FREE LIVE WEBINAR
Why They’re Still Not Following Through
How principals stop guessing why follow-through is inconsistent and decide what to do next
October 31 | 10:00 AM ET | Live on Google Meet
You explained the expectation.
They may have agreed. They may even be able to explain it back to you.
And yet the practice is still inconsistent.
So what do you do next?
Another reminder?
More support?
A clearer expectation?
Or is it time for accountability?
That is where leadership gets hard.
The issue is not always seeing that something is off.
It is knowing what the behavior is actually telling you.
The same behavior can mean very different things.
They ask a lot of questions.
Resistance...
or something is still unclear?
They agree immediately.
Understanding...
or just willingness?
They can do it when you
are watching.
Ability...
or common practice?
They stop following through.
Refusal...
or skill, conditions, ownership, or something else?
The leadership decision changes depending on what the evidence actually shows.
Adult behavior tells you something.
The leadership mistake is deciding what it means too quickly.
“They agreed” is not the same as “they’re doing it.”
AGREEMENT
"I'm willing to do it."
UNDERSTANDING
"I can explain what success looks like."
ABILITY
"I can demonstrate the practice correctly."
COMMON PRACTICE
"I do it consistently as a part of my normal work."
A principal cannot mistake agreement for understanding, understanding for ability, or ability for common practice.
In this 55-minute live session, we’ll look at what to do when you’ve already communicated the expectation, but the practice is still inconsistent.
We’ll use real school examples to show how the same adult behavior can point to very different problems—and why the right leadership response depends on the evidence.
You’ll leave with questions you can use to look more closely at an inconsistent practice in your own school and decide what may need to happen next.
You’ll learn how to:
Read adult responses differently
See why questions, quick agreement, minimum compliance, or withdrawal may not mean what you first assume.
Separate agreement from actual practice
Know the difference between willingness, understanding, ability, and consistent execution.
Diagnose before you respond
Use evidence to decide whether the issue is clarity, ownership, conditions, proof, or accountability.
Choose the next leadership move
Stop defaulting to another reminder when the work is not happening as expected.
This conversation is for the principal who has thought...
“I already explained this.”
“They said they understood.”
“Why are three people doing the same expectation three different ways?”
“Is this resistance, or is something else going on?”
“We already trained on this. Why is it still inconsistent?”
If you have ever wondered whether the next move is another reminder, more support, or accountability…this session is for you.
What you will leave with
-
a clearer way to read inconsistent adult follow-through before deciding what it means
-
a way to distinguish agreement, understanding, ability, and common practice
-
a short Pulse-Check you can use when the work is not happening as expected
-
a clearer way to decide whether the next move is clarity, ownership, support, stronger evidence, or accountability
-
questions you can use with your leadership team before defaulting to another reminder
You will have a way to stop guessing and make the next leadership decision from evidence.
That is the promise.
About Dr. Damia Thomas
I have been the teacher expected to carry out the plan, the coach supporting adult practice, the principal responsible when the work did not happen, and the district leader supporting schools through implementation.
That experience taught me something important:
What adults do is data. But leaders have to be careful about what they decide that data means.
Today, my work helps school leaders make stronger decisions around expectations, ownership, operating conditions, and evidence so adult practice becomes more consistent.
Before you send another reminder…
Ask yourself:
Do I actually know why the work is not happening consistently?
Not what you assume.
Not what someone’s attitude suggests.
Not what they said in the meeting.
What does the evidence actually show?
That is the conversation we are going to have.
Then repeat title/date/CTA.
That gives the page a much cleaner close.