Every year, in late fall, I have the privilege of speaking with the new principals in our state association. We talk about leadership, survival strategies, and how to navigate the overwhelming pace of the job.
I love it. Looking out at all of them, I always feel such a sense of pride and responsibility. They are all eager and ready—a few hundred new administrators, taking a chance on leadership. Taking a chance on themselves.
There is one concept I make sure I reinforce with them: being proactive in their reflections.
In fact, I’ve talked about it so many times that the words "proactive" + "reflection"—when said together, and said quickly—have merged in my mind into a single, unified idea.
Proflection.
At first glance, it doesn’t make sense. How can you be proactive in looking at something that’s already happened?
In other words, what does “proflection” actually mean?
It means taking charge of your own growth.
Too often, reflection is purely reactive. Something happens—a tough conversation, a failed initiative, or a chaotic day—and we spend our evening drive home replaying the tape, wondering what went wrong. That’s passive processing.
Proactive reflection is different. It’s the intentional practice of taking charge of what you think about your work.
Instead of letting events dictate your mindset, proflection means getting ahead of your own growth. It’s asking yourself:
Before an event: "What do I want to learn from this experience, regardless of the outcome?"
During the flow of work: "What patterns am I noticing right now in my own reactions?"
After the dust settles: "How will I deliberately apply this lesson to my next step as a leader?"
When you passively wait for lessons to hit you, leadership feels like a series of unexpected collisions. But when you actively steer your own reflective process, you shift from surviving events to owning your development.
You stop letting the day happen to you, and start using every experience—good, bad, or messy—as fuel for who you are becoming.
As you head into this week, don't wait for a crisis to force a reflection. Pick one routine moment on your calendar and ask yourself ahead of time: "What is this moment trying to teach me about my leadership?"
Next week, I’m going to tell you about a four-step workflow that you can follow to implement proflection into your daily habit.
Until then, I hope you all have an amazing week!
(Oh, and… For those of you who are returning to the office after a summer break, you’ve got eightyleventy things on your list and you’re feeling swamped. Don’t fret. It will all get done. It always does.)
Stay curious, stay brilliant, stay strong—
Jen
P.S. Speaking of new principals, and veterans, too: If you’ve been wanting to listen to You’re the Principal! Now What? on your commute, throughout August, my newsletter subscribers will receive a 40% discount from Echo Point Books. Click here to access the audiobook. Your exclusive discount code is Principal40.
*If you’re used to Audible, this is different because it’s directly from Echo Point Books. You can watch this 30-second demo on how to get it on your phone.