We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jodie Villemaire. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jodie below.

Jodie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

When I decided to start Principal Leadership Solutions, it stemmed from a personal understanding of the immense challenges and unique pressures that school principals face daily. Having spent many years in school leadership, I witnessed firsthand how isolating the principalship can be and how critical this role is to student success. Research consistently shows that the longer a principal stays at their school, the more successful that school becomes. Unfortunately, the demands and stresses of the job often make it unsustainable, leading many principals to change schools, districts, or leave the profession entirely within just a few years. And the challenge of keeping competent school administrators in place has been exacerbated in post pandemic years with the mass exodus of educators from public education in the US.

The idea for my business comes from a desire to address these issues head-on, as well as the recognition that most school districts do not have an effective mentoring and support system for new principals. I wanted to create a supportive network that could empower principals to find sustainable success in their roles. My goal is to help them not only survive but thrive, becoming more efficient, resilient, and excellent in their leadership. This drive led me to bring together a small group of experienced school leaders who share my vision and passion for developing campus leaders.

We recognize that while many organizations offer professional development, there is a gap in providing ongoing, personalized coaching and mentorship tailored specifically for principals. Our approach is unique because we combine the wisdom of seasoned educators with innovative coaching strategies that focus on the holistic and individualized development of school leaders. This includes not just their professional skills, but also their personal resilience and well-being.

What excites me most about this endeavor is the potential to create a ripple effect of positive change. By supporting principals in building their resilience and improving their leadership, we directly impact the success of students, teachers, and entire school communities. This vision of sustainable leadership, where principals are equipped to stay at their schools longer and drive continuous improvement, is at the heart of everything we do at Principal Leadership Solutions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Texas public school educator with over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, campus principal, district leader, and education consultant. I am also a Certified Executive Coach and bring the best practices in executive coaching to school leaders. I am committed to helping principals thrive and improve so their teachers, students, and communities can do the same. My company is Principal Leadership Solutions, and we aim to Elevate Principals to Transform Schools.

Our Services:

Principal Coaching & Mentoring:

Customized Support: Individual coaching and mentoring for new and experienced school principals who want to grow and improve as campus leaders.

Personalized Planning & Implementation: We work with principals to develop personalized plans and utilize coaching cycles to walk beside them as both thought and accountability partners.

Leadership Consulting & Planning:

Vision Development: We support campus leadership teams in creating comprehensive graduate and learner profiles that encapsulate the goals and aspirations for their students.

Strategic Planning: We facilitate a collaborative process with school leaders and their stakeholders to ensure their school’s unique needs and challenges are addressed in a comprehensive improvement plan.

Leadership Team Development

Cohort Coaching: Our unique “Principal Cohort Coaching” service combines individual and group coaching, enhancing leadership skills while aligning with district-wide objectives.

Team Alignment: Our “Leadership Team Development” service fortifies, aligns, and inspires leadership groups, ensuring they effectively drive the campus’s vision and mission.

Collaborative Growth: We facilitate team-building and collaboration to strengthen the overall leadership capacity of your school.

The problems we solve for clients:
We help principals identify and tackle their biggest challenges, providing strategic support and practical solutions.

By focusing on resilience and efficient leadership practices, we enable principals to sustain their roles and drive long-term success for their schools.

Our services ensure principals can focus on transformative instructional leadership, advancing their schools and ensuring student success.

We equip principals with time management and delegation practices that empower their leadership teams and allow them to be present in the most impactful areas, such as classrooms and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with teacher teams.

We are most proud of our ability to make a tangible difference in the lives of school principals and their communities. We take pride in our role in developing resilient, effective leaders who can stay at their schools longer, driving continuous improvement and positive change.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

As you can imagine, educators are not trained in starting and running businesses. When I retired after 27 years in public ed and started working as a consultant for another company, I began to see the need for more the direct support of school principals and the opportunity for work in this niche. So I started “drinking from a fire hose” in regard to running a small business. Some of the resources that have been the most helpful in supporting my shift from educator to entrepreneur are:

The BizChix Podcast with Natalie Eckdahl, MBA and small business coach for women. Her episodes on how to niche down and leverage my personal network have been invaluable!

Profit First, a book about how to run your small business by Mike Michalowicz is also a must read!

The Truth About Pricing, by Melina Palmer offers amazing insight in the psychology of pricing and is extremely helpful when thinking about what to charge for services.

And the coaching books by Michael Bungay Stanier are a cornerstone of the work we do at PLS. (The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap)

And finally, and oldie but a goodie, is Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done In Less Time – This is an outstanding book for personal effectiveness and efficiency, but also is a great resource from which I coach principals on time management…and getting the important stuff done!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele at PLS has been leveraging the extensive experience and strong reputations of our coaches and consultants. Our team consists of seasoned school leaders who have achieved significant success, and this credibility has been key to our marketing and outreach.

By leaning into our niche, we’ve utilized personal networks and professional reputations to drive referrals. Trusted colleagues and former clients who respect our work recommend us to school leaders in need of support. This network-based approach has enabled us to grow our client base organically, rooted in credibility and trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://principallead.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558666663825
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-villemaire-m-ed-a6898a2a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VillemaireJodie