InitiativeOne has already brought their world-class leadership transformation process to Georgia, seeing success over the past year in multiple school districts including Meriwether and Dougherty. That change is now making its way even further across the state via a partnership with DeKalb Schools. The aim? To walk alongside leaders and continue to create cultural changes that will reach across the district, ultimately impacting the lives of 102,000 students. Our Leadership Transformation process is known in assisting leaders to look beyond traditional models; thus moving leaders toward authentic, trust-based leadership that tackles hidden barriers, eliminates drama, and prioritizes what matters most—student success.
We’ve seen the impact this approach has in real-time. In Meriwether, Michael Perry, Principal of Greenville Middle School, won Georgia Middle School Principal of the Year. He quotes “Throughout this leadership journey, I have experienced numerous initiatives in school improvement. For me, the Leadership Transformation process with Initiative One has been one of the most beneficial I have engaged in. Not only has it helped me grow as a leader, but it has also helped our team grow with a focus on improving student achievement.”
In Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, InitiativeOne worked alongside leaders and helped shift the district from the bottom 89th percentile to the 68th percentile among Wisconsin’s 420 school districts; ranking 286/420. This success created lasting change that caught the attention of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, as a model for positive transformation. Fond du Lac is now known as a transformative, noteworthy and turnaround student-centered school district that is focused on positive student achievement and a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
At the core of our work is trust. Our approach is threefold: we help leaders identify and avoid unhealthy trust, build healthy trust that’s earned and robust, and steer clear of unhealthy distrust, which erodes culture and collaboration.
The InitiativeOne process will provide DeKalb leaders with innovative and research-based tools that will foster genuine communication, accountability, and a shared purpose, bringing teams together to face complex challenges with confidence and commitment. That’s where real transformation for students, staff, and communities begins.