Live Well, Lead Well

President's Corner

This month's issue of School Administrator explores virtual and human connectivity — a timely topic as we continue to deal with the pandemic and the changes it is bringing about in our world and our schools.

During the past two years, we have learned new and powerful ways to connect virtually while yearning for personal contact. This month provides an opportunity for that personal contact as school district leaders connect at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn., the first large-scale gathering of school leaders in two years.

AASA’s national conference provides an excellent opportunity for professional learning and fellowship, which is critical as we lead our schools through this time of change. Not only will the conference be exemplary in terms of professional development, featuring 500 speakers, but it also will provide a much-needed boost to mental health.

As leaders, we often need to be reminded that to lead well, to serve at our highest levels, we also must be well. This is an easy sentiment to write or say, but it is much harder to put into purposeful action.

AASA recently launched a new campaign, “Live Well, Lead Well,” that focuses on “fueling your spirit” with tips, tools, resources and stories of hope and appreciation. You will hear more about this campaign in the coming weeks, especially during our time together at NCE.

I am encouraged by school leaders who are reimagining what it means to lead while also taking care of themselves. Before the holidays, more than 30 superintendents from across the country came together to learn and share on this topic. We were led by Rex Miller and Michael Lagocki, who work with leaders in the public and private sectors.

Miller focused on how we can know ourselves better (know our strengths) and use our strengths to lead effective change in our schools. He also stressed that opportunities often present themselves in times of transition. For example, community members’ heightened interest in engaging in their schools and letting their voices be heard provides an opportunity to recognize new voices as we lead the change that improves our students and our communities.

We were challenged by Miller and his work in the area of self-care for leaders. One area that particularly resonated with the superintendents in our session was his work around sleep. 

Too often, leaders who can operate on very little sleep are held up as examples to emulate. However, research tells us a very different story and reminds us that a lack of sleep is a serious impairment and prevents us from serving or leading well. Prioritizing sleep is as important as diet and exercise, and we cannot be our best if we don’t acknowledge this truth. Live Well, Lead Well.

Challenges as Opportunities

The pandemic continues to be a journey. Challenges are around every corner, but so are opportunities. As leaders, we can focus on the challenges and surrender to feelings of loss, or we can find the opportunities for change, for continuous improvement, for listening to voices we haven’t heard before. We can use these things to improve our schools so that every day we can truly meet the needs of each learner in our care.

As a part of AASA’s Live Well, Lead Well campaign, we will be providing tools for superintendents to lead effectively by using best practices from around the country. You can learn more at https://connect.aasa.org/livewellleadwell. If you have strategies that are working well, please reach out to AASA so we can include your contributions in the toolkit.

I hope to see many of you at our conference this month. As we face the challenges of 2022, remember to Live Well, Lead Well.