Will this Crisis Help or Hurt Your School?

This rollercoaster is here to stay 🎢


I was in a virtual gathering with 120 educators on Thursday, talking about change after this crisis.

On the one hand, there was a consensus that "the end of this crisis" is a myth. Behaviors will shift. School closures will haunt us as mini-lockdowns come and go. There's no end in sight.

On the other hand, most were optimistic that learning will change for the better.

Powerful learning for more students.

More unified efforts between educators.

The direction of change is up to you 👉


A crisis is a forcing function, forcing change. Good or bad? Usually, it is the later.

It's up to you.

There were 120 educators on that call—some huge names such as Suzie Boss. After a short keynote, we went into breakout rooms where they had meaningful discussions in groups of 6 and wrote down insights in a shared Google Document.

It was amazing to watch the document being updated in 20 separate places at the same time.

How can you create such dynamic conditions within your school, taking advantage of the current reality?

Parents peek under the hood 👀


I got to thinking of how the landscape of schools might change.

Your school value proposition, what you really offer, becomes more transparent in the digital world.

Again, this could go your way or go against you, up to you.

Parent choice will intensify since it's easier to take a peek under the hood.

They have gotten a taste of it now. Once consumers get a taste of something, it's hard to go back.

Parents will expect their children to participate in a class before admission.

Judging from other sectors parents may even expect a large body of free learning resources before they gravitate into your orbit.

Webinars, Zoom keynotes, online tutoring classes, STEM events, these might become expected by parents.

Covid-19 is an accelerant more than anything else. These trends were here before; they just came about faster.

>> Ask Us To Market What Makes Your School Different

Increased transparency means you need to take a stand 🗣


It is hard to respond to a customer when they suddenly realize that two cartons of milk are the same!

The answer lies in creating a Monopoly of one.

You need to take a stand.

As Chris Sparks writes:

  • The easiest way to become 1 in a product category is to create your own category

A few prompts from Chris:

  • What is difficult for most people, but comes relatively easy for you?
  • What unique experience have you had? (Value arises from the intersections.)
  • Who are you most qualified to help?
  • Who would most like to work with you? (Note: not who would you most like to work with!)

Examples of a monopoly of one 1️⃣

What do you want your school to be remembered for when Covid is over?

Let's get practical.

Here's an example of a monopoly of one that is adapted to our times:

  • Mental resilience is becoming a critical trait for our students.
  • How do we help them look at discomfort in the eye? How do our kids become at peace with being uncomfortable as Josh Waitzkin, the prodigy kid-chess-player, said?
  • Resilience could be your thing, your monopoly of one.

You could pick anything that comes easy for your team and that parents want.

>> Look at these 10 Reasons Parents Decide To Enroll Their Kids At Your School for inspiration. Pick a reason and create a monopoly of one around it.

>> Or learn how to redesign your school's value proposition by reading, listening to or watching this interview with Grant Lichtman.

>> Ask Us To Market Your Monopoly of One