Why I Still Choose One Word Every January

Every January, I still choose one word.

I’m no longer sitting in the principal’s office, opening the year with a staff meeting or passing out markers and sticky notes. And yet, this is one practice I’ve never stopped. In fact, as a principal, coach, and school consultant, I still use it with my clients every year.

Some people have moved away from the idea of choosing a word. They say it feels overwhelming. Like one more thing to think about. One more expectation when their plates are already full.

I understand that reaction.

But that’s exactly why this practice still matters.

When I was a principal, I led this activity with my staff every January. Each person chose a word and wrote it on a small wooden Jenga block. On the other side, they added the year or a scripture reference. Those blocks found a home on desks across the building.

Over time, they became small towers. Quiet reminders sitting next to lesson plans, coffee mugs, and stacks of papers. Nothing complicated. Just one word, visible every day.

And that visibility mattered more than we realized.

Without intentionality and purpose, we lose focus. We drift in small, quiet ways over time. We react instead of respond. We stay busy without being focused. Days fill up quickly, but focus gets blurry.

The one word gave us something steady to return to.

It wasn’t a goal to chase or a resolution to measure. It didn’t ask anyone to fix everything or do more. It simply asked one question, day after day. How do I want to show up today?

Some years, my word was Growth. Growth reminded me that progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. Becoming a little better today than yesterday was enough. One stronger conversation. One wiser decision. One small adjustment. The focus wasn’t on where I ended the year, but on who I was becoming along the way.

Other years, my word was Joy. Joy didn’t mean I wanted an easy year. It was a reminder to serve with the right heart. To lead with gratitude. To bring light into spaces that felt dark and heavy. Joy shaped how I carried myself through long days and hard conversations.

Each word met me where I was, and what I wanted to focus on, not where I thought I should be.

Now, as a coach and consultant, I still do this with principals because the challenges haven’t lessened.

One word gives leaders a filter. Before we dig into systems, schedules, discipline plans, or data, the word helps them reconnect to how they want to lead, intentionally.

I still use this practice because leadership doesn’t fall apart in big moments. It unravels in small ones. In rushed responses. In reactive decisions. In conversations handled from exhaustion instead of clarity.

The word also stays when other initiatives fade. Schools launch many good ideas in January that lose momentum by spring. A single word doesn’t require a rollout or a training session. It quietly shapes habits and choices all year long.

Most importantly, the word reminds leaders that growth happens daily, not annually. Leadership isn’t built in one professional development day or one planning retreat. It’s built through small, repeated choices.

One conversation.
One response.
One habit at a time.

That’s why I still choose a word every January. And that’s why I still invite principals I coach to do the same. Make it visible where you can read it throughout the day. 

Because it simplifies, it grounds. And it keeps leaders focused on who they are becoming, not just what they are accomplishing.

If January already feels full, choose a word anyway. Choose one that feels honest. One that steadies you. One that reminds you how you want to lead.

Put it somewhere you’ll see it.

The small reminders are often the ones that make the most significant difference.