<p>In this episode, Jethro Jones sits down with Rich Czyz, principal of Yardville Elementary and author of "Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders." They dive into actionable strategies for school leaders to reclaim their time—starting with time audits, the art of elimination, and the power of delegation. Rich shares how empowering students with real leadership roles, like running morning announcements, not only automates tasks but also builds community. The conversation explores the evolving role of AI in education, the importance of maintaining energy and boundaries as a principal, and why sometimes closing your door is the key to effective leadership. Whether you’re looking to do more with less or simply do less, this episode is packed with practical advice for every school leader.</p><ul><li>Find a way to run the school before the school runs you</li><li>Finding a way to do more with less</li><li>School leaders struggle with elimination</li><li>We’ve always been doing this</li><li>Do a time inventory</li><li><a href="https://jethro.site/idealweek">Ideal week</a></li><li>Automation can happen by delegation (automating through other people)</li><li>5th grade morning announcements</li><li>Students writing resumes, volunteering for roles, and more</li><li>What AI can actually do for us</li><li>Taking care of the minutiae</li><li>Human in the loop has gone from <a href="https://simonwillison.net/#:~:text=But%20it%20suggests%20that%20%E2%80%9Chuman%20in%20the%20loop%E2%80%9D%20is%20evolving%20from%20%E2%80%9Chuman%20who%20fixes%20AI%20mistakes%E2%80%9D%20to%20%E2%80%9Chuman%20who%20directs%20AI%20work.%E2%80%9D%20And%20that%20may%20be%20the%20biggest%20change%20since%20the%20release%20of%20ChatGPT.">human fixing AI mistakes to human leading AI work</a></li><li>Energy and burnout </li><li><a href="https://fouroclockfaculty.com/2025/11/open-door-2/">Open Door Policy</a> often leads to people dumping problems on you</li><li>Get his Book: <a href="https://amzn.to/49nIHDs">Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders</a></li><li>How to be a transformative principal? See what you can eliminate this week! </li></ul><p><strong>About Rich Czyz</strong></p><p>Rich Czyz is the Principal at Yardville Elementary School and author of four books, his latest is <a href="https://amzn.to/49nIHDs">Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders</a>. He also runs the web site <a href="https://fouroclockfaculty.com">Four O’Clock Faculty</a>.</p><p><br></p> <br><p><strong>LinkedLeaders</strong>: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at <a href="https://linkedleaders.com">LinkedLeaders.com</a></p><p>We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. </p><p><br></p><p>IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:</p><ul><li>Simplify and streamline technology</li><li>Save teachers’ time</li><li>Reliably meet Tier 1 standards</li><li>Improve student performance on state assessments</li></ul><p>🚀 <strong>Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit </strong><a href="http://ixl.com/BE"><strong>IXL.com/BE</strong></a><strong> today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.</strong></p>

Transformative Principal

Jethro Jones

Run the School Before It Runs You with Rich Czyz

DEC 21, 202525 MIN
Transformative Principal

Run the School Before It Runs You with Rich Czyz

DEC 21, 202525 MIN

Description

In this episode, Jethro Jones sits down with Rich Czyz, principal of Yardville Elementary and author of "Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders." They dive into actionable strategies for school leaders to reclaim their time—starting with time audits, the art of elimination, and the power of delegation. Rich shares how empowering students with real leadership roles, like running morning announcements, not only automates tasks but also builds community. The conversation explores the evolving role of AI in education, the importance of maintaining energy and boundaries as a principal, and why sometimes closing your door is the key to effective leadership. Whether you’re looking to do more with less or simply do less, this episode is packed with practical advice for every school leader.Find a way to run the school before the school runs youFinding a way to do more with lessSchool leaders struggle with eliminationWe’ve always been doing thisDo a time inventoryIdeal weekAutomation can happen by delegation (automating through other people)5th grade morning announcementsStudents writing resumes, volunteering for roles, and moreWhat AI can actually do for usTaking care of the minutiaeHuman in the loop has gone from human fixing AI mistakes to human leading AI workEnergy and burnout Open Door Policy often leads to people dumping problems on youGet his Book: Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School LeadersHow to be a transformative principal? See what you can eliminate this week! About Rich CzyzRich Czyz is the Principal at Yardville Elementary School and author of four books, his latest is Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders. He also runs the web site Four O’Clock Faculty. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.