As the Season Changes, So Does our Leadership

September is a natural time for us to notice the season changing from summer to fall. The temperatures begin to get lower, the early mornings are darker, and pumpkin spice coffee and treats are everywhere! In schools, September brings its own kind of transition. New routines start take shape as new relationships begin, and our expectations become clearer. As the energy of a new school year starts to settle into a rhythm, leadership follows a similar pattern.

Throughout our professional careers, we also move through seasons. There are seasons of growth, when there are many new possibilities, and there are seasons of challenge, when every decision weighs upon us heavily. There are seasons of transition, when what worked well in past years may not be what is needed today. There are also seasons of celebration, when we can take time to pause and appreciate how far we've come, while other times, there are seasons when we simply need to breathe, regroup, and find our footing again. In essence, different seasons call for different leadership, and we shouldn't expect ourselves to lead the same way in every season.

Understand your Purpose

Leadership can become more overwhelming when we only focus on the demands of our job.

Yes, the never-ending emails, the deadlines, and the difficult conversations are a lot, but the question I always remember to ask myself, is "Why did I choose to lead?" and for me, the answer is always the same...I love serving people!

I enjoy helping to create environments in school where our students feel important, our staff feels valued for their contributions, and our families feel welcomed as partners in their children's education. When I reconnect with my purpose, the outside noise lowers a bit. The work doesn't necessarily become easier, but my perspective about the work changes. Our circumstances may change from one season to the next, but our leadership purpose remains the anchor.

Take Time to Pause

We live in a leadership culture that says if you aren't feeling busy one hundred percent of the time, you aren't working hard enough, and we all know there's always something else we could be doing for our schools, even during our downtime. This was the hardest leadership myth I've had to unlearn, and truth be told, I still struggle with this belief every now and then.

A pause gives us an opportunity to ask: Is this urgent? Am I responding or reacting? What does this situation need from me right now?What kind of leader do I want to be in this moment? Every season has a different rhythm. Sometimes we need to move quickly, and other time we need to slow down. Oftentimes the wisest thing we can do is recognize what each changing season needs us to do.

Stay Connected to Positive People

Leadership can become lonely when we start believing that we have to do everything ourselves.

We don't. The people around us are here to help. They are part of what keeps us grounded in leadership. Find people who can remind you of who you are outside of your job title. We need people who can celebrate with us when things go well and who can sit with us when they don't.

There is a lot of strength in saying, "I don't have this figured out yet." We do not need to be everything to every person, but we do need to stay connected with positive people who have our best interest at heart.

Protect Your Joy

This one has become increasingly important to me. Leadership is serious work, but that doesn't mean we have to take ourselves so seriously that we forget to enjoy our time in school! Joy matters!

Laugh with your team, notice the student who finally mastered something they had been struggling with, and appreciate the teacher who went above and beyond! Take a moment to recognize how far you and your team have come. Two things can be true at the same time. We can be committed to the work without allowing the work to consume every part of us. Not every leadership season will be easy. But even in difficult seasons, we can uplift and create joyful moments!

Know When to Let Go

One of the hardest lessons in leadership is recognizing that we cannot control everything. We cannot control how someone receives our message, we cannot make every decision perfect, and we definitely cannot solve every problem! What we can control is how we show up, and how we choose to lead with integrity. We can choose to listen to others' perspectives and apologize when we get it wrong. Most importantly, we can choose to keep learning every day.

Fall shows us that letting go is not always a loss. Trees lose their leaves because the next season requires it. Our leadership needs the same courage. If we have to let go of old habits or outdated ways of thinking to make room for what the next season needs, we should do it.

Finding Your Ground

Every leader needs something that brings them back to center. For some, it may be faith, and for others it may be family time, journaling, music, working out, time in nature, or anything that brings you peace. The important thing is to identify what helps you reconnect with yourself, because leadership will continually ask something more of you. Your time, energy, patience, and your emotional capacity. If you are always giving without intentionally creating space to be restored, eventually there is nothing left to give. I've been there before, and it's not a good place to be.

So ask yourself, "What helps me stay grounded as I lead?" and ensure that you are incorporating time for those activities in your daily routine.

Keep Growing

Some of the most grounded leaders I know are also the most reflective. They are willing to ask hard questions and listen to constructive feedback. They usually change their minds when they learn something new and understand that the best leaders continually evolve. The season is changing, and it's an invitation for all of us to grow.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, please visit: www.racheledohoeket.com for more free leadership resources!