Personal Leadership

Building strong relationships between K-12 leaders and administrators fosters trust, collaboration, and psychological safety. Discover strategies to proactively develop these essential connections, ensuring a successful partnership that drives student achievement and school improvement.

Are you, or do you know someone who is, starting their career as a principal this school year? Check out our best strategies for ensuring your first year is a success.

As a school leader, your actions have a pronounced effect on school culture. With a new school year approaching, use these ten strategies to center culture in your leadership actions.

Belonging in schools goes beyond inclusion; it's vital for well-being, academic success, and community building. Here’s how K-12 leaders can foster a greater sense of belonging in their school communities.

Increasing your emotional intelligence means concentrating on consistent, reflective actions that build empathy, strengthen relationships, and allow you to see other perspectives. Use these four strategies to enhance your daily EQ.

Being a principal involves management of not only operations and curriculum, but emotions and relationships. Discover what emotional intelligence (EQ) is and why it's crucial for effective school leadership.

As summer continues, we’re back with another set of six strategies to help principals and other K-12 leaders relax, refresh, and get ready for the school year ahead.

Summer is a great time for reflection—both about your school community and your own leadership needs. Here are some questions—and accountability strategies—to get you ready for next year.

The summer offers K-12 leaders much needed downtime and a chance to charge your batteries after a whirlwind school year. Take time for yourself and your leadership with these actions.

Wondering whether the principalship is in your future? Explore your principal readiness through these 10 self-reflection questions.

The best leaders have a guiding set of values that not only drive their own “why,” but how they cultivate their school’s mission and vision. Here are eight of those qualities.

The best K-12 education leaders know “joy” is more than a feeling—it’s a foundational goal of teaching and learning. Explore five ways leaders can keep joy at the forefront of their schools.

If you’re a K-12 education leader, you’re most likely always wishing for more time—especially as the end of the year approaches. We’ve outlined several strategies to help you get some precious hours back, both right now and in the long term.

Adopting a coaching mindset as a school or district leader helps your teachers, staff, and aspiring leaders see—and reach—their potential. Strengthen your mindset with these strategies.

There are likely multiple generations of leaders, teachers, and staff in your school or district working together to ensure student success. Harness the benefits of this age diversity with these strategies.

Cultivating a school- or district-wide growth mindset happens through design, not by chance. Consider these growth-building strategies as you’re bolstering the learning and leadership of your teachers and staff.

Spring is here (or around the corner!), and schools and districts need to end strong and prepare for next year. Here are best practices to manage and lead both successfully.

One of the most important characteristics of a great school leader is that they’re committed to developing future leaders. Here are four actions that strengthen that commitment.

As a school leader, there’s a lot on your plate. When that pressure spills over, it can lead to burnout. Here are four tips to proactively manage burnout before it begins.

Students excel when they feel seen. The same is true for school leaders. Here’s how one New Leaders alum experienced the impact of our leadership coaching in her school.

An equity-focused education leader asks the tough questions that challenge and dismantle the systems and practices that don’t serve everyone at your school. These self-reflections can help initiate those conversations.

Effective communication is the foundation of high-performing schools and districts—where there’s good communication, there’s also trust, transparency, and strong relationships. Strengthen your own communication skills with these four strategies.

Everyone could use a few more minutes or hours in their day—and we know that’s especially true for school and district leaders. We’ve put together a list of our top tips to make the most of your time.

Self-reflection is the key to personal leadership and it can help fuel a healthy school culture, advance more equitable outcomes, build effective teams, and more. Learn how.

The best leaders are those who prioritize continuous learning. We’ve put together a list of everyday strategies to keep you learning, even when you’re short on time.

So much of school leadership depends on being able to build strong and lasting relationships with the diverse groups within your school community. We break down these groups—and the actions school leaders can take for each.

In honor of National Principals Month, we have an amazing lineup of motivational quotes from principals and New Leaders alumni. Read on and feel the inspiration!

One quality of a great principal is having the belief that your school, students, and teachers can perform at exceedingly high levels—and creating the conditions to make it happen. Here’s how to balance belief and action.

Students are the foundation of our schools—so it makes sense that they have a say in their education and their school culture. Consider these strategies to cultivate and elevate student voice throughout their school career.

Self-awareness, sometimes called a ‘hidden superpower,’ is essential for K12 leaders to cultivate. Learn how to do the inner work, so your leadership actions (external work) deliver better student outcomes.

This time of year, you want to hit the ground running with instruction—but you also want to ensure your school culture is welcoming and inclusive for everyone. Here’s how to do both.

Onboarding gives new teachers and staff a solid foundation for the school year ahead—and a focus on building trust will only continue that momentum. Here are a few ideas to consider.

Meaningful professional development is a key reason principals stay in their roles. Here’s what that looks like in Vancouver Public Schools—and how it is motivating one principal to keep growing.

Summer is a perfect time to take a look at your school vision and make sure it still resonates. Here are a few questions and resources to guide you.

Student achievement, rigorous curriculum, a positive culture—elements of high-performing schools—are easier to achieve when joy is present in your school and in your leadership. Here’s how to find more joy.

We invite you to restore, retool, and recommit with us this summer. Start by celebrating everything you and your team accomplished last school year—because doing so can set the tone for the fall.

The practice of “finding flow” can help school leaders and their teams uncover additional levels of joy and satisfaction in their daily work. Here’s what flow is—and how to nurture it.

A team isn’t merely a group of people—it’s a group of individuals with a variety of important leadership qualities. Consider these four characteristics as you’re assembling your next team.

The path to school leadership is always unique. Discover why one New Leaders alum is excited to step into the principal role for next school year.

Reflection is essential for growth as a leader and team member, but reflection also makes teams stronger. Develop successful teams with these four reflection tips.

Developing teachers into leaders builds pipelines for high-quality leaders for high-need schools. Here’s how a network of schools in South Carolina is partnering with New Leaders to create career pathways.

Research shows that students excel and schools thrive when they are led by diverse, committed, effective, and resilient leaders. Here are five qualities that drive teachers to become principals.

We continue to share real stories of women leaders at every level who serve as powerful and positive forces for change. May they inspire you to step more into leadership too.

Effective communication is more than what is said or posted on a website or social media. Strong K12 leaders use communication to move their vision forward. Here’s how.

“Stay conversations”—intentional discussions to express appreciation for high-performing teachers and leaders and get insight on whether they plan to remain in their roles—can help retain your best educators.

Now is the time for leaders to focus on effective time management and listening to your school community. Set yourself up for success now and next school year, too.

When teachers and staff are psychologically safe, they feel comfortable contributing ideas and feedback without fear of repercussion. Here’s why that matters and how you can cultivate it in your school.

The “shoulder tap”—when someone sees your leadership potential and helps you navigate a path forward—can be life-changing. Start more of those conversations with the future leaders you know. Here’s how.

Self-reflection helps leaders grow personally and professionally. Learn what actions to take and what reflection questions to ask to help create a healthier school culture and improve student outcomes.

The pandemic changed the way school leaders communicate with their communities. These best practices can help you continue the trend of clear and concise communication—no matter the situation.

Create a shared vision for family engagement by reflecting on your personal leadership, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and asking families directly what their beliefs and values are.

What is at the core of your leadership? Remembering your “why” can turn challenges into opportunities. Here’s what drives one former principal to help other leaders stay strong.

Creating a positive school culture for students and families means setting your teachers and staff up for success. Here are a few ways to ensure they have what they need to thrive.

Building a strong school and district culture is the foundation of effective schools. To do so requires consistent and intentional effort. Here are resources to support you.

Whether you’re a seasoned school leader or a first-time principal, a new school year is a one-of-a-kind mix of optimism and overwhelm. We’ve got some tips to help you manage.

Read the second paper in our series on reshaping educational leadership for the future. Learn how school leaders can accelerate student learning and keep great teachers.

Learn how one New Leaders alum and his team are building a learning environment filled with joy and a school culture where the adults and students want to be there.

Now is the time to recommit to your passion as an education leader—and to building your resilience, too, in this new school year. Here are resources to get you started.

There are many paths to leadership. If you’re feeling like you want to do more but are not sure how, here are a few strategies to get you started.

Need a dose of inspiration? Ideas to enhance your leadership? Here are five TED Talks from influential leaders that you can watch on your own or reflect on with your team.

Every school year offers opportunities to do things in a new way. Here are four blogs to jumpstart your self-reflection and fuel your leadership journey moving forward.

Podcasts are a convenient way to stay current and learn something new. Here are six podcasts to try as you move through the final few weeks of summer and beyond.

Six New Leaders alumni share their leadership journey and offer insights, advice, and strategies for education leaders to transform our schools and districts for the better.

School leaders play a key role in building positive school culture, and social-emotional learning is a critical part of those efforts. Here are a few ways to maximize your impact.

Looking to trailblazers in the field can be inspiring and motivating. Check out these up-and-coming equity-focused thought leaders in education to discover new ideas and shape your own perspective.

Summer break is a time to discover new ideas for your professional growth. We looked across industries—from business to healthcare—to compile four tried-and-true leadership practices to add to your toolbox.

Seeing yourself in leadership—also known as representation—allows students to imagine what they can become. The same is true for adults. Hear from one leader about why that matters.

Summer break is a time to focus on your own learning and add to your leadership toolkit. Here are eight books for your summer reading list recommended by our staff.

It’s been a year—and no doubt your leadership made all the difference. Now it’s time to catch your breath. Learn how to restore, retool, and recommit this summer.

Let’s take a moment to pause and think deeply about who you are as a leader and how you show up. Personal leadership is always in your control—and can drive success.

Gain insights from school leaders who led through past national crises as you continue to navigate the demands of leading schools in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.

Even with the many effects on student well-being, the pandemic showed that students are also capable of incredible resilience. Here’s how to continue to foster and learn from that resilience.

The last months of the school year are in sight. Here’s how leaders can manage stress, maintain focus, and continue to create a school environment where everyone thrives.

In Part 2 of the series, practicing New Leaders alumni share what motivates them to stay in the profession as a source of inspiration for school leaders navigating pandemic-related challenges.

Leaders are made, not born. Step up your leadership game by embracing your authentic style, relying on others’ strengths, building resilience, and facilitating open conversations about equity and justice.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to assess your commitment to being an equity-focused leader. Reflect on the work you’re doing by asking yourself these six questions.

A career educator reflects upon the impact of negotiating his racial identity with his role as a leader—a critical balance that leaders of color need to be successful.

9/11 changed how one school leader saw the role of the principal and reinforced the deliberate dance between the “person” and the “position” of being a school leader.

Education leaders need to not only practice self-care but model it for the people they lead. Here are ways to get more confident in strengthening your self-care muscles.

Behind every great teacher is a great principal. Here’s what we know—and what research confirms—to be the qualities of a transformational school leader.

A New Leaders alum and principal shares five leadership actions that carry him through the demands of this historic time and motivate his school to continue to do better.

Leading through crisis requires that we magnify students' strengths and put them on a path toward success. Learn how one New Leaders alum and principal did just that.

Principals matter, a new report from the Wallace Foundation concludes. We could not agree more. Charged with driving excellence and equity within their school communities, principals challenge the status quo.

Three New Leaders alumni and school leaders speak to how they are protecting the learning of their most vulnerable students and caring for the well-being of families during this crisis.