Keynotes · Workshops · Strategic Planning

Lead likea coach.

Stronger communication. Clearer expectations. A team that works together. Dr. Joe Willis brings practical leadership lessons to businesses and schools through keynotes, hands-on workshops and DiSC training.

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For businesses, schools and the people who lead them.

Dr. Joe Willis
25Years in education
10Years as a principal
9Presentation venues & associations

For your organization

Different workplaces. Shared leadership challenges.

Businesses & organizations

Develop the people who drive your business.

Support managers and supervisors with practical ways to give feedback, set expectations, navigate change and build trust across a team.

  • Manager and supervisor development
  • DiSC communication and collaboration
  • Team culture, alignment and planning
Plan a business workshop →

Schools & districts

Strengthen the leaders who support your schools.

Bring administrators, educators and boards together around clear communication, shared priorities and a culture that helps people grow.

  • Administrator and teacher-leader development
  • DiSC communication for school teams
  • Board relationships and strategic planning
Plan a school workshop →

About Dr. Willis

Real leadership. Practical application.

  • Teacher social studies, ACT prep, health & PE
  • Coach high school football, track & baseball
  • Principal ten years, including opening a new school
  • Board member four years on a school board
  • Strategic planner led the rewrite of a district strategic plan
  • Assistant superintendent leading a district's administrators

Leading people means having the conversations that move work forward. Dr. Joe Willis turns lessons from coaching, building teams and leading schools into practical tools for managers, business teams and educators.

His background includes 25 years in education, coaching high school sports, ten years as a principal, opening a new school, service on a school board and leading a district strategic-plan rewrite. Today, as an assistant superintendent, he supports administrators and trains school leaders across Missouri.

Those experiences shape sessions on clear standards, honest feedback, trust and developing the people you lead. Each session connects the lesson to the audience’s own workplace.

Speaking & Workshops

Bring Dr. Willis to your team

Keynotes, workshops and leadership retreats for managers, supervisors, business teams, school leaders and educators. Choose a session around the conversations and challenges your people face.

Dr. Willis speaking on a panel in front of a room of educators
Dr. Willis presenting at a MASA leadership session
Dr. Willis with a room of teachers before a professional development session
01

Lead Like a Coach

What the best coaches know about leading people: calm, clear standards, honest feedback and recognizing growth out loud.

Managers · Leadership teams · Educators
02

Good to Great: Growing the People You Lead

How to spot potential, coach with questions instead of answers and build a bench of future leaders.

Managers · Supervisors · School leaders
03

Culture from Day One

Build culture intentionally when a team is new or changing. Drawing on lessons from opening a new school, explore how hiring, clear expectations and everyday habits shape how people work together.

New leaders · Building teams
04

Both Sides of the Table

Build trust when leaders, staff and boards see a challenge differently. Practice listening, setting shared expectations and working through competing priorities, drawing on experience on both sides of the table.

Leaders · Teams · Boards
05

Making Sense of the APR

A clear, practical walk through Missouri's Annual Performance Report and how to turn the data into action.

Superintendents · Board presidents
06

AI Is More Than a Chatbot: Tools for Leaders

A practical introduction to using AI beyond a chatbot: writing, planning, working with data and managing day-to-day tasks. Explore useful tools alongside practical boundaries for confidential business, employee and student information.

Business leaders · School leaders · Conferences
07 · DiSC® team training

DiSC in Practice: Communication That Connects

A practical workshop with Dr. Willis, DiSC certified, on understanding behavioral styles and adapting how you lead. Apply the D, i, S and C framework to everyday conversations, feedback and collaboration.

Business teams · School teams · Leaders · Boards Discuss DiSC training →

Put it to work with your team

  • Recognize your own communication preferences and consider how others may differ.
  • Practice adapting your pace, level of detail and approach to feedback.
  • Work through a realistic team misunderstanding or difficult conversation.
  • Leave with a communication habit to practice with your team.

Use styles to start a conversation, not to put people in boxes.

KeynotesHalf- & full-day workshopsLeadership retreatsTeam & board developmentStrategic planning facilitationConference sessionsDiSC team training

Strategic Planning

A plan your people actually use

Turn priorities into a plan people understand and use. Dr. Willis facilitates planning conversations for business and school teams, with clear goals, ownership and regular check-ins. His approach draws on leading a district strategic-plan rewrite and serving on planning teams as a principal and board member.

Plan with Dr. Willis
Dr. Willis presenting a district strategic plan to community members
  1. Listen firstGather input from the people doing the work and those your organization serves before writing a word.
  2. Set a few clear goalsFocus on the handful of priorities that matter most, written so everyone understands them.
  3. Decide how you'll measure itPick the data and milestones that show whether the plan is working.
  4. Keep it aliveBuild in regular check-ins so the plan guides decisions all year instead of sitting on a shelf.

Speaking experience

Speaking experience. Real-world perspective.

Dr. Willis brings experience presenting at these education conferences and professional associations to his work with businesses and schools.

Missouri Association of School Administrators MSBA State Convention National Character Education Conference National Anti-Bullying Conference Missouri Association of Secondary Principals Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education State Character Education Conference Jefferson County Truancy Conference

Awards & recognition

A career of service. A record of recognition.

Honors for Dr. Willis and for the schools and programs he has led.

Professional certification

DiSC® certified

Applying behavioral-style insights to leadership, communication and team relationships.

Explore the DiSC workshop →
  • First-ever MASA Outstanding Assistant Superintendent, Greater St. Louis
  • National and Missouri School of Character
  • Solution Tree Model PLC School
  • 17 CEP National Promising Practice awards
  • Department of Education Inspire by Example Award
  • School Counselor Association Advocate of the Year
  • MSBA Board Governance Award
  • MSBA Early Childhood of the Year
  • St. Louis Cardinals Champions of Character
  • St. Louis Rams Character Fitness Model School

Beyond inspiration

Give your team something to use.

01

Words for the hard moments

Practical ways to open a difficult conversation, give feedback and set clear expectations.

02

Priorities people understand

A shared language for what matters and how each person contributes.

03

Habits that carry forward

Small, repeatable actions to take the work beyond a single session.

Find the right session for your team →

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Book Dr. Willis

Let's build your team

Tell Dr. Willis about your audience and what you want to accomplish. You do not need a final date or a fully planned event to start a conversation.

  • Keynotes and breakout sessions
  • Workshops for managers, supervisors and school leaders
  • Leadership retreats, team development and board training
  • Strategic planning for business teams, schools and boards
  • DiSC training for communication and team relationships

What happens next

  1. Share your plans. Your inquiry goes directly to Dr. Willis.
  2. Discuss the fit. He replies by email to talk through your audience, goals and availability.
  3. Agree on the details. Scope, timing and fees are confirmed together.

This is an inquiry, not a confirmed reservation. No payment is collected here.

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