] conversation that we had, there's an important element that I want to highlight that I think is worth mentioning for anybody that's listening as well. And that's this concept of underestimating the capability and the capacity of the people that you have in front of you. And I think that's one of the things that came out early in this conversation that I think it's worth mentioning.

We often fall into the trap of feeling comfortable in settling for mediocrity. And the reason why that is because it's comfortable. And what we don't realize is that we have the capacity for doing so much more. We just need to commit to actually doing those things. So the trick becomes, how do you free up the environment that you're in to tap into that capacity and tap into that capability?

And get into the right mindsets. And those are the things that we should be looking at when we're looking at building high performance organizations, high performance districts, going to the next level. It really needs to be rooted in understanding that we have so much more capability and [00:36:00] capacity than we give ourselves credit for and getting around that lazy mindset is going to be the key to tapping into all of that.

So I appreciate you sharing that. With us for those of you who've been listening to this conversation. Thanks for hanging out If you like the discussion make sure you leave us a review on your favorite podcast player If you haven't already done so make sure you join our k through 12 leadership community And then tune in next time where we'll have another great leader hanging out with us and sharing with us The game changing insights that help them build a high performing team