.png)
Empowered Educator: Leadership in Motion | Educational Leadership, Principal Leadership, Teachers as Leaders
Are you a passionate educator stepping into leadership—or thinking about making that leap?</p>
<p>Maybe you just accepted your first admin role and feel the weight of leading well.</p>
<p>Or you’re a classroom teacher who feels the calling to lead with purpose and impact.</p>
<p><strong>The Empowered Educator Show</strong> is your space to grow as a leader without losing who you are.</p>
<p>I’m Dr. Mel—former administrator turned leadership and instructional coach, educational consultant, and now your guide to navigating the real work of school leadership. With over 25 years in education, I help new and aspiring leaders shift their mindset, strengthen their strategies, and build Confident Classrooms—where teachers feel supported, students are engaged, and learning thrives.</p>
<p>Each episode I bring you real talk, practical tools, and heart-centered leadership support designed to help you:</p>
<p>Create a school culture rooted in confidence, clarity, and trust</p>
<p>Develop teachers who feel empowered, not overwhelmed</p>
<p>Lead with boldness, even when the road gets bumpy</p>
<p>It’s about becoming the kind of leader who creates ripple effects across classrooms, campuses, and communities.</p>
<p>Let’s power up your purpose and put your leadership in motion.</p>
Empowered Educator: Leadership in Motion | Educational Leadership, Principal Leadership, Teachers as Leaders
Why Great Leaders Embrace Conflict: Building Stronger School Leadership Teams #193
Conflict doesn’t have to divide your leadership team — in fact, when handled well, it can be the very thing that strengthens your culture, deepens trust, and drives innovation. In this episode, Dr. Mel unpacks why healthy conflict is essential for leadership teams and how you can start embracing it instead of avoiding it.
Whether it’s pushing back respectfully, hearing out different perspectives, or separating the person from the problem, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to shift conflict from something uncomfortable to something your team values.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why silence is more dangerous than conflict in leadership teams.
- How diverse perspectives sharpen strategy and prevent blind spots.
- Why pushback, when done with respect, builds trust instead of tearing it down.
- Simple ways to separate the person from the problem so debate stays productive.
- The long-term payoff of healthy conflict: stronger decisions, deeper trust, and greater innovation.
Action Step:
At your next leadership team meeting, assign one person to be the “challenger.” Their role is to respectfully question assumptions and highlight potential risks. Rotate this role at each meeting so every leader practices both advocacy and pushback.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
- Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
- Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen, Thanks for the Feedback
- Harvard Business Review (2017), How to Preempt Team Conflict
- Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level
Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!
Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.
Calling All Educators!
I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.
- I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
- I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.
Join here: Empowered Educator Community
Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success
Grab a complimentary POWER Session
With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.
email: melinda@empowere...
