This upcoming week, I will be working with a large leadership team in Virginia. The district leadership has tasked us, and me specifically, with increasing the focus on high quality teaching and learning. Pushing school leaders to dig deep as the instructional leaders of their campuses is really important work, but where I will really push the leaders will be to reflect on their practices, how they can help their teachers and students to be their best self by being the best leader they can be.
Every summer, school leaders gather their leadership teams, sometimes working with an outside support (like me) and sometimes not. They roll out the spreadsheets, and get to work on the “improvement plan.” New initiatives. Reassigned teachers. Maybe a new schedule, a book study, or a different PLC structure. You know this cycle…I know this cycle well—I’ve lived it.
We often approach school improvement like a game of chess. If we just move the right pieces around, everything will fall into place. But here’s the hard truth: school improvement doesn’t start with moving people. It doesn’t begin with a new program or strategy. It starts with you.
One of the most powerful phrases I’ve ever heard—and one I now carry into my Coaching and leadership development work—is this:
“To be a better we, I have to be a better me.”
And yet, that’s the part so many of us overlook.
I remember a summer when I was a high school principal and believed the key to a stronger school year was changing up some of our teacher teams, course assignments, even room assignments. We had friction in a few departments, inconsistent student outcomes, and I figured the best move was to reshuffle the deck. I worked closely with the leadership team, mapped out the changes, and sold the plan hard.
But something felt off all year. Despite the new structure, the same issues crept back in. Trust wasn’t growing. Instructional alignment didn’t improve. We were still fighting the same fires. And that’s when it hit me: I had been trying to fix the school without first fixing my leadership.
I wasn’t clear on what our true priorities were.
I wasn’t modeling the kind of intentional, focused leadership I expected from others.
And I certainly hadn’t done the inner work to get grounded before making changes.
As school leaders, we are often trained to look outward for solutions. But true, sustainable improvement happens when we look inward first.
Let me ask you three questions:
Do you have absolute Clarity about your school’s purpose and direction?
Are you showing up each day in alignment with your leadership values?
How often do you reflect on your own Growth as the leader of your team?
If those questions are hard to answer, you’re not alone. Most of the leaders I coach come to me not because they lack skill—but because they’re overwhelmed, reactive, and unsure of where to focus. And that’s a problem. Because when the leader is unclear, the team operates in confusion.
The temptation to start fresh with a new program or staff configuration is real. And sometimes, yes, those moves are necessary. But they only work when grounded in deep clarity and intentional leadership. Without that foundation, we’re just rearranging chairs on the deck of the ship while the compass still spins wildly.
Here’s what real school improvement looks like:
Simplifying your strategy instead of adding more layers.
Aligning every decision to your core values and vision.
Investing in Relationships and trust, not just tools and timelines.
Reflecting regularly to sharpen your focus and presence.
When you lead from that space, everything changes. You don’t have to force buy-in or constantly redirect your team. They see your clarity. They feel your presence. And they trust your leadership.
One of the school leaders I’ve coached reached out after a particularly tough year. Staff morale was low, there was significant turnover, and nothing they tried seemed to stick. During our first session, I asked one simple question: “What do you believe your staff needs most from you right now?”
There was a pause. Then they said, “Honestly? I think they need to believe I know where we’re going.”
That’s where the real improvement started—not in moving people, but in recentering the leader. We worked on clarifying their values, narrowing their focus, and building weekly systems of reflection and communication. Over the next year, staff stability increased, the culture improved, and best of all—the leader started loving the work again.
Here’s how you can begin that same transformation:
Reflect first. Set aside time weekly to journal or talk through what’s working, what’s not, and where your focus needs to shift.
Clarify your leadership values. Define what matters most in your leadership and align your decisions to those values.
Simplify your priorities. Choose fewer initiatives and do them well. Depth beats breadth every time.
Lead with presence. Be visible, listen more than you talk, and create calm in the chaos.
Invest in yourself. Whether through a coach, a mastermind, or quiet time in a book—never stop growing.
You don’t need to flip your school upside down to see growth. You don’t need to shuffle every team or chase every new program.
What you need is clarity.
What your team needs is your presence.
And what your school needs is a leader who’s anchored and aligned.
This summer, before you finalize that improvement plan, ask yourself this:
“What does the best version of me as a leader look like next year?”
Start there—and everything else will follow.
If you’re ready to lead your team from chaos to clarity, I’d Love to support you. Whether you’re planning a leadership retreat, looking for a keynote speaker to set the tone for the year, or ready for coaching that will transform your leadership—reach out. Let’s build a better we by growing a better you.
Send me a message or visit RoadToAwesome.net to start the conversation.
Tune in this Sunday to “Leaning into Leadership” when I sit down with Nate Eklund, founder of the Vital Network to talk educator retention and improving workplace conditions.
