Week 4: Leading Across Differences

Leadership in schools is not limited to those with formal authority. Participants will explore how influence, initiative, and accountability build credibility from any seat at the table. They will examine the difference between managing tasks and modeling leadership, and how small daily actions can earn deep trust across teams and departments. Enrollment leaders work across a wide range of personalities and leadership styles — analytical colleagues, relationship-driven teammates, senior administrators, and families. Those differences often surface in moments of tension, feedback, and decision-making. This session helps leaders understand their own communication patterns and stress responses while learning how to recognize and adapt to others’ styles in ways that build trust and forward momentum.
With that foundation, participants focus on communicating clearly and directly in conversations that are often delayed or avoided. Leaders will learn how to address issues earlier, balance care with honesty, and name concerns without creating defensiveness or damaging relationships. Rather than smoothing things over or pushing harder, leaders practice approaches that reduce angst, increase accountability, and keep work moving. These skills are essential not only within enrollment teams, but also in cross-functional collaboration and high-stakes conversations with families. 

You will leave with: practical strategies for adapting your communication across styles, reducing avoidance, and giving clear, constructive feedback that strengthens trust and productivity.

Grounded in research from: Everything DiSC® (Wiley & Sons); Kim Scott’s Radical Candor; Sir John Whitmore’s Coaching for Performance; Nancy Kline’s Time to Think; and the Center for Creative Leadership’s Situation–Behavior–Impact Model