Intentional Leadership

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

In the daily whirlwind of school leadership, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of reacting to urgent demands. You may feel like a firefighter, putting out kitchen fire over kitchen fire all day long, just trying to keep it from breaking into the rest of the house. But effective leaders aren’t firefighters - they prevent them from happening in the first place. They do this by carving out time to analyze, reflect, and plan. The summer offers a window to step back and chart a proactive (and preventative) course for the year ahead.

Personal Experience:

I remember my first year as a principal, overwhelmed by daily demands—discipline issues, teacher requests, parent concerns. Every day felt like putting out fires. Then, during a quiet summer, I realized that my days were being dominated by what was urgent in the moment instead of what was important for future success.  I knew I needed a plan that connected my daily actions to the changes I wanted to see.

Start with Data:

Before jumping into solutions, take time to understand the current reality. Dive deep into your school’s achievement data, student demographics, and climate surveys. Are there specific student subgroups who are underperforming? Are there patterns in subject areas or grade levels that require additional support? Make sure to look past the averages and drill down into patterns and outliers to ground your work in evidence and ensure you’re targeting the right challenges.

• Define the WHAT: Once the data is analyzed, identify the key student outcomes you want to impact. Is it improving math proficiency for a particular grade? Is it increasing graduation rates or ACT scores? This step narrows your focus and ensures that every initiative you plan is aligned with a clear purpose.

• Examine the HOW: Research consistently shows that the classroom teacher is the most important in-school factor for student achievement, with the principal as the second most impactful. As the instructional leader, it is the principal’s job to identify the teaching practices that need to shift to reach the school’s goals. Is it more collaborative learning? Better questioning strategies? 

• Connect the Dots with a Theory of Action: This is where intentional leadership lies and your reflection can be put into action. A Theory of Action links your leadership actions to teacher practices and, ultimately, student outcomes. It provides a roadmap for moving from intention to implementation.

• Align Leadership Practice: Finally, ask yourself: What do I need to do differently to support these shifts? Will I need to adjust how I spend my time? How will I monitor progress and celebrate wins? When action items come up that don’t align with my intentions, how will I delegate to ensure they don’t become distractions? Aligning your daily actions with your Theory of Action ensures that your leadership is both proactive and intentional.

It is essential that we ask ourselves: “What will I do differently to impact the results we are striving to see?” Not only can we not expect others to change, if we are not willing to, but we also need to focus our energy on what we can control: our own actions.

Examples of a Complete Theory of Action:

1️⃣ If I prioritize collaborative planning time for teachers and model effective lesson planning using data-driven insights, then teachers will design more targeted lessons that address learning gaps, and student outcomes in reading proficiency for English learners will improve.

2️⃣ If I consistently conduct classroom walk-throughs and provide actionable feedback on student engagement strategies, then teachers will incorporate more interactive teaching practices, and student outcomes in participation and motivation will increase.

How might you use your summer planning time to develop your own Theory of Action for the upcoming year? Share your thoughts in the comments!