Ep #309: Stop Fixing Things

The Empowered Principal® Podcast Angela Kelly | Stop Fixing Things

The fall dip is real, and my clients are navigating their way through it right now. They want to have fun and enjoy their jobs, but it feels impossible when everything feels chaotic, messy, and overwhelming, and it seems emergencies are popping up everywhere to tend to.

As a principal, you may be expected to fix everything, but it’s not actually your job to do so. If you feel called to attend to every problem that comes up, whether it’s with your staff, teachers, or students, listen in to hear how it’s having undesirable effects you may not be able to see right now.

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Ep #308: Feeling Unappreciated

The Empowered Principal® Podcast Angela Kelly | Feeling Unappreciated

One of the most common themes I hear in my conversations with teachers, support staff, district leaders, and site leaders is that they feel unappreciated. Feeling unappreciated can show up in a variety of flavors, so it’s time to dig into what’s truly going on.

There is no amount of reassurance that other people can provide us with that will generate the feeling of appreciation. Feeling resentful for going the extra mile or like you’re being taken advantage of is an extremely disempowered way to lead your school. The good news is your leadership experience doesn’t have to stay this way because appreciation is always an internal job.

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Ep #307: Allow Hard. Expect Hard. Too Much Hard.

The Empowered Principal® Podcast Angela Kelly | Allow Hard. Expect Hard. Too Much Hard.

As a principal, you dig hard work. You didn’t sign up for school leadership thinking it would be easy. However, if you find yourself feeling perpetually busy, trying to spin multiple plates at once, and believing you have too much to do and not enough hours in a day, it’s time to understand what hard really means.

There’s an important distinction between allowing things to be hard, expecting things to be hard, and taking a break when something is too hard. I’ve been exploring this for myself in both my personal and professional life, and being able to differentiate between these three types of hard has been profound. 

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Ep #306: Emotional Literacy

The Empowered Principal® Podcast Angela Kelly | Emotional Literacy

I was working with a client recently who was feeling triggered, frustrated, and defensive because a member of her team has been showing up in a way she considers inappropriate. It’s a difficult situation when one of your teachers isn’t meeting the standards of your school culture, but I believe the solution lies in understanding emotional literacy.

If you’re having trouble dealing with a staff member who isn’t showing up the way you expect them to, today’s episode is for you. We often believe that the way our staff behaves is a reflection of us as a principal, and that doesn’t feel great. You might think it’s your place as a leader to fix other people, but there’s a better way to approach these uncomfortable scenarios.

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