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This week, Kris is joined by friend and seasoned veteran of the early learning industry, Donna Thorton-Roberts. Donna shares some of her knowledge about being effective, prepared, and proactive during this time, along with some wisdom she personally has gained from going through some tough times in her career, which included going from three to nineteen schools in six years. Donna and Kris also talk about the importance of hiring the right people, offering services to the community, and developing a plan to hit the ground running when society opens back up.   Key Takeaways: [1:15] Donna started her career in 1976, so she has seen some scary times and knows it is just a season we will come out of. It’s important for leaders to show others hope and strength, and to also know about important resources that can help their business and organization. [5:58] Donna is in the beautiful mountain area of Virginia, and loves all things leadership and developing leaders. For fun, she loves sharpening her own saw and is going for a Ph.D. in leadership.  She loves doing a lot of reading, writing, and keeping busy with her 13 grandchildren. [11:34] The two most important things Donna did while growing from three to nineteen schools was to fine-tune the process of growth, enrollment, and consistent leadership, and to hire the right people. [24:32] Donna currently has seven schools and made sure each of them will be prepared with a written plan for when school does return. It’s important to have a written plan for marketing, enrollment, marketing, and social media along with maintaining a connection with the community as a source of help. [29:47] Leaders should get to know their applicants on a personal level, and not just their culture and vision, but also their heart. Asking them who impacted their life as a teacher and why gives a glimpse into what kind of teacher they may be. [33:42] When you are leading and serving the community within your own values, you are less likely to care if someone doesn’t like you and you understand it’s impossible to be everyone’s cup of tea. [38:45] Learn from Donna’s experience — take action and be decisive. For her, it was the decision to close a school and open back up as a rebranded new school.   Quotes: ● “We need to instill some hope and excitement about our future because we are going to come through this.” ● “The key to our quality is reflected by the people we hire.” ● “Don’t sit back and wait. We need to take action on the things we can do.”   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket Grow Your Center Child Care Authority Child Care Exchange SBA Loans Trent Sheldon Will Bowen