The Leadership Practices Worth Talking About
Hey friends,
I am going to start a new series titled “The Leadership Practices Worth Talking About”
As school leaders, we all get inundated with the typical, cliche leadership jargon, but I think there are deeper, more interesting, more valuable leadership practices that do not get addressed
So we are going to do that here!!
Be sure to subscribe to this newsletter (for free!!) to get the full series delivered straight to your inbox every week!
I look forward to the journey!
Leadership as the practice of Celebration and Radical Hospitality
The first two Leadership Practices Worth Talking About are Celebration and Hospitality
If you're thinking, "I don't have time for that—I'm drowning in compliance paperwork and emergency situations," I hear you.
But here's what I've learned in over thirty years in education: the practices of celebration and hospitality aren't add-ons.
They're foundational.
And when we skip them, everything else gets harder.
Let me explain.
Leadership Isn't Just About Fixing What's Broken
As school leaders, we spend so much energy diagnosing problems—low test scores, behavior referrals, teacher burnout—that we forget to notice and celebrate what's actually working.
But here's the thing:
Effective school leaders who regularly celebrate even small wins foster a positive, energized culture.
And that momentum shapes future success.
This isn't wishful thinking. It's neuroscience.
When we celebrate small wins, we stimulate dopamine—the neurochemical that triggers motivation and deepens satisfaction.
Gratitude is a powerful human emotion.
As researchers explore the neurological underpinnings of gratitude, they’re discovering that this simple practice can lead to profound positive changes in mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing.
Gratitude, derived from the Latin word gratia, means gratefulness or thankfulness.
Thanking others & thanking ourselves— gratitude in any form can enlighten the mind and make us feel happier. It has a healing effect on us
Cultivating a culture of gratitude and celebration sends a signal that says, "Here, under my leadership, at this school, every person matters and every story is valued”
Celebration isn’t a “soft” emotional feeling.
It is the bedrock upon which your organization flourishes or flounders
What Celebration Actually Looks Like
So what does intentional celebration look like in practice?
Spotlight the micro-wins. Use daily shout-outs in morning huddles or on digital boards. Highlight effort over outcome—call out the strategy, the growth, the empathy. Turn classroom visits into celebrations by noticing and naming positive moments in real time.
Capture momentum creatively. Launch a "Growth Gallery" with photos and sticky notes showcasing staff and student progress. Record short, celebratory videos to play in common areas or share on social media.
Embed celebration into routines. Begin meetings with dedicated recognition time—rotate who gets to share appreciation. Hold a weekly "Celebration Sprint": just five minutes to name recent wins, learning curves, or acts of kindness.
Connect celebrations to story and purpose. Share brief narratives—staff or student stories that connect to your school vision. Tie celebrations back to shared values: "This moment reminds us we lead with kindness and courage."
Create collective rituals. Host monthly assemblies with spotlight awards and gratitude circles. At year-end, give every team or class a chance to share one big breakthrough they experienced together.
We do this at Odyssey Leadership Academy in our Friday Shout Outs.
Every single Friday we gather together in Mentor Groups to shout each other out
Students know they are to “catch” each other doing Good in our community and to come to the Mentor circle ready to celebrate what they saw!
We do this throughout the school, for ALL 6th-12th grade mentor groups!
This weekly practice creates a community of trust, appreciation, gratitude, and celebration that permeates everything else we do!
The Questions Worth Asking
How regularly do you pause to notice effort—not just outcomes?
What patterns of celebration could you embed into your staff and student routines?
In what ways could celebration deepen your community's sense of hope, engagement, and belonging?
Now Let's Talk About Radical Hospitality
True flourishing begins the moment someone steps through your doors and feels utterly seen, valued, and welcomed.
Radical hospitality isn't just a warm gesture.
It's a mindset and an institutional practice that transforms school cultures.
It's rooted in trust, inclusivity, and mutual respect.
And it shifts leadership from "posted rules" to intentional belonging.
Here's why it matters:
It deepens belonging and engagement. Students, families, and staff thrive when they feel genuinely known and cared for.
It shifts power to partnership. Hospitality honors every person's dignity—unlocking reciprocal care and shared leadership.
It strengthens inclusive practice. Radical hospitality is an equity strategy. It welcomes those often excluded and dismantles structural barriers.
How to Practice Radical Hospitality
Hold welcoming rituals. Greet students, families, and staff by name at arrival points each day. Offer multilingual welcome signs and a "first visit" kit with key resources. Host open-campus time each month for families to explore, ask questions, and connect.
Design inclusive spaces. Create "hospitality zones"—coffee corners, story walls, comfy benches in the foyer. Make sure signage and communication materials reflect your community's languages, cultures, and experiences.
Co-create community norms. Use classroom or school-wide conversations to build shared agreements through empathy circles or protocols. Invite students and families into key meetings—seasonal councils, grade-level planning, safety reviews.
Make room for every story. Incorporate classroom routines that rotate voice and choice: morning circles, chalk talks, storyteller moments. Hold regular listening tours—small-group conversations where you and staff simply ask, "What matters most for you here?"
Extend generous hospitality to the margins. Identify families or staff who feel disconnected—through peer nominators, surveys, or intuition—and prioritize outreach. Model humility by entering community spaces and hosting pop-up office hours where people already gather.
Build hospitality into leadership practice. Begin staff meetings with personal check-ins, gratitude circles, or shared reflections. Celebrate "hospitality heroes" monthly—staff or students who've extended exceptional welcome and care.
One small way we do this at Odyssey Leadership Academy is by having a “No Student Eats Alone (unless they want to)” policy.
Our veteran students know to keep an eye out for any student who is drifting off by themselves and to go and sit by that student or to invite them to come sit with them at lunch.
We especially do this for new students who are just getting used to our community
If a student really wants to eat by themselves to work on homework or just decompress, that’s ok…but we always check in and make sure they know they are seen, valued, and valuable
It’s a small thing but HUGE to the student who may feel isolated or left out
This Is How Culture Changes
When celebration and radical hospitality become embedded practices—not occasional gestures—everything shifts.
Staff feel seen. Students feel valued. Families feel like partners. And momentum builds.
As the leader of your community, you set the tone and drive the mood
The school you lead isn’t just a functional set of desks and rows
It is a living ecosystem alive with possibility.
Here’s to exploring and engaging the leadership principles that really matter
With gratitude and belief in you,
Scott
Ready to take the next step forward?
Everything I'm sharing in this newsletter series is drawn out in much more robust detail in my resource: The Flourishing School Leader's Field Guide
This field guide explores how you can lead with hope, celebration, gratitude, hospitality, and vision!
It provides proven strategies to rekindle passion, restore purpose, and create an ecosystem of trust and flourishing in your school community.
It’s essentially everything I cover in my executive coaching sessions in a DIY guide for ONLY $40 bucks!!
Whether you’re feeling inspired and want to sustain your momentum—or exhausted and in need of renewal—this field guide is your companion for leading with courage, clarity, and care.
