The more Shimon developed the leadership capacity of everyone around him, the more successful both he and the school became. He reported that The Breakthrough Coach saved his life, as well as the lives of hundreds of children across the school community.

CHALLENGE: Overwhelm Weakened Effective Leadership

Dr. Shimon Waronker, Principal of the Jordan L. Mott Middle School in Bronx, New York, faced significant student discipline and academic challenges when he first accepted the position. Although successful at turning things around, Waronker felt overwhelmed by the time, energy and resources it took to do so. He was logging 17-hour days, arriving home at midnight, sleeping for four hours, and then returning the following morning by 7:30 a.m., only to be greeted by the next “crisis du jour.” He realized that all his hard work and constant involvement in running the school wasn’t giving him the wider perspective he needed to lead it. 

When his regional superintendent suggested he attend The Breakthrough Coach Foundations Course to learn “How to Work Less, Produce More and Still Get the Job Done in a Sensible School Week,” Waronker leapt at the opportunity.

SOLUTION: Gatekeeper & Gameplan

Post-course, Waronker implemented The Breakthrough Coach Fundamental Practices™ and experienced a transformative shift in his leadership approach. Together with his secretary they emptied out his office and turned it into a simple, pristine conference room where they could meet every day to organize their daily game plan. He also empowered his secretary as his “gatekeeper” and turned his calendar over to her to manage. These changes enabled Shimon to let go of the “adminis-trivia” that had kept him trapped in the front office.

He used his new-found freedom to build leadership capacity across the entire spectrum of the school’s stakeholders by delegating tasks and supervising their execution, rather than doing everything himself. As a result, he was able to consistently cut his workday in half and spent 30% of his week observing and coaching classroom instruction.

OUTCOME: Remarkable Results Across the Board

The Breakthrough Coach Program’s impact on Shimon’s professional life was substantial. He realized that he did not have to sacrifice himself to be successful. Instead, the more he developed the leadership capacity of everyone around him, the more successful both he and the school became. Students’ math scores doubled, the English failing rate decreased from 42% to 9%, NYC DOE removed Mott from its “10 Most Violent” list, the school’s average daily attendance rose to 93.4%, and teacher applications to work at the school rose exponentially. Shimon reported that The Breakthrough Coach saved his life, as well as the lives of hundreds of children across the school community.

CONCLUSION

Shimon’s journey showcases the transformative power of The Breakthrough Coach Program. By embracing the program’s practices and systems, and adopting a disciplined approach to implementation, Shimon not only altered his own work-life balance, but he also achieved remarkable results for his school community.