That’s the hard and brutal truth

You do not have the strength, the clarity, the experience, the capacity, the depth, the hope, the purpose, the resilience, the courage to do this work

Education is incredibly exhausting work

My doctoral mentor used to say it this way:

“Being an educator is not like being a brain surgeon. It’s a lot harder!”

If that is true (and my experience tells me it is), then being a school leader is doubly, trebly more difficult, more challenging, more exhausting

You carry the weight of the entire system on your back

Every teacher’s burden is also your burden

Every student’s struggle is also your struggle

Every parent’s worry is also your worry

Every board member’s agenda is also your agenda

And you, my friend, are only one human being

That is why I know you don’t have what it takes to do this work

None of us do, really

We give it our best but the work chews us up and spits us out to the tune of almost 85% of us in school leadership reporting significant stress and burnout, with school administration having the highest turnover of any profession in our culture

Many of you tell me you are tired of feeling alone, tired of feeling like you don’t have what it takes, tired of feeling unappreciated, tired of feeling tired all the time

We give and we grind and we gruel our way through, thinking in May, “Do I have what it takes to come back for another August?”

We feel hollow, depleted, withered, worn, and weary

And, as one fallible, vulnerable human being, the simple truth is…we just don’t have it in ourselves to do the work required of leading a community of other fallible, vulnerable human beings with all that work requires of us

Here’s the truth I’ve faced just these past two weeks:

If I’m honest with you, the past two weeks have been extremely difficult, painful, and challenging in my role as Head of School. We have had such a smooth year with great highlights, but these last two weeks have been trying as I have had to navigate some extremely sensitive issues

I tell you that so that you know I face the same feelings of burnout, exhaustion, weariness, isolation, and overwhelm that you do

That I know I don’t have what it takes to do this work anymore than anyone else

School leaders, as leaders, might be some of the most notorious for “faking it until we make it”

For acting like we have it all together

For putting on our mask and shielding up our armor

For never letting them see us sweat

But we are dying, crying out, road worn on the inside, afraid to let our shell crack but desperately hoping for some relief, some help, some support

I spend a lot of time with school leaders from around the world: from Australia to Alabama, Switzerland to San Diego, Boston to Bangladesh and everywhere I go, I hear the very same thing:

Brave, kind, thoughtful, creative, visionary school leaders feeling the crushing weight of the work

School leaders who feel alone, unseen, unvalued, tangential to the very communities they lead

That is the deep reason why I pour so much time into the work I do with school leaders

I think of it a lot like the ecosystem of a tree:

The students are the fruit being tended to and fed by the branches (the teachers)

The teachers are (ideally) being tended to by the trunk (the leadership team)

The leadership team is being tended, supported and fed by the roots (the invisible connecting threads—the policies, procedures, rhythms, and routines that tie the whole together)

And the one tending the roots in the deepest, darkest soil is the school administrator

But here’s the catch, here’s the question:

Who is tending to the health, vitality, flourishing, peace, and well-being of the school administrator?

Oftentimes, that answer is no one

They are supposed to have it all together and give all they have to the community, to the organization but find at the end of the day or the end of the school year that there is nothing left in the nutrients for them

That is why my heart beats for school leaders

It isn’t possible to have a healthy school ecosystem with unhealthy school leaders operating far beyond their empty gas tanks

A Flourishing School Leaders Field Guide that serves as a stand alone, do it yourself guide for finding rest, stillness, hope, purpose, and meaning, even and especially in the dark, lonely difficulty days. I created the Flourishing School Leader’s Field Guide to be a deeply personal and practical companion designed to help you slow down, reflect, and reawaken what matters most.

It’s a great place to start, and the feedback I’ve received on it has been extremely positive

The second thing I launched this year is the Flourishing School Leaders Cohort, a group of brave, kind, compassionate, devoted school leaders who gather once a month to lean into inspiration, collaboration, strategy, purpose, and, most importantly, community. This group has been meeting and the insights and connections forged in our hour together have been life-affirming and rich!

We have chopped up Leading A Future Proof School, Recentering Purpose and Meaning in School Leadership, Creating Ecosystems of Care in Schools and this month we will tackle how to help school leaders avoid burnout through sustainable leadership practices.

The Flourishing School Leaders Cohort has meant the world to me personally and professionally, and the feedback I’ve received from school leaders around the world suggests it is the highlight of their month!

The other thing that has made a huge difference is the 1-1 Executive School Leadership coaching I offer to school leaders looking to do a deep dive into their own personal and professional growth

Far more than a workshop, seminar or conference, this is a relationship built entirely on your needs, your challenges, your hopes and your dreams as a school leader. We spend 90 minutes a month walking through your vision for your school community. My clients get my complete and undivided attention, expertise, wisdom, care, and focused, imaginative thinking on the things that matter most to you and your school.

And the work doesn't stop when the call ends.

Between sessions, my coaching clients receive curated thought leadership, readings, and resources handpicked just for where you are in your journey. And I'm available for touch points and guidance along the way

Here’s what one coaching client had to say about her experience:

None of us do. I know I sure don’t

We need each other. We need community. We need collaboration

That is why I do this work and why I’m so blessed to be on the path with you

If I can be of any help, do not hesitate to check out my website and reach out

Until next time,

Scott