Stop Being the Hero. Start Being the Leader.

OFF CAMPUS

📚 Story Time! Did you know I started writing my first leadership fable? In this story, we meet Jordan. She has tons of potential as a principal, but like many of her Play-It-Safe peers, she feels pulled in a million directions and not making much progress across her projects. She wonders how much longer she can even do this. Maybe you can relate?

Read the first chapter here. The entire book will be released on our Substack first — a chapter on Saturday and Sunday. So you can be First in Line and read the book before the bookshelf. Plus, if you subscribe to Ruckus Makers before June 30th, you’ll get 3 months free here.

🎧 Double Feature Alert: This week's RUCKUScast brought you two game-changers. Jimmy Casas dropped by to talk culture (shocking, I know 😉), and Nathan Eklund taught us about punching sharks. Before PETA mobilizes, relax — Nathan was talking about how Ruckus Makers tackle the conversations everyone else avoids. Plus, his teacher retention strategies? Pure gold.

📚 Plot Twist: I'm writing my first leadership fable! Meet Jordan—a principal with massive potential who's drowning in the same million directions that probably sound familiar to you. She's wondering how much longer she can keep this up. Sound like anyone you know?

The first four chapters are available. Here’s the first one. Ruckus Maker Media subscribers get the entire book chapter by chapter (Saturdays and Sundays) before it hits the shelves. Subscribe before June 30th and snag 3 months free.

🔥 The Meltdown Heard 'Round Reddit: One teacher just posted what thousands are thinking but afraid to say — education is "shuffling into the abyss" while everyone pretends it's fine.

Their brutal take on mass teacher exodus, unqualified replacements, and unprepared students hits different when you realize they've completely given up hope the system can save itself.

Fair warning: this isn't your typical teacher complaint—it's raw, unfiltered truth from someone betting on AI to either fix everything or burn it all down.

🤖 Your Guidance Counselor Just Got an Upgrade: While overworked college counselors barely have time to learn students' names, AI tools are stepping in to actually get to know their interests, dreams, and academic goals. These specialized programs are now matching students with perfect-fit schools, majors, and scholarships that human counselors simply don't have bandwidth to discover.

DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT

Stop Saying Yes to Bullsh*t

The best principals aren't working harder. They're just doing fewer dumb things.

When I was a new principal, I thought leadership meant being liked.

So I became a "yes machine."

• "Yes, I'll stay late."

• "Yes, I'll fix it."

• "Yes, I'll jump into that meeting — again."

I thought it made me look like a team player. It didn't. It made me look like a doormat with a walkie-talkie.

Here's what I've learned since:

Saying yes to everything is not leadership. It's how leaders slowly disappear.

Ruckus Makers know better. They protect their focus like it's sacred … because it is.

So if you're feeling burned out, buried, or bulldozed by your calendar ...

Here are 8 things you can stop saying yes to starting now:

1. "Got a Minute?" (Translation: Got an Hour?)

Unscheduled calls are ambushes.

"Got a minute?" usually means "Got an hour to solve my crisis while I think out loud?"

Here's the truth: If someone doesn't value your time enough to schedule it, it's not urgent — it's lazy. If it's truly a crisis, they'll find you.

New response: "I've got 15 minutes at 2 PM. Will that work?"

Stop mistaking availability for leadership. Start valuing your priorities like a pro.

2. Your Inbox Isn't Your Job Description

Email is not your boss.

Check email first thing and you've already surrendered your day to other people's priorities.

Your inbox becomes your to-do list. Random requests decide what matters.

Better approach: Design your first hour. THEN check your inbox. Set specific email times: 10 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM. That's it.

Otherwise, you're a principal powered by spam filters and FYIs.

3. The Meeting That Should've Been an Email

Meeting? Or misery with a calendar invite?

The three questions I ask before accepting any meeting:

• Is there an agenda?

• Is there a clear outcome?

• Is there an end time?

If the answer to any of those is "no," my answer is "no."

Try this instead: "I'd love to help. Can you send me the agenda and expected outcome? I want to make sure I can contribute meaningfully."

Bonus question: "Could this be solved with a 5-minute conversation instead?"

4. The 20-Minute "Quick Check-In"

"How's it going?" = The productivity black hole.

When someone asks this in your doorway, it's rarely about you. It's a foot in the door to dump their entire week on your desk.

Try this instead: "What's up?" Then listen. Respond. Move on.

Better yet: "I've got 5 minutes right now, or we can schedule 15 minutes later today. What works?"

Not because you don't care — but because you do... about everyone's time, including yours.

5. The Inbox Zero Performance

Inbox zero is a trap.

It sounds productive. But it's digital theater.

It's the equivalent of alphabetizing your bookshelf before writing your book.

Better approach: Use the 2-minute rule. If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now. If it takes longer, schedule it or delegate it. Batch similar tasks together.

Stop performing productivity. Start being productive.

6. The Squeaky Wheel Monopoly

Squeaky wheels don't always deserve oil.

You know the ones:

• Parents who email 17 times about lunch menus

• Teachers who schedule daily drama sessions

• Board members who "just want to chat" for 90 minutes

You're not required to indulge every complaint, especially when they distract from your mission.

Try this instead: "I hear this is important to you. Let's schedule 15 minutes this week to address it properly." Then redirect: "In the meantime, here's what you can do..."

Make peace with being misunderstood by the loudest person in the room.

7. The "More Hours" Myth

Overwhelm isn't a cue to work more. It's a cue to work differently.

When your plate is full, don't get a bigger plate. Remove the stuff that doesn't matter.

Pick one needle-moving priority each day. Let the rest fall where it may.

Better approach: Use the "Rule of 3." Each day, identify 3 things that MUST happen. Everything else is bonus. When you feel overwhelmed, ask: "What can I stop doing?"

Your job isn't to juggle everything. It's to keep the right things in the air.

8. The Hero Complex

Your job can't fill what your life is missing.

This one stings.

Leadership won't complete you. Another award won't fix your marriage. Another recognition won't tuck your kids in at night.

Schedule joy. Protect rest. Be a whole human — not a heroic martyr.

Try this instead: Block "non-negotiable" time in your calendar for what matters most. Family dinner. Your workout. Reading time. Treat these like board meetings — they don't get moved.

Because burned-out leaders don't build legendary schools.

The Real Talk Moment

Every "yes" is a tiny vote for what your life becomes.

Your calendar is a confession of your priorities. And right now, it might be confessing that you value everyone else's agenda more than your own.

So here's your Ruckus Maker challenge:

Say no — once today — to something that doesn't align with your real priorities.

Then use that reclaimed time to lead boldly, rest deeply, or just eat lunch without replying to email between bites.

Leadership isn't about being busy.

It's about being brave.

And sometimes, brave starts with "No."

ALBA