Leadership Rules with Dr. Roderick Sams

What do school safety, confidence in chaos, and sneaking into a Michael Jackson concert have in common?

All of them show up in this week’s Leadership Rules episode with Dr. Roderick “Rocky” Sams—a passionate educator and school safety leader who believes preparation isn’t just a strategy. It’s a mindset.

Rocky joins Nick and Marnie to talk about how leading well starts with knowing yourself, investing in what matters, and showing up ready—even when the opportunity hasn’t arrived yet.

In this episode, Rocky shares:

🔐 The critical link between psychological safety and physical safety
🧠 How clarity, calm, and curiosity build real leadership presence
📚 Why he believes personalized learning is more possible now than ever
🏖️ How scheduling monthly “timeouts” with his wife helps him lead better
🔘 What Centegix is doing to transform school safety with one simple button

Plus:

• The one question every leader should ask before speaking
• Why struggle is often the best teacher
• The story of a young Rocky Sams sneaking into a stadium for a life-changing concert

👀 Bonus: Rocky’s message to educators about finding joy again—even in the chaos.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

📍 Connect with Dr. Roderick Sams:
🔗 LinkedIn

📧 [e-mail]