Congratulations! You landed your first position in school leadership. It’s not easy to endure the interview process – yet you persevered and found the ideal match. It’s an exciting moment in your career and you most likely are thinking…
NOW WHAT?
Jumping through the hoops of the interview process was just the beginning. Now you’re faced with the REAL work: Leading your school. If your experience has been anything like mine, once you’ve filled out the HR forms and signed your contract, you’re pretty much given the keys to your office and building – and that’s about it. You’re now the principal. Enjoy the ride and GOOD LUCK!
I recall at that moment realizing how much I did not know. How lost I felt. How scared and overwhelmed I was. While excitement buzzed on the surface, I felt the deep dark fear of doubt and incompetence looming below.
As a first-year school leader, there’s no hiding the fact that you’re new. Unfortunately, there’s an adage that many new leaders are told to follow. The old, “Fake it ‘til you make it” advice. I was told this time and time again. “Just fake it til you make it! You’ll be fine.” No. I did not FEEL fine. I felt like I was drowning in the middle of the ocean. Faking it only reinforced the feeling of incompetency.
This brings me to the best tips I can give to school leaders.
EMBRACE BEING NEW
Don’t FAKE it. Own it.
Do not try to fake being a seasoned principal. It doesn’t work. People know you are new. You know it. Your staff knows it. In fact, everyone knows you’re new - so the only person you’re fooling if you try to fake it is yourself. What “faking it” does is break down trust – which is the opposite of what we think faking it will create. The reason a new leader “fakes” knowing how to do a job they’ve never done before is to impress others and gain their trust. Faking confidence as a leader does not generate staff confidence or trust in you. Embracing and owning your newness allows you to enter your first year with curiosity, enthusiasm, and inquisitiveness, which for staff results in a refreshingly honest and optimistic experience.
Don’t PRETEND. Follow up.
Don’t pretend to have all the answers. You will be asked thousands of questions over the course of the school year. In your first year, you won’t know the answer to about 900 of them. Not knowing the answer off the top of your head is not a problem. It’s normal not to know the answer to things you’ve never had to answer before. We feel the urge to answer because we think that a leader should have the answers right away. This is simply a thought error. Exceptional leaders don’t know all the answers; they seek out the answers they don’t know. Teachers would rather hear the truth from you than an answer that may or not be accurate. Saying something as simple as, “I’m not sure about that. Let me check and follow up with you” lets the person know you are listening, you care, and that you want to provide them with accurate information. Your willingness to admit when you don’t have an answer builds trust – as long as you follow up with them once you have the answer. It also models for others that it’s ok not to have all the answers.
Don’t ASSUME. Observe.
Don’t assume you know what’s going on, especially in year one. Surface perceptions rarely give you a full understanding of what’s happening behind the scenes. Observe for yourself your school’s systems, protocols, and procedures to see what’s working well and what needs adjustment before making changes based on other people’s opinions. Observe the behaviors of staff and students before drawing conclusions as to why they may be exhibiting a particular behavior. My rule of thumb is to seek to understand. Observe, speculate, but never assume, and ask for clarification.
Don’t HIDE. Ask.
Don’t think you can or should figure things out on your own. Instead, invite and welcome any and all help that comes your way. People expect you to have lots of questions your first year (and every year!). When we are struggling, our instinct is to hide the struggle because we think it will feel worse for people to know, but not asking and struggling in isolation increases the intensity of our struggle. Asking for help is the easiest and fastest way to get the answers and solutions you need – which means it’s also the fastest way to feel more competent. When you feel in resistance to asking for help, explore what you’re making it mean about you if you ask for help and what you think other people will think about you if you ask for help. Our opinion of asking for help is what holds us back from getting the support and solutions we need.
Get the Support You Deserve
Being a school leader can be an isolating and lonely experience – especially when you’re new. If you are a school leader who wants practical solutions to every aspect of the school leadership journey, I invite you to check out The Empowered Principal Podcast. As a former teacher, instructional coach, principal, and district administrator, I personally know how challenging school leadership can be and have developed dozens
of highly effective tools and strategies to support fellow school leaders. I share my best tips every week on the podcast so that you can create exceptional results and enjoy the school leadership experience.
Guest Author: Angela Kelly Robeck, Host of The Empowered Principal Podcast
