Lessons in School Leadership

The State of the School: Why Your Team Can't Follow a Vision You Never Said Out Loud

A few weeks ago, one of our leaders inside The Leadership Collective walked out of a coaching session and went straight to building her State of the School presentation. No blank slide. No staring at a cursor, wondering where to start. She had a structure to work from and the confidence that her ...

Aug 12, 2026

How Are Principals Supposed to Do Both?

Why managing the administrative demands of the principalship begins with protecting your role as an instructional leader 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 rol...

Jul 30, 2026

Experience transfers. Trust doesn't.

Every time you step into a new leadership role, the clock starts over. If you've ever accepted a promotion and quietly wondered why leadership suddenly feels difficult again, you're in good company. It's a conversation I've had with countless school leaders over the years. A teacher becomes an as...

Jul 24, 2026

The Hiring Decision That Will Make or Break Your Leadership Team

Hiring season hits different when you're the one making the final call. I've worked with enough school leaders to know that this time of year brings a specific kind of pressure; you've got vacancies, you've got qualified candidates, and you've got about two weeks to decide who's going to shape yo...

Jul 24, 2026

You’re Not Getting Promoted for a Reason (And It’s Not What You Think)

What’s actually happening inside hiring rooms right now—and the shifts school leaders need to make before the next opportunity passes them by. Hiring Season Has Already Started, Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It One of the biggest misconceptions I see every year is this idea that hiring season star...

Jul 24, 2026

You Were the Most Qualified Person in That Room. You Still Didn’t Get the Job.

Why strong educators lose leadership roles, and what actually separates the candidates who get selected It’s hiring season, and this is something I see every single year. A candidate walks into an interview with strong experience, real results, and a clear track record of impact, and they still a...

Jul 24, 2026

The Season of Resignations: What It Reveals About Your Leadership

How to stay steady, lead transitions well, and protect your culture when people start leaving If you’ve led a school for any amount of time, you already know what happens when spring hits. The emails start coming in. Conversations shift. People you’ve invested in (some you expected, some you didn...

Jul 24, 2026

You Are Not Your Team's Reminder App — And Treating Yourself Like One Is Costing Your School

A principal I coach came into a session recently and told me she had addressed a concern with her leadership team. When I asked how the conversation went, she said, "I just reminded them about the expectation." I stopped her right there. In leadership, how you frame an expectation determines whet...

Jul 24, 2026

Struggling in the Dark: Why High-Performing Leaders Need More Than a "Great Job"

For the leader whose metrics are perfect but whose soul is starving for growth. There's a particular kind of loneliness that high-performing leaders rarely talk about. Your attendance numbers are up. Suspensions are down. You just hit 5 stars. Everyone around you is clapping — and you're ...

Jul 24, 2026

Professional Grief: The Leadership Loss No One Warns You About

The feeling leaders don’t expect Most school leaders walk into their roles prepared for pressure, complexity, and hard decisions. They know the job will stretch them. They anticipate long days, difficult conversations, and moments that test their resolve. What very few leaders expect, however, is...

Jul 24, 2026

The Rooms You Choose Are Shaping Your Leadership

Why school leaders, especially women, need environments that develop them The quiet shift many leaders don’t notice Most school leaders can name when they stepped into leadership. What’s harder to notice is when they stopped being in rooms that developed them. Leadership roles are built around ou...

Jul 24, 2026

Why Asking for Coaching Outside the District Is a Leadership Move—Not a Red Flag

There’s a quiet question a lot of school leaders are carrying right now, even if they haven’t said it out loud: “Is it okay for me to want support outside of what my district provides?” Let me answer that plainly. Yes. And not only is it okay, it’s often one of the clearest signs of a strong lead...

Jul 24, 2026

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Lessons in School Leadership

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