I’ve long been frustrated by education leadership training for its syrupy sweetness and tendency to indulge in virtue signaling (this is what prompted me to pen Cage-Busting Leadership back in the day). And I’ve long been impressed by Michael Sonbert, the founder of Rebel Culture and Skyrocket Education, precisely because he eschews all of that. I first met Michael in a Milwaukee school many years ago. I was struck by his unapologetic, no-nonsense approach to coaching. Today, he trains teachers and leaders in 300 urban and turnaround schools. He recently co-authored Unshakable Leadership: 21 Strategies for Success in Urban Schools and Beyond. I recently chatted with him about the new book and leadership in 2026. Here’s what he had to say.
—Rick

Rick: Michael, you’ve got a new book out titled Unshakable Leadership. Tell me about it.

Michael: I believe too many educators are undertrained and undersupported. Too many have been told, by leaders, other teachers, and, most damningly, by writers a million miles away from actual schools, that good teaching, culture, and leadership are a mystery—a Rubik’s Cube of sorts that you can solve only if you’re smart enough. In reality, the ingredients of a great school are simple to describe. That’s not to say that they’re easy to execute. The book is filled with 21 strategies school leaders can implement to solidify culture, provide better training and support for their staff, and improve academic results.

Rick: Who is your target audience?

Michael: It always amazes me when a struggling urban school district’s staff are reading a book written by an assistant principal from an affluent suburb. I have no doubt these authors care and are trying to add value. But they’re often out of touch. We wanted to write a book that would be valuable for the leaders who are on their third 5th grade teacher of the year, whose assistant principal is teaching full time, whose gym teacher doubles as the nurse, and whose teachers—not all but some—drive to school with a pit in their stomachs. How can leaders in those places succeed?

Rick: For those who’ve read your previous works, what’s different about this one?

Michael: This is much more of a how-to manual. It includes tangible steps around how school leaders can design vision statements, set goals, and run highly effective meetings. We include best practices for planning, processes, and language for rolling new ideas out to staff. Every chapter includes best practices for execution, pitfalls to look out for, and an essential conversation example—sometimes from leaders to teaching staff and sometimes to other leaders. Finally, each topic includes special education considerations, since special ed. poses unique challenges and because no school can be truly great unless it’s great for all students.

Rick: Early on, you devote a chapter to “adult expectations.” What’s that mean?

Michael: In so many schools, the expectations for adults are unclear, incomplete, or entirely missing. People may show up late, miss responding to emails, and not submit lesson plans. It’s these seemingly small things that are collectively bogging down many schools. Years ago, I was doing a training session with a school leadership team that was attributing their school’s academic struggles to poor curriculum, teacher turnover, and even to their old, dilapidated building. These were all real problems. But finally, the principal slammed his fist down and said, “Our issue is that our teachers are supposed to be here at 7:30 a.m., but you’d never know by looking at our parking lot.”

Rick: You argue for “universal accountability.” What do you have in mind?

Michael: I’ll give you an example. A partner school in Philadelphia was trying to eliminate cellphones. They instituted myriad policies to ensure that students weren’t distracted by them. It didn’t stick. The rules were unevenly and inconsistently enforced. One teacher who was sticking to the rules got sick of doing it because students would tell him he was the “only one” who actually cared. Universal accountability means it’s everybody’s job in the building to uphold expectations.

Rick: In each chapter, you flag common pitfalls. I rarely see authors willing to explicitly call out bad leadership practices. Why do so here?

Michael: I’ve often seen districts or individual schools try a new initiative only to pull back after some bungled interactions, failure to provide context for the change, or staff pushback. Knowing the common pitfalls will allow school leaders to either avoid them or navigate fluidly in the face of them.

Rick: What are a couple of the most common leadership pitfalls?

Michael: I’ll give you two. The first is a lack of clear vision for how everything in the building should look, sound, and feel. What does a good hallway transition sound like? Are teachers talking to students as they move to class and redirecting the ones who need it? Are students moving safely but with urgency—or running and pushing? Without that simple clarity, teachers and school leaders end up being reactive in the moment when something goes wrong. The second is hesitating to give feedback—hedging, making proactive excuses for staff, and not holding people accountable. If what we care about and how we operate in service of it are impeccably clear, then feedback—both positive and constructive—should be easy.

Rick: If you have one piece of advice for school leaders today, what is it?

Michael: In the face of a paradigm where many school leaders have become firefighters responding to every issue, remember that the school is your school. The students are your students. And that everything that happens will ultimately land on you. Show compassion and give grace. But if a staff member shows up 10 minutes late to a meeting and being on time is an expectation, you must say something. If a staff member is speaking ill of students or families, say something. Finally, get into classrooms as often as possible to ensure instruction looks the way it needs to look in your buildings.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.