Dan Butler: Leveraging the Support that Is Needed to Prevent Burnout Among Teachers

TheSchoolHouse302 One Thing Series School Leadership Podcast

About Dan Butler Dan Butler serves as the principal of Epworth Elementary School and has been named the next Superintendent in the Western Dubuque Community School District effective July 1. Previously, he was the principal of Epworth and Farley Elementary Schools simultaneously for four years, focusing on positive relationships with all members of the learning community, high impact instructional techniques, building leadership capacity in others, and establishing successful school cultures. Prior to serving as an administrator, Dan taught third and fifth grades in the Western Dubuque District, as well as serving as a baseball and football coach. In addition to his responsibilities as a building principal, Dan works as an adjunct professor in the Educational Leadership department at the University of Northern Iowa where he earned his doctoral degree. Dan has received numerous awards and most recently was recognized as a finalist for the School Administrators of Iowa Elementary Principal of the year in 2019 and 2020. He received the University of Northern Iowa Educational Leadership Legacy award in 2018 and was a 2017 bizTimes.biz Rising Star in the Dubuque area. For more than six years, Dan served as a co-moderator of Iowa Educational Chat (#IAedchat), a weekly Twitter forum dedicated to the latest trends in education. He recently published his first book, Permission to be Great, and has published various articles to Principal Magazine, focused on digital leadership, literacy, productivity, and educator engagement. Dan and his wife, Johna reside in Iowa with their sons, Mason and Nolan. Read more about Dr. Butler by visiting danpbutler.com or follow him on Twitter: @danpbutler. What You’ll Find in this Podcast Episode with Dan Butler Dan talked about the concept of support for the employee in the work environment. Don’t miss what he says about defining what matters most, including core values. You’ll want to pay attention to what he says about reactive approaches to support versus proactive approaches to support. Dan lists some essential questions when creating the right environment: What are the things that need to stay? What are the things that we can remove? He reminds us that if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. Dan reminds us of the very powerful Eisenhower Matrix when we are looking to make critical decisions. Pay attention to how Dan frames delegation and what you might be doing that takes away from the talents and skills of others. When asked about key people who Dan tunes into for inspiration, he doesn’t hesitate to talk about the powerful work of Tim Kight. If you want to learn more about culture, check him out. Dan says that everyone needs a physical activity routine, preferably in the morning. He focuses on mental clarity and other important results from exercise. Listen to Dan eloquently describes the sweet spot of performance feedback. We are always intrigued to learn more about people who great leaders turn to for their own growth; Dan describes the work of Greg Deutmeyer and Jenny Hillebrand -- School Talk Podcast. Dan finishes the interview strong and reminds us that as leaders we don’t have to know all the answers. That success hinges on empowerment and collaboration. As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCould. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen. We hope you’ll tell a friend or book us to join your team for professional learning. TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster. Joe & T.J.