Aspire Mailbag: EQ Over Ego & Navigating School Politics
Aspiring leaders asked: How do you lead with emotional intelligence (EQ) instead of ego, and navigate school politics without getting burned? In this bonus Aspire Mailbag with Jeff Gargas (COO, Teach Better), Joshua Stamper dives into self-awareness, empathy, humility, and building feedback loops to ditch ego-driven decisions for people-first leadership. They also tackle the politics…
368. Every Child Deserves a Team: Featuring Kurtis Hewson
How can schools ensure every student benefits from collective expertise without overwhelming teachers with endless meetings? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with Kurtis Hewson, co author of Collaborative Response and co founder of Jigsaw Learning, about a school wide model that replaces fragmented teams with purposeful, layered collaborative structures centered…
365. Establishing Your Leadership Identity and Experience: Featuring Brad Hughes
What if the strongest leaders in your school are already in classrooms, waiting for permission to step up? In this week’s episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper reconnects with longtime friend and former Teach Better teammate Brad Hughes, elementary principal in Ontario, Canada, to explore how aspiring leaders can build confidence, prepare for interviews,…
Aspire Mailbag: Communication, Culture, and Conflict in School Leadership
How do you lead staff who seem stuck in their ways, resist new ideas, and quietly shut out new colleagues? In this New Year episode of the Aspire Mailbag, Joshua Stamper and longtime co-host Jeff Gargas dig into anonymous listener questions from the Aspire Voxer community about culture, communication, and accountability. Josh and Jeff unpack…
