Building Trusting Teams: An Administrator’s Guide to Creating a Courageous Culture

This workshop empowers school administrators to intentionally cultivate trust and resilience within their teams. By exploring the foundations of trust, values-driven leadership, and emotional safety, participants examine how to create spaces where authentic collaboration and courageous conversations can flourish. Through interactive activities and reflection, leaders learn how to define core values, navigate difficult dialogue with empathy, and strengthen a culture of belonging and connection. Grounded in research, the session promotes leadership that aligns beliefs, behaviors, and mission-driven action.

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• Low trust within teams leading to poor morale, reduced productivity, and high turnover
  
  
• Lack of shared purpose and misalignment on team values
  
  
• Difficulty navigating conflict and engaging in authentic conversations

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1. Fostering Values-Driven Leadership and Team Alignment
   Participants will identify personal and team core values and learn how to lead with intentionality. They will create mission statements that reflect their "why" and use these values as a guide for decision-making and team interaction.
   
   
2. Building Trust Through Communication and Connection
   Administrators will explore the impact of low-trust environments and discover specific strategies for cultivating trust—such as active listening, shared leadership, and consistent, small positive actions ("marbles in the jar"). This includes understanding the emotional components of trust, like vulnerability, empathy, and curiosity.
   
   
3. Creating a Culture of Belonging and Courageous Conversations
   Through frameworks like "Brave Conversations," participants will learn how to engage in difficult dialogue with compassion. They’ll practice strategies for showing up authentically, supporting diverse perspectives, and sustaining a culture where all staff feel safe, valued, and empowered to contribute