Building a Culture of Collaboration Podcast
We all understand the positive impact and drive that comes from being part of an effective team. When teams are less than effective, lack of productivity, frustration, and disengagement take over. Intentional and purposeful focus on building a culture of collaboration is the secret for leaders striving to make a difference. In Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis and Lorna Hewson will share simple tips, ideas, and strategies to take your organization's collaborative efforts to the next level.
| Leading With Hope: Building a System of Self Efficacy with Dr. Brandi Kelly - Ep 30 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Dr. Brandi Kelly, a dynamic leader in education with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Kelly’s journey has taken her from school social work to school leadership, serving as both a principal and now as Superintendent at Mt. Olive CUSD #5 in Illinois. The episode explores the HOPE framework Dr. Kelly has developed, as well as previews her new upcoming book Leading with Hope. |
| Dos and Don’ts When Strengthening Team Dynamics with Lucas Clarke - Ep 29 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Lucas Clarke, a passionate educator with the Anglophone South School District who is also the host of the Mr. Clarke After Dark Podcast, where he shares his insights and experiences in education. We discuss how academic support and cross-disciplinary collaboration can strengthen team dynamics and student success. |
| Importance of Vulnerability When Building a Culture of Collaboration - Ep 28 Kurtis and Lorna discuss the importance of establishing a culture of collaboration that values and encourages vulnerability. |
| Building Thriving Collaborative Cultures for Rural Education Success with Kevin Van Langen - Ep 27 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by the Prairie Principal Kevin Van Lagen, principal of Altario School. The episode explores Kevin’s unique perspective on how schools can serve as hubs for collaboration and innovation in rural communities, as well as his leadership experiences and the strategies he’s used to strengthen collaborative efforts in schools and communities. |
| The Value of Piloting Ideas - Ep 26 Lorna and Kurtis explore the idea of piloting rather than full scale change in this episode of the Building a Culture of Collaboration podcast. Piloting provides the opportunity to work through ideas with a small group and to adjust and refine before rolling it out to the greater population. |
| The Connection Between Self-Care and Sustaining Cultures of Collaboration with Barb Flowers - Ep 25 Explore the link between self-care, resilience, and collaborative school cultures in Episode 25 of Building a Culture of Collaboration with educator and coach Barb Flowers. |
| Leveraging High Impact Collaboration Structures and Processes with David K Richards - Ep 24 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by David K Richards, Founder & CEO of Changemaker Microschools. They discuss why structures and processes are so critical when setting up high impact collaborative efforts and why we should be considering what works when setting up collaborative endeavours for students when planning for collaboration involving adults! |
| Are you a Firefighter or a Leader? Reflecting on Leading a Team with Darrin Peppard - Ep 23 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Dr. Darrin Peppard, President of Road to Awesome. Darrin is a leadership speaker, coach, host of the Leaning into Leadership podcast and a best selling author, including Road to Awesome: The Journey of a Leader. In this episode, Darrin shares his thoughts on leadership, team development and how to ensure you are supporting your team as a someone looking to lead, rather than running to put out fires. |
| Why a Lead Team Matters for Leading Change - Ep 22 Kurtis and Lorna explore the significant impact that a lead team can have at the school level, emphasizing how implementation can greatly influence potential growth. |
| Engaging External Team Members to Support Diverse Needs of Students with Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan - Ep 21 Lorna and Kurtis engage in conversation with Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, the founder and owner/operator of Dr. Karen, LLC, and host of the DeFacto Leaders podcast. We dig into what Dr. Karen believes are the necessary ingredients for schools when building high impact collaborative cultures that engage various service providers to support the diverse needs of students. |
| The Three Fundamental Elements for High Performing Teams with David Burkus - Ep 20 Kurtis is joined by David Burkus, a former business school professor turned full-time writer and speaker. Kurtis and David talk about his book Best Team Ever and learn more about the three fundamental elements all high-performing team cultures share. |
| Why the Principal Matters When It Comes to Building High Impact Teams with William D Parker - Ep 19 Kurtis has the opportunity to connect with Will Parker, founder and CEO of Principal Matters, LLC. and host of the podcast Principal Matters. Will and Kurtis discuss the often dual nature we need to consider when it comes to leading and why trying to “fly solo” is a recipe for burnout, a lesson learned that almost ended Will’s educational career! |
| Building a Collaborative Culture for Literacy Success with Mark Onuscheck and Jeanne Spiller - Ep 18 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Jeanne Spiller and Mark Onuscheck, two educational leaders, authors and consultants and co-editors of a number of PLC at Work titles. They discuss how to build a highly intentional and focused culture of collaboration, with a direct emphasis on how that culture can have a significant impact on literacy success for learners! |
| Connecting With Your Elements When Leading Collaborative Cultures with Tyler Comeau - Ep 17 Kurtis connects with Tyler Comeau, an Alberta school principal who also shares and extends learning relating to our core elements as the Elemental Educator. Tyler and Kurtis discuss how to establish and sustain a culture of collaboration that is aligned with your individual and organizational elements of earth, water, wind and fire. |
| How to Become a Leader That Empowers the Team with Chris Smeaton - Ep 16 Kurtis is joined by former Superintendent Chris Smeaton. Chris shares numerous ideas for leaders at all levels in relation to building highly effective teams and tapping into the collaborative capacity of the organization. |
| Creating Organizations That Attract and Retain with Danny Bauer - Ep 15 Kurtis has the opportunity to connect with Chief Ruckus Maker Danny Bauer, a best selling author and host of the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast and the School Leadership Series podcast. Danny shares why we need ruckus makers in our organizations, the importance of knowing our team’s hopes, dreams and aspirations and why the law of reciprocity is so critical for building a culture of collaboration. |
| Understanding the Impact of the Implementation Dip When Leading Organizational Change - Ep 14 Lorna and Kurtis reflect on the phenomenon of the implementation dip. They break down what it is, its impact on team endeavours and most importantly, how to navigate implementation dips when leading a culture of collaboration. |
| Leading with Intentionality and Human Interconnectedness with Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson - Ep 13 Kurtis is joined by Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson, two leaders dedicated to supporting other educational leaders through their individual efforts, as well as their latest joint endeavor, establishing the Instructional Leadership Collective. In this episode, we explore the work Peter and Michael do through the Instructional Leadership Collective, how we can build and sustain cultures of collaboration in our organizations and the impact of human interconnectedness. |
| Perspective Is Key: Lead Your Team From The Balcony with Darrin Peppard - Ep12 Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Darrin Peppard, President of Road to Awesome. Darrin is a leadership speaker, coach, host of the Leaning into Leadership podcast and a best selling author, including Road to Awesome: The Journey of a Leader. In this episode, Darrin shares his thoughts on leadership, team development and what it means to “lead from the balcony”. |
| How Does Collaboration Positively Impact Your Organization's Well Being - Ep 11 Kurtis and Lorna uncover why enhancing well-being should be an aspiration when building a culture of collaboration, how collaboration can positively impact well-being and some considerations that should become foundational when engaging in collaborative teams. |
| How to Bring in Every Voice in Your Team Meetings - Ep 10 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson discuss why equal opportunity for engagement matters for the overall effectiveness of teams, as well as share numerous strategies to ensure all voices are heard when teams come together. When all voices are heard amongst the team, greater levels of psychological safety are achieved, leading to higher degrees of collective efficacy and overall team success. |
| Building Accountability Across Teams for Organizational Success - Ep 9 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson discuss why we need to create systems of mutual accountability for teams across organizations as well as potential strategies to have teams sharing and working together on a regular basis to achieve optimal success for organizational priorities! |
| Collaboration - It’s Really All About Me with Grayson James - Ep 8 We interview Grayson James. Grayson has been coaching executives, boards and senior management teams improve their collaborative business performance for over 30 years. He also facilitates organizational change initiatives and provides collaborative leadership education internationally through his consulting firm, Full Contact Institute (formerly Grayson James Consultants). |
| Clarity, Focus and Predictability: Why the Design of your Team Meeting Agenda Matters! - Ep 7 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson dive into why an intentionally designed agenda and notes document for your team meetings is critical. They share ten considerations for your agenda and notes document, as well as two shifts that can have a tremendous impact on strategic planning efforts and the growth of your team’s collaborative efforts. |
| Don’t Skip Celebrations: Why Celebrations are Powerful When Meeting in Teams - Ep 6 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson discuss the power of celebrations as an integral part of each and every team meeting. They discuss why celebrations are about more than just starting a meeting on a positive note, how intentional focus on what we’ve done that has led to a celebration matters and what are some considerations to take the discussion of celebrations to the next level! |
| Stop Chairing Your Team Meetings - Focus on Facilitation - Ep 5 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson debunk the idea of chairing team meetings, focusing on an essential mind shift towards facilitating that has a tremendous impact on collaborative cultures. They will make explicit connections to the importance of psychological safety for teams, share 5 considerations for leaders and end the episode with some thoughts regarding how to distribute the facilitation role to other team members over time. |
| The Power of Team Norms: Establishing and Reinforcing Norms for Team Success - Ep 4 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson share why norms are critical to establish for any team engaging in collaborative work but that just establishing norms is not enough. They need to be visible, practiced and reflected on regularly. Learn several strategies to establish and reinforce norms that have substantial impact on your collaborative culture. |
| 8 Simple Yet Powerful Ideas to Impact Team Meeting Rooms - Ep 3 Kurtis and Lorna Hewson share the importance of intentional design when it comes to configuring a physical space for team collaboration. They discuss why the physical space matters, 8 considerations for teams and leaders, and a bonus discussion regarding considerations when a permanent space is not a possibility. |
| Hey Meeting Facilitators - Stop Doing Everything! Effective Use of Roles in Meetings - Ep 2 Kurtis Hewson shares the value of meeting roles, the three roles that every team meeting needs and how roles can help to alleviate some of the most common pitfalls we experience when teams come together. |
| Start Your Meeting... By Walking Away! Exploring a Walk and Talk Strategy - Ep 1 When building a culture of collaboration, engagement and connection are key. A Walk and Talk strategy not only promotes organizational wellness, but can also provide opportunity for connection and deeper conversation. |
