January 22, 2026

I’ve been interested for a long time in the idea of soft skills. I even helped produce a podcast focused on this called Skilled by Design. Tom Bay has done a lot of work in this arena. As has Seth Godin.

I recently found Dr. Marvin Berkowitz’s book PRIMED for Character Education: Six Design Principles for School Improvement to have the best definition, and one that I will adopt and use frequently. I only wish I had come up with it.

I use the notions of organic vs. mechanical concepts, metaphors, and terminology. So much of what we say and do in education is framed in terms of mechanics. We teach. We transfer knowledge. We control behavior. We manage classrooms. We engineer school change. And so on. Instead, I want to hear us talking about and enacting more organic processes. We should nurture learning and development. We should foster understanding and human flourishing. We should educate for character. Humans are organic entities (p. 5).

Organic skills are what have traditionally been termed the soft skills. The beauty of this view is that they are the skills that continue to grow and develop. You can’t perfect these skills, for as soon as you are proficient, a new level is unlocked.

Mechanistic skills are the hard skills of math, engineering, and science. There’s a definitive answer. There’s a clear evidence of mastery. It’s less context-dependent. You can make a multiple choice test on mechanistic skills, but if you try to make a multiple choice test on organic skills, you’re sure to have some argument.

My friend Jeff Becker just created a new software to share his organic skills video lessons for schools. Check it out, and if you want to be part of a pilot with that, just apply here.

All the best,

Jethro

PODCAST Episode

How to Prioritize Problems with Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 523

Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones discuss strategies for prioritizing challenges in school leadership, emphasizing the importance of focusing on a single impactful goal, such as classroom engagement, and reframing how to handle competing demands like state testing, graduation, and staffing

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Concepts & Frameworks

Relationships Aren’t Extra—They’re the Work

It’s tempting to think of relationship-building as a “nice-to-have” that fits in after the important stuff is done. But in school leadership, relationships are the important stuff. When teachers feel seen, they’re more willing to innovate. When students feel known, they’re more likely to take risks. Block out time on your calendar each week just to connect—one walk-through, one check-in with a teacher, one lunch with students. Some weeks, that was the most impactful leadership I did. The emails can wait. The data review can be rescheduled. But that 5-minute hallway conversation? That’s the kind of leadership that lasts.

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The Transformative Principal Mastermind has been one of the best things that I've ever done for myself professionally or for myself personally, not only has it been a group of like-minded individuals that encouraged, challenged, motivated me, but they also hold me accountable when it comes to leading my school and leading my building.

— Trevor Goertzen, Principal, Spring Hill Middle School

Jethro Jones

Transformative Principal

Education and leadership nerd, and founder of Transformative Principal. You might know me from my latest books, How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX, and the longest running ed leadership podcast, Transformative Principal.