Any "I'm New Here" vibes?

Let’s take a minute to give a moment to anyone who is new in a principal or assistant principal position, shall we? It’s a freaky place to be, right?

I mean, being new is fantastic. Hope! Excitement! Potential!

But if you’re new, you know that you don’t know what you don’t know. That’s the freaky part.

I got a DM on Instagram from a principal who was meeting her staff for the first time. Did I have any advice? Well, sure. Be yourself, I wrote. Remember… they hired you because they want you!  Throw those shoulders back and GIT it! 

That’s the short version. Let’s go a bit deeper for a moment.

A friend of mine, a Superintendent of a small rural district in Michigan, sent me an email last week and asked if I’d be willing to call one of his principals. I’ll call her Grace. “Grace is going to be an excellent leader,” he said, “I have complete faith in her. But she is anxious about meeting her staff. You know, planning that first staff meeting. It’s been fifteen years since I was a principal, so I don’t feel equipped to guide her through it. Would you mind talking to her?”

Of course I didn’t mind. Grace and I set up a Zoom call early on a Saturday morning. Grace’s school had about 350 students in grades K-6. She had no assistant, and her one principal colleague, who oversaw grades 7-12, was a seasoned veteran who answered all her questions with, “Awwwww, you’ll be fine.” That’s it.

She was enthusiastic and eager about the start of the year, but her voice wavered a little when she said, "I just don’t want to mess it up, you know?”

Last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported openings for 21,000 new principals in the United States. In a 2023 report called “Small and Sparse”by the Center on Education and Policy Research Report shows that 42% of school districts in the United States are considered rural, which means very limited administration staff. And finally, a 2025 report by Education Policy research shows 40% of schools do not have assistant principals.

Let me connect those dots: There are a lot of new principals out there. And a lot of those new principals are doing this alone. They do not have colleagues or assistants to help them learn their jobs, learn their schools, figure out how to be a respected and successful leader. Being a principal is a big job. Doing it alone is even bigger.

I wrote a book about this a few years back. But if you don’t want to buy the book, or read the book, or think about the book, here’s a snapshot with a few ideas about your first staff meeting.

Remember who’s nervous. Well, sure. You are. But so is your staff. I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve had a new boss, I’ve looked at them with both hope and trepidation. Mostly hope, though, because remember: There isn’t a single person— them or you— who hopes the whole thing goes badly. Everyone wants a good outcome. Start with that, and you’ll feel a little less nervous.

Be yourself. When I was first hired as an administrator, I tried to mold myself to fit into some preconceived idea of what a principal should be— a real principal. Their mannerisms, their dress, their tone, their approach to the staff. But— huh? Did I think I was a fake principal? Did I need to pretend to be someone else? No. That’s a bad, bad idea. People can sniff out inauthenticity like smoke. The minute I relaxed and let myself just be me, my staff liked me more.

Remind yourself of your skills. Think about the awesomeness that you bring to the table and show that stuff to the staff. That’s the “throw your shoulders back” part. Stand up straight, use the voice that doesn’t shake, and act like you belong. Because you do.

Okay, so now that your head is on straight… but what might you actually talk about in your very first staff meeting?

Outline your resume— briefly. Your staff will want a quick picture of your journey to the principalship. Your degrees, your teaching experience, and the credentials that make you qualified. This isn’t to brag— it’s to inform.

Get personal— briefly. The staff will related to you more quickly if they can peek at a profile of yourself beyond the resume. Telling them about your family, your hobbies, and your interests will give them insight into what you value. And it will help create a foundation upon which you can build throughout the year.

Share your goals. You’ll want to let them know what you hope to get out of your time in the school and give them a glimpse of your vision for what the school can be.

Don’t trash talk. Avoid any negative comments about previous administration, even if you’re reasonably sure the last person wasn’t well liked. There is always someone who will be offended if you insult the previous administration, regardless of whether those insults are accurate and fair.

Have some fun. Lighthearted and interactive is good. Whether you plan a “get-to-know-me” activity or just rely on conversation, you’ll want to project creativity and fun. We all know that culture starts with the leader, so modeling a relaxed and generous mood will set the tone going forward.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. A friend of mine once told his staff at their opening staff meeting that he was so happy to be there that he planned to retire at that school. Two years later, his wife got a job in another state and he resigned. His staff felt betrayed because they’d invested emotionally in his leadership based on this promise. This applies to any promise you aren’t completely certain about. You know that high school kid who’s running for student council president? So he promises daily ice cream at lunch and early release for seniors? Yeah. Don’t do that.

Welcome questions. “Is there anything else you would like to know about me as a person, as an educator, and as a leader?” This question will likely not garner any takers if you ask it in a whole group, but if you have an in-the-moment PearDeck or Kahoot or Google Form, you might be able to have a little fun with this one.

Be timely. Nobody loves long meetings, especially introductory ones. This meeting can show your commitment to honoring their time and demonstrate your ability to run an efficient meeting.

Okay, I’ve rambled on long enough. Good luck, principal friends. Put your shoulders back and run that staff meeting like it’s your job. Because it actually is your job now.

Remember: This newsletter is 100% written by yours truly. No AI. Ever.

P.S. Last week, I left out an apostrophe. In spite of reading the draft five different times, I missed it. When it had been already been sent out and I opened it in my own email inbox, that missing apostrophe stuck out like a bright, beeping, screeching error. Darn it. Not one of you wrote to me to point out the mistake. You are kind.