How Are Principals Supposed to Do Both?

A school leader recently asked me a question that captures what many principals experience every day: “How do they expect us to do both?”

She was talking about the two roles hidden within the principalship. A principal is expected to be an instructional leader who spends time in classrooms, develops teachers, monitors student learning, and gives meaningful feedback. At the same time, that principal must function as an administrator who responds to families, manages staff, completes reports, attends meetings, and handles the unexpected issues that keep the school operating.

Most leadership preparation programs teach these responsibilities as if they naturally fit together. Principals enter the role and quickly discover that each side of the job could easily consume the entire day. When they attempt to manage both simultaneously, administrative demands usually win because they feel more urgent.

An observation is scheduled, but a parent asks to meet. Time is reserved for teacher feedback, but an email requires an immediate response. Student work is waiting to be reviewed, but a report is due before the end of the day. The principal remains busy, yet the instructional work continues to be postponed.

That was the visible problem this leader brought to our conversation. She had a clear vision for her school and wanted to become more consistent about observing classrooms, developing teachers, and holding people accountable for the quality of instruction. However, instructional leadership had never been the part of the role that came most naturally to her. She was more comfortable building culture, supporting students, and connecting with families.

It would have been easy to respond by helping her create a better observation schedule. Instead, I asked her a different question:

“What are you afraid of when it comes to instructional leadership?”

She paused because she had never considered the issue that way.

As she reflected, she realized that she had previously questioned whether she was qualified to tell teachers what needed to change in their classrooms. She was not always confident that the feedback she provided would lead to better results. She also worried that if she gave instruction the attention it required, the administrative side of her job would begin to fall apart.

This revealed that the problem was not only a lack of time. Part of it was the uncertainty surrounding what might happen after an observation.

Classroom observations can lead to difficult conversations. A principal may need to address instruction that is not meeting expectations, coach a teacher with more classroom experience, or respond when someone becomes defensive. The principal may recognize that something needs to improve without immediately knowing the perfect solution.

Administrative work often feels easier because it gives leaders something concrete to complete. They can answer an email, submit a report, resolve an issue, and move to the next task. Instructional leadership requires them to remain in the discomfort long enough to help another adult improve.

A new calendar will not solve that kind of avoidance. Before changing the schedule, the leader must identify what has prevented them from following the previous one.

My response to her question was that principals must stop trying to function as instructional leaders and administrators at the same time.

Both roles matter, but they require different types of attention. When a principal is constantly moving between classroom observations, emails, parent concerns, and operational decisions, neither role receives the focus it deserves.

Some leaders protect full days for instructional leadership. On those days, they spend their time in classrooms, reviewing student work, coaching teachers, and following up on feedback. Other leaders divide their calendars into protected instructional and administrative blocks. The exact structure depends on the needs of the school, but the principle remains the same: each role needs designated time.

Protecting instructional time also requires more than placing classroom visits on the calendar. The principal needs systems that prevent every interruption from overriding those plans. Staff should know which concerns require immediate attention and which can wait. Families should understand when and how the principal will respond. Office team members should be equipped to manage requests that do not require the principal’s direct involvement.

If every email, meeting request, and minor problem can pull the principal away from classrooms, instructional leadership has not truly been protected.

The conversation also revealed that this leader had made herself highly accessible to staff and families.

People contacted her after hours and expected her to respond whenever a concern arose. When she eventually created boundaries, some people were unhappy.

This is why I teach leaders that everything happening in a school is leadership created or leadership allowed. That does not mean every problem is the principal’s fault. It means leaders must examine the patterns their systems and responses may be reinforcing.

If people expect unlimited access, consider how that expectation developed. If every concern reaches the principal, determine whether others have been equipped and authorized to respond. If staff become frustrated when a boundary is established, recognize that they may have benefited from the absence of one.

A principal can remain supportive without being constantly available. The people in the school do not need unlimited access to the leader. They need a leader who has enough capacity to make sound decisions, develop teachers, support students, and remain effective over time.

This leader also described herself as someone who leads through love. She cares deeply about her teachers and wants them to grow personally and professionally. That is an important strength, but support without clear expectations can eventually create an accountability problem.

When a leader provides significant autonomy without consistently inspecting the work, frustration builds. By the time the leader addresses the problem, the feedback may sound much firmer than it would have if expectations had been reinforced from the beginning. Staff then experience accountability as a sudden change in the leader rather than a normal part of the school’s culture.

Caring about teachers and addressing their performance are not opposing choices. A principal can respect the person while being honest about the work. In fact, clear feedback is part of developing people well. Avoiding the conversation may preserve temporary comfort, but it does not help the teacher improve or ensure students receive the instruction they deserve.

The leader in this conversation has an ambitious vision for her students. She wants them to receive a rigorous education, have access to meaningful opportunities, and feel prepared to confidently enter spaces beyond their current environment.

That vision depends on the adults responsible for delivering it. If teachers are going to provide stronger instruction, someone must observe their practice, identify what needs to improve, provide useful feedback, and follow up consistently.

A school’s priorities are not only found in its mission statement or improvement plan. They are also revealed by how the principal spends time, what the principal consistently inspects, and which conversations the principal is willing to have.

So, how are principals supposed to do both?

They do it by recognizing that instructional leadership and administration are separate responsibilities that need protected time. They build systems that reduce unnecessary interruptions, establish boundaries around their availability, and pair support with consistent accountability. Most importantly, they become honest about whether a lack of time is the real problem or whether discomfort has made the most important work easier to postpone.

The goal is not to become better at doing everything at once. The goal is to lead each part of the principalship with the attention it requires.

If you recognize yourself in this struggle and know you need support creating the systems, boundaries, and accountability required to lead well, I invite you to book a consultation.

During our conversation, we will identify what is getting in the way of your leadership, clarify the support you need, and determine whether working together is the right next step for you and your school.