There will be times throughout your leadership career where you will have to lead your school while deeply personally grieving. There might be something going on in your family, perhaps you’ve lost a loved one, and you’ll need to face your school community and stand in leadership through it all.

Today’s discussion is based on my own personal experiences and those of my clients, and I know that if we need this, you do too, so I hope you lean on this resource any time it feels relevant. Not caring for yourself during an emotionally trying time can hugely debilitate your capacity to lead, so I want to offer some tools today that will help you any time you feel unable to show up. 

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We are celebrating reaching the milestone of 200 episodes of the podcast, and I can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given me over the past few years. I never realized the significance and impact I could have through the podcast, sharing my leadership and coaching experience, and I could not be more honored that you’re listening. And to celebrate, I’m bringing you a conversation with some of my longest-serving clients.

I’m featuring my Empowered Principal Masterminders Dustin, Wendy, Dena, Erika, and Jena. These clients are the early adopters, and after years of working together, they’ve become experts at managing their minds around their jobs as school leaders. And they’re sharing their experiences of applying the work we do here on the podcast and in my coaching.

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Why do we naturally want to play it safe? What’s the value of going after the slow burn instead of going big? And why might it actually be safer for you to start going bigger? I’ve been doing this work in my own life in terms of how I’m showing up and what I’m offering my clients, and I think it’s important that all you school leaders really consider these questions for yourselves too.

It’s okay to be in the slow burn, but convincing ourselves of this can be pretty uncomfortable at times. And the same is definitely true of going big and taking risks. But it’s so important to know which approach is going to work for you, especially during such a challenging time for our schools.

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We’ve talked about Covid not being over, the emotions it’s brought to the surface, and how to raise the morale of your staff. And today, we’re discussing the pressure school leaders are under to expedite academic growth, and why this is the main reason I’m seeing hesitancy around prioritizing staff and student morale.

As nice as it sounds to spend time processing the emotions of the pandemic, there is always pressure to keep kids meeting the educational standards that are set for our schools. But is modeling for our students to set aside their emotions and put academic achievement first at all costs actually helping them? I don’t think it is. So, what can we do about it?

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In the first episode of this bonus series, we talked about shifting from the frustration and resentment that so many people are experiencing around COVID still being a factor in how we run our schools, into feeling and allowing the disappointment that the pandemic is still with us. And this week, I’m sharing how to move forward as a leader after you’ve processed those emotions.

Your entire staff is just as frustrated as you are right now. And so many of them will be newer to their positions than you are. Your job is to help them through this. Morale is at an all-time low, so what can you do as a school leader to help your staff process their experience during this challenging time?

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