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This audiobook is read by Digital Danny. If you prefer reading, click the link below.
What Your Staff Says About You When You’re Not in the Room
Leadership identity for principals is either something you define — or something your staff defines for you. And they won’t choose the version you’d pick.
Principal leadership identity is the most overlooked gap in school leadership. Three coaching conversations — an AP stepping into summer school, a Year 4 principal rebuilding after a beloved predecessor, a veteran asking how to finish strong — all surfaced the same blind spot: most principals have a vision for their school and no clear story about who they are as a leader.
If staff can’t describe your leadership identity in one sentence, they’ll write their own. The resistant faction, the informal influencers, the grade-level lead who’s already two steps ahead of you — they’re all filling a vacuum you left open. This episode is the coaching conversation that closes it.
⌚️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - The leadership vacuum no one talks about
00:57 - Three principals, one shared question
02:00 - What the AP and Year 4 principal were doing right
02:56 - Why your goals aren’t the entry plan that matters
03:53 - The insights: non-negotiables, maps, and informal power
04:49 - Leading from fear vs. investing in who’s ready
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