Retention is the Result

A New Model for Creating Schools Where Teachers Want to Stay [Part 5 of 5]

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Create a Culture Where Teachers Thrive

In the book The Culture Code, author Daniel Coyle describes the key to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s success. Despite the intense competitive culture of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and his own reputation as a “bulldog,” Popovich has cultivated a team of selfless individuals who work together for the betterment of the group. 

His secret?

“‘A lot of coaches can yell or be nice, but what Pop does is different’ says assistant coach Chip Engelland. ‘He delivers two things over and over: He’ll tell you the truth with no bullshit, and then he’ll love you to death.’” (Coyle, pg. 52)

I love this quote because it perfectly captures not only what makes incredible basketball teams, but also what makes an incredible professional culture at schools. All of us have a deep, human need for these two components of connection: truth and love.

Two Reasons to Stay

When it comes down to it, truth and love are at the heart of why teachers stay. Most districts and schools start with the money, by increasing teachers’ salaries and offering bonuses or incentives. And that’s a good start. But regardless of whether compensation is within your control, compensation alone won’t be enough to make them stay.

It has to come from the culture you’ve created in your building. 

Interestingly, a 2023 McKinsey study of teacher retention confirmed that although compensation is one of the top reasons people leave—increased compensation is not a top reason that teachers choose to stay. 

No, the two reasons why people stay align with the two questions I always tell leaders their teachers are asking:

1. Am I doing a good job? Tell them the truth. 

2. Do I belong here? Show them love.

Let’s explore these.

Meaningful Work: Am I Doing a Good Job?

McKinsey reported that “meaningful work” is the top reason that motivates teachers to stay. We all want to believe that the work we do is having a positive impact on the students within our charge. We want to believe that the actions we take have the outcomes we’re aiming for. 

That’s why we ask, “Am I doing a good job?”

Of course, most teachers try their best within their classroom, and a lot of them see progress with individual students. But when you keep seeing the same problems appearing year after year—the same fights you have to fight, the same hurdles you have to jump—it can start to feel like you’re not making any progress at all. In fact, some years, it can feel like things are getting worse. 

Like the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus, many teachers feel doomed to roll the same rock to the top of the mountain every day, only for it to roll back down and have to start over again. 

Have you ever felt this way in education? 

This is more than just “burnout.” Burnout is extreme exhaustion caused by overwork. But what we’re talking about is demoralization, feeling like “My work and effort doesn’t matter.” If you get to this place, then you’ve lost hope.

How, as leaders, do we help our teachers avoid this feeling and offer them a positive trajectory for the good work they’re doing?

Tell them the truth.

Your honest, transparent, consistent communication is the best way to help your teachers do their job.

You don’t have to solve every problem for them. But you can consistently communicate: “I hear you. I’m troubled by this, too. Here’s what’s outside of my control, and why. And here’s what I can do.” Your thoughtful and intentional listening makes a world of difference. 

The next thing you can do to help teachers retain their hope and avoid demoralization is to empower them with the high-quality feedback we talked about in Chapter 4, and give them as much autonomy as possible so that they can bring their creativity to the craft of teaching.

I’m convinced that the antidote to demoralization is creativity. And I don’t mean painting, playing music, or doing arts of some kind—unless a teacher would truly find that empowering. 

By creativity, I mean using your ingenuity and innovation to create something good within your community. Remember when Google’s genius hour was a popular idea ten years ago? While it’s not the buzzword it once was, it’s still a great idea to offer your teachers (and students!) this option to pursue projects that they are passionate about. 

When was the last time you trusted your staff to come up with something new and meaningful that they could retain ownership of? 

Culture and Connections: Do I Belong Here?

The second reason teachers say they stay is because of the community and their colleagues. 

In other words, the school’s culture and their connections. No surprise, this is why teachers ask the second question, “Do I belong here?”

According to McKinsey, “87 percent [of teachers who chose to stay] say their coworkers show genuine concern for one another, 83 percent say their coworkers help one another to achieve their work goals, 85 percent say they fit in with the culture of the organization, and 84 percent say they can be themselves at work.”

Feeling like you belong, like these are your people, can make all the difference between staying and going.

This is where the love that Daniel Coyle was talking about comes in.

As a leader, you can show them love and create this sense of belonging with teachers in both large and small ways.

On the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast recently, authors and consultants Peter DeWitt and Mike Nelson shared about how they build a sense of belonging in the workshops they do. For a recent workshop they held in Yakima, Washington, they sent out a pre-workshop survey to all the staff. One question asked what their favorite (nonalcoholic) beverages were. 

The responses were incredibly specific! The staff didn’t just respond with “soda” or even “Dr. Pepper,” but said things like, “a 16-ounce Diet Dr. Pepper.” It wasn’t just a Starbucks latte—it was a double-shot grande caramel macchiato with whipped cream. Peter and Mike got every single person their drinks, running all over Yakima to try to get every drink just right.

At one point, Peter shared, he turned to Mike and said, “Wow, some people are high maintenance.”

Mike looked at Peter and said, “Isn’t that great?”

Peter suspected Mike was about to teach him something new. “What do you mean?”

“We asked them what their favorite drink was,” Mike said, “and they felt like they could tell us.”

He was right. When the teachers walked into the PD, they were greeted with name cards, pens, personalized notebooks—and their favorite drink. One teacher had written on the survey that she was hearing impaired, so Peter made sure they had hard copies of all of the materials and included closed captioning in their videos. This kind gesture made the teacher cry!

How do you think every teacher in that room would have answered the question, “Do I belong here?” And how well do you think they remember that PD experience?

You better believe they remember it and they felt like they belonged.

These are the kinds of experiences we want to create for our staff as well. I’m not saying you have to buy every teacher their favorite drink before every PD meeting—though every once in a while wouldn’t hurt! You can find other meaningful ways to show teachers that you care about them personally, that every teacher in your school matters to you, and that you want them to feel like they belong.

Reflection Questions

Be Innovative: What new ideas have your teachers pitched recently? How could you give them autonomy and let them run with it? What’s holding you back?

Be Intentional: How can you surprise staff at your next meeting with something personal and meaningful? 

Be Proactive: How will you build a sense of belonging into every interaction with your team?

Conclusion: Retention is the Result

I’ve barely talked about “retention” directly. That’s because retention is the natural outcome of the processes we’ve discussed.

If you attract the right potential…

And make the right hires through your innovative interview process…

Then set them up for success with your onboarding…

And invest in their professional growth through mentoring with the ABCs of Powerful Professional Development^Ⓡ…

And create a culture where teachers can thrive with truth and love…

Then they will want to stay. 

Not everyone will. Some won’t be able to stay for personal reasons. Some will find their passion elsewhere. Some will no longer align with your school’s vision and values. 

That’s okay. But if you’ve done the work to create this culture, then more teachers will want to stay.

The bonus? 

Your school will become a place where you want to stay, too. Where you benefit from the ABCs of Powerful Professional Development^Ⓡ right along with everyone else. Where you know the answers to those questions just as well as your teachers do:

1. Am I doing a good job? Yes.

2. Do I belong here? Yes.

This is the goal of everything we do at Better Leaders Better Schools: To help you get better, so that everyone benefits. We help Ruckus Makers Do School Different™ and by creating this kind of thriving campus culture, your school will stand out.

It’s not about you becoming the principal you always wanted to be—although that’s probably a by-product.

No, instead, with this process you’ll become the principal people want to work for. And there’s an incredible pride in that.

In fact, it’s the best strategy for retention. 

If this landed for you, here are a few ways to keep going.

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