How to Keep Your Best People: Two Critical Interview Strategies Every School Leader Should Use
By Dr. Tom Miller | Leaders Building Leaders
From 2020 to 2023, schools around the world were hit hard by what became known as The Great Resignation. Talented educators and staff left the profession in droves, and principals everywhere were left scrambling to fill the gaps—not just in staff, but in morale, trust, and momentum.
While some turnover is inevitable, what’s avoidable is being the cause of it.
As a school leader, I’ve been fortunate to lead teams where staff retention hasn’t been a major issue. But I also know that avoiding retention problems isn’t about luck—it’s about intentional leadership.
If you want to keep your best people and build a culture that attracts high performers, here are two strategies I use regularly—and recommend to every school and organizational leader I coach.
âś… Strategy #1: Stay Interviews
"If you don't prepare on the front end, you’ll spend even more time repairing on the back end."
A stay interview is a proactive, one-on-one conversation w...
Are You Heading in the Right Direction?
Ever see the movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy?
I love the scene where they are heading down the highway and everyone is beeping at them and yelling...you're going the wrong way...
It's more funny to see it (watch it here) 2 minutes
The sad part is...this just happened to me the other day.Â
I have a lot going on right now...my mind is cluttered with emotions and tasks at hand.Â
I was trying to get back to my school when suddenly I realized, I was going the wrong way. Not the wrong way on a road (like the classic scene). The opposite direction of my school.Â
This is probably why I constantly use my GPS on my phone. 
In order to get from one point to another I need to know:
1. Where I am.
2. Where I am going.
If I get off track, the GPS will adjust my route.Â
Wouldn't that be great to have as a school leader?
Do you ever wonder.....
How to build a GPS for your school leadership.Â
How to measure where you are and create a clear destinatio...
Every have a bad toothache?
Just because there are not strong applicants does not mean you allow negative behavior to exist in your school.Â
Here is an example.
Just recently I was on a coaching call with a leadership team when they began to describe the behavior of a staff member as being toxic to their culture. Just being mean, not following school expectations, making their teammates feel uncomfortable.Â
When I asked them why are they still working there they shared, “well, there are not too many good candidates right now.” Then they justified it with, “Their scores are really good and We won’t be recommending them for renewal.”
I asked if they had ever had a toothache, a bad cavity or infection?Â
“Oh yes,” they replied.Â
“And when you went to the dentist did they say, well, it still chews just fine, let’s give it another six months and see how it’s doing then.” Or did he say, "This needs to be repaired immediately or the infection will spread, you may lose the tooth and need a root canal.”
You may not...
You Cannot Be a Selfish Leader (Feedback)
Don’t BE SELFISH as a leader….
Lead your team through this easy accountability strategy and raise their performance and build a more cohesive team.
