A few months ago, I was a guest speaker for Chicago-area online graduate class. The students were all teachers seeking their principals’ licenses. This class had used one of my books as their anchor text, so as the semester wrapped up, they invited me to jump on a Zoom to speak to them.
Questions about the job of a principal, from people who might want to be a principal someday, are gooooooood questions— the kind that get right to the heart of the work.
I thought it might be fun to share the questions— and the answers I provided. You might enjoy going through these questions yourself. How would you answer? Because whether you’ve been in the chair for twenty minutes or twenty years, these are the questions that define the work.
Question 1: What is your reflection strategy? Do you feel it takes you a long time to look back and see where things went wrong?
As a younger administrator, I was pretty hard on myself. I used “reflection” as “self-criticism.” I did it immediately after an event and my “process” was basically creating a checklist of all the ways I’d screwed something up.
These days, my reflection strategy isn’t systematic or isolated; it’s ongoing. It’s a circle. What happened? What worked? What didn’t?
It’s that simple.
You’ll note there is not a stop on the circle for, “Whose fault is it?”
If something went wrong, I can usually see why pretty quickly. What takes longer, though, is forgiving myself for any missteps.
I’m getting better at that part, though. And I can tell you this— it’s awesome to be able to say, “Well, you did the best you could” and let. it. go.
Question 2: What is the most difficult situation you have had to navigate?
The sexual assault of a student on a bus. Horrible. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
That’s the reality of this seat—one minute you’re dealing with the heavy stuff that keeps you up at night, and the next, you’re looking at the broader health of your building.
Question 3: What has been your most memorable moment of being a principal?
The time a little girl called me the Princessipal. I mean… given all the other things I’ve been called, it seems healthier to remember this one, right?
You know what’s funny? Not ha-ha funny, but just sort of interesting in a fun way? When I thought about answering that question, I realized that in the moment, the memorable moments are the crappy ones— the mad parent, the clogged toilet, the extensive discipline investigation. But when I look over the course of two decades, the memorable moments— complete with a visual picture and the sensory feelings that accompany memories— are the positive ones.
Question 4: In your experience, what are the signs that a school staff is developing a healthy, positive culture, and what are the early warning signs that the culture may be shifting in the wrong direction?
Oooof.
Signs of a healthy, positive culture: When teachers talk with one another. Hallways that bustle in the morning. Kindness. Laughing at the copy machine. Refilling the copy machine before it’s empty. Donuts. Strong staff attendance. Staff who help one another cover classes. Baby showers. PLCs. Practical jokes. Freedom to ask questions. Criticism that is constructive. Forgiveness. A future that feels like hope.
Signs of warning: High absence rates. Negativity. Tattling. Apathy. Anger. Despair.
Question 5: What advice would you give to emerging leaders who want to lead with both empathy and accountability, without swinging too far in either direction?
I think the answer is embedded in the question. Leaders can do both at the same time— be empathetic and hold people accountable— because empathy is a mindset, and accountability is an action. I might say, “I truly feel for you in this situation. Would you like to tell me more?” [Listen] “Knowing all this, how can we make sure we’re adhering to the needs of the students/staff/building/policy right now? I’m here to help, but I do need to be clear in the expectations, and I want to be honest that I’m going to hold you accountable.”
Okay. Now it’s your turn. If you were sitting in that Chicago grad class, how would you have handled that "memorable moment" question? (Hopefully, your answer doesn’t involve a clogged toilet, but hey, that’s the glamour of the job). What about the other questions?
Use these as a temperature check for your own team or just a way to process your week. Take what works, ditch the rest, and keep showing up for your kids and your staff. We're in this together.
Let’s stay curious,
Jen
P.S. As always, this content is all me. No A.I. Promise.
P.P.S. Please feel free to share this newsletter— not only with colleagues, but on your social media channels, too. I would looooooove a few more (thousand) readers 🙂