The Story Matters

“Every school already has a story. Great leaders understand it before trying to change it.”

Good leaders communicate the school improvement plan. They explain priorities, establish expectations, and keep staff informed about progress.

Great leaders recognize that the story of improvement begins long before the plan is written. They listen to the stories people tell, plant seeds for change, and help staff see what's possible before formally introducing a new direction.

They understand something important: The stories people tell about their school both reveal its culture and help shape it.

Every School Already Has a Story

Spend a little time in almost any school, and you'll begin hearing stories.

"Our kids just aren't motivated."

"We've tried that before. It never works here."

"Our teachers always find a way."

"When we work together, we can accomplish anything."

These statements may sound like casual comments, but they reveal something much deeper.

They reflect beliefs about students, colleagues, leadership, and what's possible. Over time, those beliefs influence how people respond to challenges, approach their work, and engage in improvement.

In other words, the stories people tell are windows into school culture.

And the relationship works both ways. Our culture influences the stories we tell, while the stories we repeatedly hear reinforce our collective beliefs.

This is why principals need to pay attention to the stories circulating throughout their buildings.

Not simply because those stories reveal how people feel, but because they help determine what people believe is possible.

The Work Begins Before the Plan

We often approach school improvement as a linear process: analyze the data, identify priorities, develop a plan, communicate the plan, begin implementation.

But effective leadership rarely works that neatly.

Long before an improvement plan is finalized, great principals are already leading change.

They're having conversations with influential teachers. They're asking questions that challenge existing assumptions. They're listening to concerns and helping people recognize opportunities for improvement.

They're also sharing stories.

Perhaps a teacher team has found a promising way to support struggling students. Maybe a colleague has successfully implemented a practice others believe won't work. Or perhaps a student has demonstrated remarkable growth because someone approached a challenge differently.

Great leaders recognize these moments and use them to help others imagine what's possible.

They're planting seeds for change before formally introducing the change itself.

Importantly, this isn't about convincing people to support a predetermined decision.

It's about building shared understanding, creating opportunities for dialogue, and allowing those conversations to shape the eventual direction.

Sometimes the most important thing a principal does before developing an improvement plan is help people begin telling a different story about their school.

Storytelling Is Leadership Enactment

In our previous blog, we introduced the concept of Leadership Enactment: the intentional leadership practices, decisions, and routines that turn improvement plans into sustained organizational action.

But Leadership Enactment doesn't begin when the planning ends.

It begins when leaders recognize what their school needs and take intentional actions to move improvement forward.

This connects to my doctoral research on the cognitive resources underlying effective school leadership practices. That work reinforced the importance of problem-solving, systems thinking, and understanding the conditions within a school. Effective leadership isn't simply knowing which practices matter. It's recognizing when, why, and how to enact those practices within a particular context.

Storytelling provides a powerful example.

Two principals might both understand the importance of communicating a shared vision.

One presents the school's improvement priorities at a faculty meeting.

The other has spent weeks listening to staff, understanding their concerns, sharing examples of success, and helping people recognize why improvement is necessary.

Both principals communicated.

But the second principal used leadership judgment to prepare the organization for change.

The difference isn't just what the leader communicates. It's how, when, and why the leader chooses to communicate it.

Great Leaders Help People See the Change

Once the improvement plan is developed, storytelling becomes equally important.

Schools are busy places. Teachers are focused on their classrooms, students, and the countless demands of daily work.

Meaningful improvement may be happening, but people don't always recognize it.

A teacher team begins collaborating more effectively. Students demonstrate greater ownership of their learning. A struggling student makes progress because of a new instructional approach.

These moments matter.

Great leaders connect them to the school's larger improvement journey. They help people recognize that the work is producing results, that their efforts matter, and that meaningful change is possible.

But, effective storytelling isn't simply about celebrating success.

Sometimes leaders need to acknowledge setbacks, confront difficult realities, and help people understand what the organization is learning.

The most powerful stories are authentic. They help people make sense of both progress and challenges.

Over time, those stories influence how teachers understand their collective work and what they believe they can accomplish together.

The Principal as Chief Storyteller

In a forthcoming article for Principal magazine, Rob Hunter and I explore why principals must become the chief storytellers of their schools.

The idea isn't that principals need to become polished public speakers or master entertainers.

It's that leaders have an important responsibility to influence the stories people hear and tell about their schools.

Those stories shape beliefs. Beliefs influence behavior. And behavior ultimately determines whether improvement becomes reality.

Great principals listen carefully to understand the existing story, engage others in imagining a different future, and continually reinforce the experiences that demonstrate progress.

They don't manufacture a positive narrative or ignore legitimate challenges.

They help their school develop a truthful, shared understanding of where it has been, where it's going, and what people are accomplishing together.

The Bottom Line

A school improvement plan is important, but the work of leading improvement begins before the plan is written and continues long after implementation starts.

Good leaders communicate the plan for improvement. Great leaders help shape the story that makes improvement possible.

They understand that changing school practices often requires changing what people believe about their students, their colleagues, and themselves.

And that work begins by listening to the stories already being told.

Reflection Question

If you spent the next week listening to the stories your teachers tell about your school, what would those stories reveal about your culture?

And what stories would you want them telling a year from now?