The 90-Day Framework That Creates Legendary School Campuses (Supercharged with AI)

Build the perfect entry plan with this custom gpt trained on my bestselling book on 90-day entry plans for principals.

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Your first 90 days as principal will determine whether you become a transformational leader ... or just another administrator counting down to retirement.

Get it wrong, and you'll spend the next 3 years playing catch-up, watching your best teachers transfer out while you're stuck explaining low test scores to an impatient superintendent.

Get it right, and you'll create a campus culture that becomes the model for your entire district.

That's not a hypothetical. It's a high-leverage truth that most leaders overlook.

And it's why Ruckus Makers play a different game.

The Survival Mode Trap

It’s August 15.

You're sitting in your new office surrounded by boxes you haven't unpacked, staring at a master schedule that makes zero sense. Your phone hasn't stopped ringing — parents demanding their kid gets Mrs. Johnson, teachers emailing about classroom keys they can't find, and the custodial staff asking where to put the 47 boxes of textbooks that just arrived.

Meanwhile, you've got new teacher orientation in three days, and you just discovered the previous principal's "transition notes" are basically a Post-it that says "Good luck!"

Oh, and did we mention? School starts in two weeks, and you still don't know half your staff's names.

This is what happens when you inherit the traditional approach:

• Show up and get your keys

• Start putting out fires immediately

• Try to remember 400+ names

• Pray the superintendent leaves you alone

• Wonder why everyone looks miserable

You're reactive. Unfocused. Drowning in logistics.

And by the time you finally get your bearings?

The school year is already sprinting ahead, and you're just trying not to get trampled.

The Ruckus Maker Way: Lead With Intention

At Ruckus Maker HQ, we flip the script.

We help bold school leaders build a strategic entry plan that creates momentum from Day One.

Our model is field-tested and detailed in my bestselling book "Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan."

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(Which you can read here as a premium subscriber 👇)

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And unlike the typical 87-tab Google Sheet passed down from a retired principal, our framework starts with what actually matters:

1. Self – Replenish your energy. Clarify your leadership identity.

2. Communication Systems – Build trust before urgency hits.

3. Academic Focus – Narrow your focus to move the needle.

4. Culture Design – Create a can't-miss campus experience.

5. Operations – With clear vision, logistics fall into place.

It's an upside-down approach that prioritizes people over paperwork.

The results?

One Principal Unger commented how “All the end of the year stress was gone.”

Laura mentioned how her interview committee was “blown away” by her plan (and YES … she got the job).

Introducing: The 90-Day Entry Plan Custom GPT

Just last week at the Massachusetts Summer Institute, I revealed something special: a custom GPT trained specifically on the Ruckus Maker entry plan methodology.

This isn't another AI tool that spits out generic plans.

This GPT was trained on $2M worth of principal coaching conversations, the strategies from my bestselling book, and the real-world challenges that actually matter in schools.

Here's what it can do:

• Dialogue with you to accelerate your thinking

• Challenge your assumptions with research-based prompts

• Give feedback on your draft to level it up

• Help you avoid the 7 most common entry plan mistakes

Imagine having a coach in your corner 24/7 — one trained in the Ruckus Maker methodology, aligned to the leadership principles that actually work, and ruthlessly focused on helping you create a meaningful campus experience.

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(Oh by the way … premium subscribers of this publication do NOT have to imagine that at all … they can access “Digital Danny” my AI clone and chat anytime they’d like with me).

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What Most Principals Get Wrong

Common Entry Plan Mistakes:

• Starting with operations instead of relationships (puts out fires but kills culture) .

• Trying to change everything at once (overwhelms staff and creates resistance).

• Focusing on what's broken instead of what's possible (creates deficit mindset) .

• Skipping the personal leadership work (you can't pour from an empty cup).

🎯 Before vs. After

Traditional Approach:

• Week 1: Jump straight into logistics and operations

• Week 4: Still reacting to daily crises

• Week 8: Trying to build relationships while managing chaos

• Week 12: Exhausted and wondering why nothing feels sustainable

Ruckus Maker Approach:

• Week 1: Clear personal vision established

• Week 4: Trust-building systems in place

• Week 8: Academic focus identified and communicated

• Week 12: Culture shifts already visible

Here's the Thing About Timing

September is coming whether you're ready or not.

Right now, while you're reading this, 1,270 other principals are already using this tool to plan their legendary entry.

The question isn't whether this works (we've got the data and case studies).

The question is: Will you be leading the pack ... or following it?

How the Entry Plan GPT works

First you decide if you need help starting or if you want feedback on an existing plan.

I created an example plan for the purposes of showing feedback. Then I uploaded this example plan.

ChatGPT is a legend for always building on the positive. Maybe it’s teaching us all the power of affirmations and encouragement in leadership?

Then the critiques …

And the ball is now in my court …

Ready to Make Your First 90 Days Legendary?

This GPT tool is exclusive to premium subscribers.

If you're ready to:

• Turn your first faculty meeting into a "where has this been all my life?" moment …

• Have teachers fighting to stay on your campus instead of transferring out …

• Create a school culture so strong that parents brag about it at dinner parties …

• Build the kind of leadership momentum that makes superintendents take notice …

👇 Then unlock the custom GPT below and join the Do School Different movement:

Because your students deserve a leader who Makes a Ruckus from Day One.