Building a Culture of Collaboration | Podcast Guru

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Are you an educational leader or administrator searching for actionable strategies to build effective teams? In the Building a Culture of Collaboration podcast, Jigsaw Learning co-founders Kurtis and Lorna Hewson provide simple, purposeful tips to help you tackle meeting frustration, disengagement, and unproductive teamwork. This is your essential resource for advancing school improvement and collective efficacy. You will find practical ideas for mastering effective meetings, where you learn the structures, roles, and agendas required to ensure your team meetings (PLCs, staff, student support) are focused and drive action. You'll discover how to shift your organization's mindset from isolated practice to powerful, shared responsibility for ALL students—this is key to teamwork and collaboration. Finally, you'll gain the leadership strategies needed to intentionally build a robust and sustainable culture that maximizes collective capacity and student success. We also talk with thought leaders outside of education, to grow our understanding of effective collaboration and teamwork. Subscribe today to master the art of intentional collaboration and take your leadership to the next level!

Recent Episodes

Want Change to Last? Start With the Right People - Ep 117

Move From Planning to Action 📥 Grab Your Free Copy https://bit.ly/102reads Are you tired of pushing initiatives that fade the moment you step away? Learn the difference between simple "buy-in" and achieving "critical mass"—the sufficient number of people who make adoption self-sustaining and irreversible. In this conversation, Kurtis and Lorna leverage concepts like The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) to reveal why achieving just 10-30% adoption can be the key to lasting organizational change. Discover the vital role of superhubs (individuals with high relational capital) and how to strategically plant seeds among key influencers. Leaders will learn actionable steps to: - Rethink Influence: Focus energy on the right people to create a "snowball effect." - Build Lead Teams: Create internal learning groups that communicate purpose and drive momentum. - Practice Distributed Leadership: Ensure organizational health by not relying on the same voices for every change effort. #ChangeManagement #SchoolLeadership #OrganizationalHealth Connected Resource: Establishing Critical Mass - Planning Organizer https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gdSLQH423yS0MCRdau-DRPwZEhAHQEntIKzqO6N9VWM/view Thought organizer for leaders to reflect on upcoming intiatives or shifts for the organization, why it is a critical move for our organizer and who are the 3-4 people I need to bring onboard to help establish critical mass, essential for moving forward as a collaborative team. ______________________ 🌟 Need a Spark at Your Next Staff Meeting? We’ve curated an inspirational playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJjdJv93diJ8 Check out a number of complimentary resources and webinars to build a culture of collaboration. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/free Take your PLC & MTSS to the next level. 🚀 Find out how!! FREE https://bit.ly/CR-overview Discover What's Missing: 🔎 Grab your Introductory chapter for the best selling book Collaborative Response - bit.ly/CR-intro WeCollab: Keep student supports, actions, and team conversations connected in one place. Try it FREE. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab FREE to join!! Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider Engage in conversations in our Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader Looking for weekly video support and inspiration? 🔔Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow Website - https://jigsawlearning.ca Email - [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/ #collaboration #education #MTSS #leadership #systems #edleader #collaborativeresponse

22 MIN

How to Build Culture Without Adding to Your Workload with Tom Walls - Ep 116

Download the free 1012 Must-Reads for Educational Leaders at https://bit.ly/102reads Put This Into Practice ➡️ Grab the Guide - bit.ly/teamnormsguide What happens when school leaders don't intentionally build culture? A vacuum forms—and it's usually filled by friction, isolation, and burnout. In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, veteran educator, football coach, and author Tom Walls shares how leaders can intentionally design culture without launching another heavy initiative. Drawing from over 30 years of experience across the US, Canada, and internationally, Tom breaks down his framework of "Micro-Inclusions"—small, intentional daily actions that build connection, establish trust, and make real accountability possible. In this episode, you’ll learn: The dangerous default culture that fills the room when leadership isn't intentional. How to practice "Micro-Inclusions" within the daily tasks you are already doing. Why connection and trust must precede true collaboration and accountability. Crucial lessons from sports coaching on generating authentic buy-in over simple compliance. Practical ways to lighten teacher workload while strengthening staff connection. Learn more about Tom Walls at http://thomasbwalls.com --------- Connect with Tom Walls Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-wallsleadership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.walls.104/ Substack: https://substack.com/@coachtom Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email: [email protected] X: @hewsonk27 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hewsonk27 LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kurtishewson Connect with Lorna Hewson Email: [email protected] X: @LornaHewson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorna-hewson-713a59104 #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership #systems ______________________ 🌟 Need a Spark at Your Next Staff Meeting? We’ve curated an inspirational playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJjdJv93diJ8 Check out a number of complimentary resources and webinars to build a culture of collaboration. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/free Take your PLC & MTSS to the next level. 🚀 Find out how!! FREE https://bit.ly/CR-overview Discover What's Missing: 🔎 Grab your Introductory chapter for the best selling book Collaborative Response - bit.ly/CR-intro WeCollab: Keep student supports, actions, and team conversations connected in one place. Try it FREE. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab FREE to join!! Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider Engage in conversations in our Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader Looking for weekly video support and inspiration? 🔔Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow Website - https://jigsawlearning.ca Email - [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/ #collaboration #education #MTSS #leadership #systems #edleader #collaborativeresponse

47 MIN

Are We Getting Better, or Just Getting Through? - Ep115

Explore Why it Matters 🔎 Collaborative Meeting Spaces bit.ly/spacechecklist Is your organization truly learning, or just going through the motions? A learning organization is one that is constantly evolving, comfortable with "failing forward," and driven by a cycle of continuous reflection: What have we done, what have we learned, and what comes next? In this video, we break down the critical conditions needed to establish a high-performing learning culture. Discover how to build a team that thrives on Daniel Pink's core motivators—Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose—and why Psychological Safety (as defined by Amy Edmondson) is non-negotiable for taking interpersonal risks. #LearningOrganization #SchoolLeadership #PsychologicalSafety Connected Resource: Fostering Psychological Safety Organizer https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gdSLQH423yS0MCRdau-DRPwZEhAHQEntIKzqO6N9VWM/view Organizer to use with teams to explicitly articulate the actions that we can take to promote psychological safety and the actions that harm psychological safety in teams. ______________________ 🌟 Need a Spark at Your Next Staff Meeting? We’ve curated an inspirational playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJjdJv93diJ8 Check out a number of complimentary resources and webinars to build a culture of collaboration. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/free Take your PLC & MTSS to the next level. 🚀 Find out how!! FREE https://bit.ly/CR-overview Discover What's Missing: 🔎 Grab your Introductory chapter for the best selling book Collaborative Response - bit.ly/CR-intro WeCollab: Keep student supports, actions, and team conversations connected in one place. Try it FREE. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab FREE to join!! Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider Engage in conversations in our Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader Looking for weekly video support and inspiration? 🔔Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow Website - https://jigsawlearning.ca Email - [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/ #collaboration #education #MTSS #leadership #systems #edleader #collaborativeresponse

21 MIN

Collaboration Without Conformity: Protecting Teacher Agency with Kallie Ash - Ep 114

🎓 Join Educators From Across the Field → jigsawlearning.ca/summit - FREE to Register Access the FREE Guide for Leaders to Develop and Reinforce Team Norms - http://bit.ly/teamnormsguide In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Kurtis is joined by Kallie Ash, an 11-year veteran educator, licensed administrator, and founder of Phased Mastery. Together, they explore why true collaboration does NOT mean conformity. Discover how teams can build shared language, engage in ongoing professional learning, and challenge each other's thinking while keeping teacher agency and professional decision-making at the center. Learn more about Kallie Ash at http://www.phasedmastery.com --------- Connect with Kallie Ash Email: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kallie.phasedmastery/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kallie-ash Connect with Kurtis Hewson Email: [email protected] X: @hewsonk27 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hewsonk27 LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kurtishewson #collaboration #norms #teamspirit #leadership #systems ______________________ 🌟 Need a Spark at Your Next Staff Meeting? We’ve curated an inspirational playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJjdJv93diJ8 Check out a number of complimentary resources and webinars to build a culture of collaboration. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/free Take your PLC & MTSS to the next level. 🚀 Find out how!! FREE https://bit.ly/CR-overview Discover What's Missing: 🔎 Grab your Introductory chapter for the best selling book Collaborative Response - bit.ly/CR-intro WeCollab: Keep student supports, actions, and team conversations connected in one place. Try it FREE. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab FREE to join!! Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider Engage in conversations in our Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader Looking for weekly video support and inspiration? 🔔Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow Website - https://jigsawlearning.ca Email - [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/ #collaboration #education #MTSS #leadership #systems #edleader #collaborativeresponse

42 MIN

FRIDAY FOCUS - Try This to Keep Meetings on Track

Simplify Your Next Steps 🧰 Grab the CTM Starter Kit - bit.ly/ctmstarter ______________________ 🌟 Need a Spark at Your Next Staff Meeting? We’ve curated an inspirational playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJjdJv93diJ8 Check out a number of complimentary resources and webinars to build a culture of collaboration. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/free Take your PLC & MTSS to the next level. 🚀 Find out how!! FREE https://bit.ly/CR-overview Discover What's Missing: 🔎 Grab your Introductory chapter for the best selling book Collaborative Response - bit.ly/CR-intro WeCollab: Keep student supports, actions, and team conversations connected in one place. Try it FREE. https://www.jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab FREE to join!! Join the movement 📩 bit.ly/JLinsider Engage in conversations in our Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader Looking for weekly video support and inspiration? 🔔Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow Website - https://jigsawlearning.ca Email - [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/ #collaboration #education #MTSS #leadership #systems #edleader #collaborativeresponse

1 MIN