Why Are We Doing This? The Question That Should Guide Every School Leader

If people in your building can’t answer why something is happening—then it’s just noise.

That’s one of the hardest and most important lessons I’ve learned as a school leader, head of school, and now coach: every decision, every program, every meeting, every conversation—must have a purpose. And that purpose has to be clear, consistent, and connected to the heart of your school.

Not once a year. Not just on the vision slide in August. Every day.

Because when purpose isn’t driving your leadership, you will default to pressure, tradition, or confusion. And when your team doesn’t understand the why behind what they’re being asked to do? You’ll feel the tension—in their tone, in their trust, in their effort.

Leading with purpose isn’t a leadership style. It’s a leadership standard. And it changes everything.

Purpose Starts With Mission and Values—But It Can’t Stay There

I’ve helped write mission statements. I’ve been in rooms where we defined the vision and circled up around core values. That’s important work. But writing it down isn’t enough.

If purpose only lives in your handbook or on your school website, no one’s really leading with it.

The real test is whether that mission, vision, and those core values are actually alive in your school. Do they show up in your systems? In your priorities? In the way people feel when they walk your campus?

Purpose starts with those foundational pieces—but it has to keep showing up in your day-to-day leadership. It’s not a one-time conversation. It’s the conversation that keeps guiding all the others.

I’ve Learned to Ask “Why Are We Doing This?”—Constantly

This is the question I come back to again and again.

Why are we holding this meeting?
Why are we hosting this event?
Why are we using this schedule?
Why are we still doing this program?
Why am I asking my teachers to do this new thing?

If I can’t answer that clearly—or if the answer doesn’t connect back to our mission and values—then I know something needs to shift.

It’s so easy to run schools on tradition, habit, and urgency. But that’s how schools end up doing too much, with too little impact.

When you start filtering everything through purpose, it changes how you plan, how you lead, and how people experience your school.

Talk About Purpose Out Loud. Often.

One of my biggest leadership mistakes was assuming people just knew the why. They didn’t.

So I started saying it. Before meetings. During decision-making. In feedback conversations. In hallway chats.

“Here’s why we’re doing this.”
“This connects back to what we said we value.”
“We’re taking this step because it helps us build the kind of culture we want.”

And I didn’t just say it once—I said it often. Because clarity doesn’t come from a single announcement. It comes from consistency.

The more I said it, the more my staff started saying it too. We started making stronger decisions. Letting go of things that didn’t fit. And aligning everything—from field trips to walkthroughs—with who we said we wanted to be.

I Started Looking at Everything Through a Purpose Filter

Here’s how that looked in practice:

Meetings
We stopped meeting just to meet. Every agenda item had to connect to our goals and values. If it didn’t, we cut it.

Events
We asked, “What’s the goal here?” If an event wasn’t building community, honoring students, or connecting with families—it got redesigned or removed.

Discipline
We stopped asking, “What’s the consequence?” and started asking, “What’s the purpose of this conversation?” It became about restoring, not just reacting.

Communication
Newsletters, staff emails, announcements—they weren’t just for updates. They became a way to reinforce culture and bring people back to our shared purpose.

This wasn’t about perfection. It was about alignment. And that alignment made our school feel more connected, more consistent, and more focused.

Purpose Isn’t Pressure—It’s Permission

Some leaders hear all this and think, I don’t have time to layer in one more thing.

But purpose doesn’t add pressure—it actually gives you permission to simplify.

It helps you say no without guilt.
It helps you make faster decisions because you have a framework.
It helps your team trust you, because they can see your decisions aren’t random—they’re rooted.

When your team knows what matters, they stop guessing.
When your students know what matters, they rise to it.
When your families know what matters, they lean in and support it.

Purpose brings everyone to the table—and keeps you all headed in the same direction.

A Quick Leadership Self-Check

At the end of the week, I ask myself three simple questions. These help me stay aligned:

Where did I lead with purpose this week?
Where did I drift into routine or reaction?
What needs to be re-centered around our purpose next week?

It’s not about getting it all right. It’s about noticing and adjusting. That’s what purpose-driven leadership looks like.

Final Thoughts

There will always be more to do. More problems to solve. More plates spinning.

But when you lead with purpose, you’re not just keeping up—you’re building something that matters.

Your job isn’t to do everything. It’s to make sure everything that’s being done connects to the “why” behind your school.

So before you head into another week, try this:
Look at your calendar. Your systems. Your priorities.
Ask yourself: Why are we doing this?
And if the answer isn’t clear—pause, reset, and realign.

Because when you lead with purpose, people don’t just follow your plans.
They follow your clarity.

And that’s the kind of leadership our schools need more than ever.