Welcome to Sunday Funday, where we bring calm amid the chaos.

Jane started her morning preparing for walkthroughs. Just before she entered the classroom, a counselor came across the walkie talkie with an urgent question about an IEP. Moments later, a student in crisis needed her support outside the office. As she worked to calm the situation, she watched the clock inch toward the manifestation determination meeting scheduled for 9:30. Then came the next problem: a substitute had not arrived, leaving Mr. Heverly’s math class uncovered. Meanwhile, her unread emails continued to climb.

It wasn’t even 9:00.

The walkthroughs still happened, but her mind was nowhere near the classroom. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but the constant pull toward other issues was deafening.

This is the reality for many school leaders. They are not struggling because they lack commitment or the desire to be a great leader. They are struggling because several high-stakes responsibilities and issues are competing for the same limited attention.

IEPs represent legal and moral commitments. Teacher evaluations represent professional-growth commitments. Student concerns represent human commitments. They all matter, but they cannot all receive equal access to every minute of the day.

When everything is treated as the priority, leadership becomes a series of interrupted responsibilities. The leader works all day but leaves wondering whether anything truly moved forward.

Principal Kafele asks school leaders to consider the instructional value they bring to the teachers they supervise. That question becomes difficult to answer when noninstructional demands consume the role. His broader challenge is equally important: Is the leadership team functioning as an actual team, or merely as individuals managing disconnected assignments?

This Is How Leaders Go for Great

Great leaders define their roles before their responsibilities define them.

Complete a Role Reality Check by sorting your work into three categories:

Only I can do this: Formal evaluations, sensitive decisions, required meetings, and leadership conversations.

I must oversee this: Work that needs your accountability, but not your constant involvement.

Someone else can own this: Tasks that can be delegated with clear expectations and appropriate support.

This is not about avoiding responsibility. It is about protecting your ability to fulfill it.

The Sunday Shift: Your Next Move

Write one sentence that defines your highest contribution:

“The greatest value I bring to this school is __________.”

Then examine your calendar. Does it reflect that answer?

The work of leadership doesn’t get easier, but you can get better at it.

Our upcoming Leadership Mastermind brings together growth-minded school leaders for honest conversations, practical strategies, and the kind of accountability that turns good intentions into better leadership.

If you’re ready to stop merely carrying the work and start getting better at leading it, this opportunity is for you.

Reply “Table” for further details. Don’t miss the chance to invest in yourself.