Three Questions Every School Leader Must Ask in July

July is one of those months that feels like it slips between your fingers.

You’re somewhere between soaking up the last bits of summer and bracing for what’s coming. The to-do list is growing, emails are trickling in again, and Target is already stocked with school supplies.

But here’s what I know. After years in the principal seat and now coaching leaders across the country:

If you don’t pause in July, the year will run you.

Before your calendar fills up with meetings, walkthroughs, discipline issues, and everything else that pulls you in a thousand directions, I want to invite you to stop long enough to ask yourself three honest questions.

They’re not complicated. But they’ll help you lead with something most people are missing: purpose.

1. What kind of leader do I actually want to be this year?

Not the leader people expect. Not the one your district assumes you’ll be. Not even the leader your staff thinks they need.

But the leader you feel called to be.

Because let’s be real, this role can pull you in so many directions that it’s easy to forget who you are in the process. You wake up every day doing your best, and by the end of the year, you’re left wondering how much of you actually made it into your leadership.

So, before the year starts, take a step back and ask:

• What kind of leader do I want to be?

• What does leading with purpose look like in my daily interactions?

• How do I want my school community to describe the way I show up?

When you lead from purpose, your team can feel it. It’s steady. It's consistent. It's not reactive or random, it’s rooted.

Write it down. Stick it on your wall. Revisit it when the year gets heavy and the demands get loud. Let your purpose lead, not pressure.

2. What am I doing just because I’ve always done it that way?

This one hits hard.

Every July, I’d look at my calendar and find something we were still doing just because it had been passed down year after year. A meeting, a tradition, a policy, a process. And I’d ask myself, “Is this still serving our purpose?”

Sometimes the answer was no. And I had to be brave enough to change it.

So take a look at:

• Your weekly meetings: Are they meaningful or just a check-the-box?

• Your PD days: Are they aligned to your actual school goals?

• Your events and routines: Are they adding value or just filling time?

This is where purpose-driven leadership gets practical.

Ask:

• Does this reflect our school’s mission?

• Does it move us toward who we want to become?

• Does it help us grow, connect, or live out our values?

If not, why are we still doing it?

Give yourself permission to redesign what doesn’t work. Don’t carry last year’s clutter into this one. Free up your time and your team’s energy for what really matters.

3. How will I protect time and space for what matters most?

Here’s the deal: you will always be busy. Always. There will never be a week that feels perfectly paced.

That’s why you don’t just need a plan, you need a purpose-first rhythm.

And it starts now.

July is your window to build in the habits and boundaries that help you stay grounded when things get overwhelming.

Start by asking:

• When during the week will I step away to reflect or pray?

• What’s my plan to connect with staff regularly, not just when there’s a problem?

• What do I need to protect (quiet time, family dinners, faith, margin) so I don’t run on empty?

Even if it’s just 30 minutes a week blocked off for thinking, planning, or pausing, you’re leading from purpose, not just reacting to pressure.

This is how you stay centered. This is how your leadership lasts. Purpose can’t survive if there’s no room to breathe.

You Don’t Need a Perfect Plan. You Just Need Purpose.

Let go of the pressure to have it all figured out by August 1. Your leadership is not measured by how many binders you’ve prepped or how detailed your staff agenda is.

It’s measured by your purpose and your willingness to return to it again and again.

So here’s a quick recap:

1. What kind of leader do I actually want to be this year?
2. What am I doing just because I’ve always done it that way?
3. How will I protect time and space for what matters most?

These aren’t checklist questions. They’re compass questions.

They help you course-correct before the rush. They help you lead a school that’s not just functioning, but flourishing. Because schools don’t become places of growth and belonging by accident, it starts with a principal who’s clear on what matters most, and isn’t afraid to live it out.