I’ll never forget my first day as a superintendent.
It was July 2nd, 2007. I walked into the office, sat down at the desk, and looked around like I was waiting for someone to give me instructions. No one did. I checked the time. 8:00 a.m. sharp. Then I thought to myself: “What the hell do I do now?”
I had no idea how to be a superintendent.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do…I wandered down to the high school. Because I did know how to be a high school principal.
And that’s the thing no one tells you: leadership roles don’t come with instruction manuals. Titles change overnight, but identity doesn’t. You don’t just wake up one morning knowing how to lead differently because someone changed the nameplate on your door.
Becoming the Job Before You Know How to Be the Job
Eventually, I figured it out. I learned how to be a superintendent. Not through a training manual or a PowerPoint. Through colleagues. Through mentors. Through a healthy mix of missteps and moments of clarity. Experience taught me, as it always does.
But what I’ve come to believe is this: each time we step into a new role, we unconsciously begin to build a persona for it. We construct an internal story of what we think this job is, how someone in this role should talk, act, decide, respond. That persona, the story we tell ourselves about what the job is, becomes the framework we operate from.
And if we’re not aware of the persona we’re building, we risk creating a version of the job that’s reactive, misaligned, or even unsustainable.
So the question becomes: How do we shape that persona with intention rather than default?
Three Questions to Clarify the Job Before It Consumes You
Let’s say you’re a brand-new high school principal. Here’s a simple reflection exercise to help you proactively shape your leadership identity before the job defines it for you.
1. What is the purpose of high school in our society?
Start big. Think at 30,000 feet. What role should high school play in the lives of students, in the community it serves, and in the broader society? Your answer becomes your compass.
2. What is the job of a high school principal?
Zoom in. Consider both the managerial tasks (the stuff that keeps the lights on) and the leadership responsibilities (the stuff that lights people up). What is the real work of this role?
3. How did you actually spend your day yesterday?
Now, get granular. Mentally walk through your last workday from the moment you stepped out of your car to the moment you got back in it. List the conversations, decisions, tasks, and time drains. Then…
Place it all on the Eisenhower Matrix…urgent vs. important.
Where you spend your time on that grid tells a pretty accurate story of the persona you’re already building. It reveals what you’re prioritizing, what you’re avoiding, and how aligned your actions are with the purpose you defined.
Alignment Is Everything (And Misalignment Is Exhausting)
Here’s one more layer that matters…maybe more than any of the others: Does your leadership persona align with the culture of the school, the vision of your superintendent, and the needs of your students?
Here’s a truth: you could build the most principled, well-crafted leadership persona in the world…but if it’s out of step with the place you lead, it will create tension. And not the good kind.
It’s that misalignment that quietly eats away at your confidence and energy. You start questioning everything. You burn out not because you’re incapable but because you’re trying to lead in a way the system isn’t ready to receive.
So do the inner work early. Ask better questions. Name your assumptions. Build your leadership persona with intention…not ego.
And most importantly? Give yourself grace on Day 1. Even if you find yourself at your new desk thinking, “What the hell do I do now?” That question might just be the most honest and useful place to start.