Category Archives: culture

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Invest in Your Team

The Leadership Investment That Pays the Greatest Dividends

Leaders invest in many things. They invest in their personal growth, new initiatives, cutting-edge technology, and strategies to stay ahead. But too often, they overlook the most important investment of all—their team.

A team is the engine that drives any organization forward. Without a strong, empowered, and well-equipped team, even the best plans will fall short. Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room or having all the answers. It’s about developing and supporting the people around you so they can achieve their highest potential.

Understanding Your Team’s Needs

The first step in investing in your team is understanding what they truly need. Too often, leaders assume they know what’s best without taking the time to listen. Your team’s needs aren’t just about tools or policies—they’re about growth, learning, and feeling valued.

Ask yourself and ask your team: 

• Does my team have access to the training and development they need to improve?

• Are they engaged and inspired, or just showing up?

• What barriers are holding them back from performing at their best?

• How can I help them grow as professionals and individuals?

• What support do they feel they need.

Pat Adkins, superintendent at Port Clinton City Schools does a great job with these questions. He offers 3-4 “Leadership Academies” for his team to learn and grow after having his team complete an interest survey. He also, regularly provides the district with speakers and events that is second-to-none. What a great example of investing in your team!

Ways to Invest in Your Team

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to team investment, but there are many ways to provide meaningful support and development:

Joe Miller, Founder of PC SEL Symposium

1. Provide Professional Development Opportunities

Encourage growth by offering training, conferences, and mentorship programs. Invest in their skills so they can become better at what they do. A book study, online course, or even bringing in a guest speaker can spark new ideas and motivation. My colleague, Chelsea Moyer and I offer all day inservices, after school trainings, personalized small group or 1:1 trainings, as well as a rich on-demand video archive. 

We are proud of our collaborative leadership philosophy. Our best ideas come from our teachers and we are eager to support their passion. Last Friday, Joe Miller, Port Clinton High School Teacher and founder of our Port Clinton SEL Symposium led an amazing SEL opportunity that is expanding and evolving each year. It was one of the most memorable days of the year. Joe crushed it and changed lives. What a day! Great speakers! Great learning! Thank you, Joe Miller. Find out more here.

2. Make Learning a Priority

Create a culture where continuous learning is part of the job. Whether it’s a dedicated time for collaboration, access to industry insights, or leadership training, ensure learning is embedded in your team’s routine. Port Clinton City Schools has “Relentless Pursuit of Growth” built right into its core beliefs, and we live it. It’s not always easy, but it is always worthwhile. Some schools host book studies. Micro learning is also awesome. Just start! 

3. Open Conversations & Remove Barriers

Sometimes, the best investment is simply making space for real conversations. Ask for honest feedback, address concerns, and foster an environment where your team feels heard and valued. When we ask and listen to those on the frontlines of our organization and provide support and let them lead… amazing things happen. 

4. Equip Them with the Right Resources

It’s not enough for a team to function—they need the right tools to thrive. Whether it’s technology, additional staffing, or time to focus on growth, make sure they have what they need to succeed. It’s not expensive… it’s priceless. Our treasurer, Jeff Dornbusch works hard to be an excellent steward of our funds and provide teachers and leaders what they need. It is amazing. 

5. Celebrate & Recognize Growth

Investing in your team isn’t just about skills—it’s about confidence, morale, and engagement. Acknowledge their progress, celebrate wins, and remind them their work makes a difference.

This is without a doubt my favorite part of my job; I love to celebrate and promote our amazing staff and all that we accomplish. I truly believe we become what we celebrate! We become what we talk about!

When you invest in your team, you’re not just improving performance—you’re creating a culture of excellence. And when your team grows, their impact expands beyond your organization, reaching the lives of those they serve. A leader’s success isn’t measured by personal achievements but by the success of those they lead.

Our building leadership: Gary Steyer, Adam Hicks, Denny Antonelli, Jen Dackermann, Morgan Siefke, Amanda Mooney, and Kendra VanDoren are excellent examples of leaders investing in their teams. I love their creative ideas and willingness to listen to others and support them.

Make investing in your team a priority, and watch the difference it makes.

I am honored and flattered to have been part of the investment in districts’ teams as an opening day speaker or part of other training. It is something I do not take lightly and work hard to excel at and deliver results & the feel-goods. Thank you to the many districts and conferences that have invited me to be a part of their investment.

Always forward,

Kelly

I would like to speak at your event!

Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here.

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Silicone Bracelets are My Tattoos

Advertising to Myself the Mindset I Need

My dad served in the Navy during the Korean War, and he had one tattoo. It was on his left upper arm, tattooed in green, depicting his beloved horse, Bud Will.

Bud Will was Dad’s racing horse, a cherished companion. Bud had passed away before I was born.

When I was little, Dad would sometimes call out to me, “You want to ride a racehorse?”

“Yes, of course!” I’d respond with a gigantic grin.

Dad would then roll up the sleeve of his white t-shirt to reveal Bud Will. He’d place me on his knee and perform a pretty good imitation of a bugle before a race. If you know, you know. “And they’re off…” Dad would say, bouncing his knee, announcing the advancing positions of each horse, who was on the inside lane, every turn, with me almost falling off in excitement.

Bud Will always won. Every time.

After the race, Dad would put me back on the floor, look me in the eye with forearms as thick as tree trunks, and say, “You better never get a tattoo.”

And I didn’t. And I won’t.

Those memories are precious.

Tattoos are cool. I see guys with with sleeves of intricate designs and they evoke sincere admiration from me; however, I’ve come to the realization that tattoos just aren’t for me, and I promised my dad.

Jewelry, too, doesn’t find its place in my wardrobe. Instead, I opt for silicone bracelets – a guilty pleasure of mine.

Silicone bracelets… you know, the ones with motivational messages on them. 

I’ve been sporting them for as long as I can remember. My very first was the yellow “Live Strong” bracelet endorsed by Lance Armstrong before his fall from grace. It’s curious how swiftly people abandoned wearing his bracelets that aimed at supporting cancer research. I guess we showed him. Really?! I still think the bracelets and Lance were cool. Live Strong. Yes, I will. Good message. Great cause. A lesson in hubris.

The other day, I found myself donning four silicone bracelets simultaneously – a personal record I’m inclined not to repeat as it felt like a wee bit of an excessive display.

The inscriptions on the bracelets read:

  • “Don’t tell them, show them.”
  • “Nothing is Impossible.”
  • “Listen. Learn. Connect.”
  • “E+R=O”

Indeed, quite a collection, like a sleeve of tattoos concealed beneath my shirt, barely noticeable to others.

Though mostly inconspicuous, these bracelets serve as reminder to myself. They embody principles and values I strive to uphold, rather than serving as a means to proclaim my uniqueness or to convert cynics into motivational gurus.

Once, a friend glanced at my bracelets and remarked, “I’m not into that.”

Curiously, I wondered, “Into what?” Did he mistake my bracelets for symbols of membership in a cult? These silicone bracelets are my tattoos.

Perhaps he presumed they were intended for him. It reminded me of Carly Simon’s song “You’re So Vain,” where the lyrics go, “I’ll bet you think this song is about you.” These bracelets are for me.

I don’t have much fashion sense, and I try not to wear brands of companies with bold logos. However, when it comes to messages that are uplifting or push me, well… I embrace them because I’m into positivity. I’m into advertising positivity to myself.

We need to watch what we say to ourselves. Whether we want to admit it or not, we talk to ourselves more than anyone else talks to us. (Hopefully mostly inside our head, but outside is okay sometimes. Sometimes.) We need to be kind to ourselves and choose our words carefully. We shouldn’t even joke about calling ourselves dumb or worthless because every single advertisement adds up and makes an impact. We choose our thoughts about ourselves and we choose our words. It matters. That’s why I wear silicone tattoos. I am advertising to myself. I advertise to myself about the person I want to become. These bracelets reinforce the mindset I need. 

Silicone bracelets are my tattoos.

Bud won every time, and so will I.

Always forward,

Kelly

 

I would like to speak at your event!

Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here.

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Opening Day Speaker for Educational Service Center

Honored and Privileged to Kickoff the School Year with Educational Leaders in Ohio

I was the keynote speaker to kickoff the 2023-2024 School Year for The North Central Ohio Educational Service Center Administrative Retreat 2023. Wow! What a fantastic group of leaders and phenomenal organization!

It was an honor to speak at The North Central Ohio Educational Service Center Administrative Retreat 2023 in Tiffin, Ohio this August to kickoff the school year with these amazing educational leaders. As an educator I always felt the praise from students and families for my work in the classroom; I am not certain that is quite the same for administrators. They work long hours and the messages they receive are too often urgent and not always as positive. Still, without a doubt, educational leaders such as principals, assistant principals, superintendents and all of the various Director roles are 100% needed and positively impact the lives of everyone in the district. If they are doing their job well, they aren’t getting the spotlight and their positions are probably misunderstood because they are intentionally directing the recognition to teachers and others. In many ways our educational leadership teams are the unsung heroes.

It is for those reasons and many more, that it is such an honor to be a keynote speaker to them. To give them the praise, recognition and acknowledgment they really do need, but do not seek. In my presentation, I try to get them to laugh and have some lighthearted look at the zaniness but importance of their work, and to keep them aligned to their true calling: to make a difference in the lives of children. Educational leaders clear roadblock for teachers, so teaches can do their best work. They create learning environments so everyone can do their best work.

It was a privilege to speak to these leaders to kickoff their year, acknowledge their work, inspire and help set the stage for their best year yet.

Educational Service Center kickoffs  are particularly inspiring because of the opportunity for people across the area to meet, share, inspire and network solutions to our greatest challenges. Sometimes they don’t get to see each other in person very often.

This conference was memorable because I got to see some familiar faces I have not seen in a long time. Wow, does time fly. So many amazing leaders. I even had lunch with a team from Richwood Schools.

Everyone at this Administrative Retreat was able to choose one of my two books to take home with them for free. I signed a lot of copies of Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed. That was really fun. I also got to meet BASA’s spokesman on legislative updates.

I also learned a great deal from breakout sessions on a variety of initiatives schools across the region are implementing. It is great to hear about the most innovative implementations from schools in Ohio. I am leaving very inspired and with lots of ideas to share with my colleagues.

Even though I missed my district’s own North Point Educational Service Center Administrative Retreat this year, it was fun to represent my district and my region and keynote this event. Both NPESC and NCOESC do incredible work. We need our ESCs. They are important.

I am blessed and thankful for opportunities to learn and to speak and share! I am always hopeful for more.

Prioritize this takeaway: I believe there is no moat between teachers and administrators and that we are all on one team. Every interaction widens or narrows that moat. (You know, like moats around a castle.) No more moats! We need everyone! Our educational teams need to expand and grow. We need to talk more about how we all work together for the common goal to impact lives. Respect each other’s role. Take time to care, listen and connect. I love education. I was so impressed with all I met and their passion for education.

Always forward,

Kelly

I am a professional speaker, and I would like to speak at your event.

Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here.

 

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Along Came a Leader: My Zoom Visit with Fairview Park City School District’s Book Club

Last week I had the honor of being invited by the Fairview Park City Schools book club to discuss my book, Along Came a Leader: A Personal and Professional Guide to Leadership. I was thrilled to connect with fellow educators who share my passion for leadership and education. Our virtual discussion on the Zoom platform was a rewarding experience, and I was grateful for the chance to share my insights and learn from others.

During our conversation, we delved into the challenges educators face and how leadership can help overcome these obstacles while inspiring students. I drew from my experiences in coaching, teaching, and writing to offer practical strategies and techniques for fostering positive and productive cultures and promote the six tenets of leadership from my book.

As a speaker and educator, I am passionate about inspiring others to become better leaders. I firmly believe that everyone has the potential to be a great leader, and my goal is to empower individuals and organizations to achieve their full potential. By sharing my insights, I hope to help others unlock their leadership potential and create a lasting impact on their communities.

The book club, comprised of educators, administrators and staff members asked some incredible questions. One teacher asked me what my biggest struggle with leadership was. My answer was  ‘accountability’ and I explained my challenges of holding myself personally accountable and helping to maintain accountability within an organization without coming across as a jerk. Everyone seemed to appreciate my candor and sense of humor. I was also asked about how I addressed loyalty in the book. One teacher really appreciate that I highlighted the difference and importance of placing loyalty in virtues about people. People change. We have a duty to be loyal to virtues. We can love people even when they make mistakes, but when those mistakes hurt others, our loyalty must always stay with the virtue. Now, loyalty in relationships is different and a mark of integrity. Don’t confuse personal and professional loyalties. They are not the same. They should not be intertwined. We need virtuous leaders of the highest level of integrity to have the courage to identify a wrong as wrong and work collaboratively to correct it, without allowing friendships to interfere.

I really enjoyed talking to the large group and it is always an honor when someone reads your book and wants to talk to you about how it impacted them. Wow! I am never taking that for granted. What a great afternoon! Click to Read More

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Speaker at the COSSBA Conference in Tampa!

Honored to Speak at The National Conference for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations, Tampa, Florida

It was an honor to speak at The National Conference for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations last weekend in Tampa, Florida.

National Conferences are particularly inspiring because of the opportunity for people across the nation to share, inspire and network solutions to our greatest challenges.

This conference was memorable because I co-presented with my superintendent, Pat Adkins. Our presentation highlighted the great work our district’s staff is doing at Port Clinton Schools. Pat led the presentation and absolutely inspired our audience with the amazing initiatives happening in our district. Our title was “Safe, Healthy and Learning! How Leaders Can Prioritize and Implement Solutions to Improve the Safety and Wellness of Students, Staff and Family as a Crucial Component of On-Going Learning.” Click to Read More

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3 Ways to Get Better Mileage Out of Your Attitude

Your attitude is important, a choice, and malleable.

Attitude is king.

There are thousands of areas in your life in which you could improve, but I firmly believe the most important area everyone must focus on first is their attitude. In fact, I believe that you could master all of the other qualities, yet maintain a bad attitude and you will fail as a leader and at life. Your attitude is that important!

Conversely, I believe, you could fail at all of the other qualities, yet keep a great attitude, and you will rise to levels of success.

Attitude is king.

You already possess an attitude. How is it working for you? Are you self aware? Are you able to take a step back and reflect on whether your attitude is helping you or hindering you?

Here are three ways to get more mileage out of your attitude just like a car: Click to Read More

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And Then It’s Our Turn

You Are Not Self-Made, Someone Opened a Door for You

Anything good that has happened in my life is because someone else helped me along the way.

I loved reading “I am Not a Self-Made Man” a foreward written by Arnold Schwartzenegger in Tim Ferriss’s book Tools for Titans, where Arnold credits every success in his life to the opportunities others have given him. He credits and names the mentors from his life. It’s wonderful. Too many people think they did it on their own. Nope. Someone was there.

Sure I worked hard, put in the time, figured some things out, and went the extra mile, but if others had not stepped forward to open doors, give me a chance, a look, an offer, extend an invitation, share me with others, well, I would not have gotten anywhere. None of us are self-made. As my favorite band U2 sings, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.”

The movie Rocky looks to be at first recollection a the story of a man rising from his underdog status, completely on his own, to eventually achieve greatness (a Cinderella story, but she had help too you know) but if we look closer, an opportunity had presented itself. It was the opportunity of another, the opening of a door that allowed Rocky’s talents to play out. Rocky needed the chance, despite how hard he trained, he needed access to become great. He needed the event. Someone opened the door. He walked through.

I was twenty-one years old when Dan Kalo, a middle school principal, gave me a chance to teach. Wow! Who does that? My current position was an opportunity others encouraged me to pursue. I was given another chance. Amazing!

I could tell you the name of the first person to invite me to speak at their event, bought my first painting, bought my first book and every awesome first experience I’ve had. I’ll bet you can too.  It humbles me still to think others are willing to do that for all of us.

And then it’s our turn.

Click to Read More
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Get Out of Here!

Every time we leave town our problems shrink because our perspective grows. 

I had the pleasure this past week to leave town and visit family.

While I enjoyed: hanging out with relatives, good food, and exchanging fun stories, another blessing crossed my mind; it is a wonderful gift to change your location, routine and perspective.

The nine hours in the car wasn’t easy, but my wife and I really got to spend some time with one another. Physical discomfort of sitting for so long aside, there is a genuine importance to switching up your routine and literally getting away from the perspective from which you see the world the majority of the time.

As hard as I try to bring variety and a fresh perspective to my work and my family life, I fall into a routine. I see the same things. I do the same things. I talk about the same things. Most significantly, I observed, my approach to life becomes a bit routine.

Just being on the road allowed me to count my blessings and change my perspective as we encountered people who were: homeless, in distress, in trouble, sour to the world, and challenged in many unique ways. Our family has our own challenges too, but what we saw was a reality of life that we are typically spared from during our work and school week routines. We don’t encounter these harsher realities, or when we do it’s on the news and a bit distant. (Don’t even get me started on how our social media consumption literally and figuratively filters the world into a false ‘magical place of beauty and perfection.’)

We all need a change in perspective a little more frequently.

My biggest takeaway: The problems I thought were problems are not really problems.

I had more fun than I deserved with some amazing family, but I am also thankful for the needed change in perspective our travels highlighted.

Routines begin to narrow our focus ever so gradually until we have a pretty fixed mindset.

Every time we leave town our problems shrink because our perspective grows.

I challenge organizations to encourage visits to conferences and other organizations, even ones outside of their line of work, and to bring outsiders with powerful stories and uniques perspective into your organization. We need to share ideas and takeaways. We must consistently work to expand our perspective.

~Kelly

If you like what you’ve read, please share-out with our friends on social media and tag me. Don’t forget the #LeadEveryDay hashtag. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for my newsletter here:

I’ve written two books, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness .

Send me an email.