How Administrators Can Keep Their Morale Up

I learned very quickly as a school administrator that leadership is lonely, largely because of the demand of giving: the constant attention to improving school performance through rigorous coaching and development of staff, the daily time-consuming work of student management and improving school culture, not to mention managing the maintenance issues, budgetary constraints, and staffing needs that arise. As a result, many school leaders protect the morale of everyone else—often at the expense of their own. Every step a school leader makes sends signals to staff, which can be a lot of pressure!

Over the years, I have discovered that it is possible to maintain a positive morale for your school staff while simultaneously sustaining your own. Make no mistake, maintaining high morale is not about being perfect or faking happiness. Instead, it’s about being in a mental space rooted in a discipline of confidence and clarity of sound decision-making.

Decision-making with confidence

School leaders make countless decisions each day, some more significant than others. Every school leader faces the challenge of doubt, asking themselves: Did I make the right decision? or Was there another outcome that would’ve been more beneficial? or Was I clear in my communication and expectations?

These are just a few of the questions that run through my mind on my daily ride home, and after I go through this healthy line of questioning, I often realize that the decisions I made were, to my understanding, in the best interest of all stakeholders, regardless of others’ opinions. Reflection is essential to my decision-making process. As a leader, I start with these core tenets: Did I gather all the relevant facts, consider all possible outcomes, and come to the best conclusion in the best interest of the school? Rehearsing this in my mind enables me to be at peace every day and sleep well at night, no matter how difficult the decision.  

Power of Community

One of the best decisions I made as a school leader was joining a professional networking community. As a young leader, I questioned the validity of such communities, viewing them as a waste of time, cliquish, and even shallow. In contrast, I’ve discovered the right community to be affirming and informative.

I recall attending a biannual networking dinner for administrators that occurred a week before spring break. As everyone stood to introduce themselves, the resounding message was how difficult a week it had been. Having had a difficult week also, I was encouraged to know I was not alone in the challenges I faced. Throughout the night, we helped one another find solutions to our challenges. I instantly realized that leading in silos is unhealthy in leadership and mentally exhausting.

The energy radiating from the community reinvigorated me, carrying me through spring break and the remainder of the school year. Being in proximity with the networking community allowed me to perceive my experiences differently and enabled me to be more accepting and open to challenges. Well into my tenure as a school leader, I am proud to be a part of two professional communities that provide a unique perspective that keeps my morale high.

Every victory matters

Keep a log of accomplishments. I have had days so difficult that I second-guessed whether continuing as a leader was best. When the emotional flood subsided, I reflected on the accomplishments I had achieved since accepting the position. I now keep a running log of major successes as a reminder, specifically during tough times, of the meaningful impact that my work has made on the students, staff, and community at large under my leadership.

The sole purpose of the log is to remind myself that I was selected with a unique skill set to make a meaningful impact on the community. I continue striving forward, which pushes me to assess the yearly goals I have created for the school. I am reminded that the work is not finished, and neither am I.

Celebrate the wins. It is impossible to go through a school day without receiving bad news. In fact, wins are often hard to come by as an administrator, so the wins we do get must be held in high regard. For example, I remember providing a teacher with feedback during a post-evaluation meeting. I left believing the meeting was positive, but I was unsure whether the teacher felt the same. A few weeks later, the teacher came to me excited, stating that the feedback I gave really worked. They expressed how the students responded to the implementation and the positive academic impact they had seen in just a short time.

That win left me feeling validated, fulfilled, and motivated. What was most valuable was the trust I gained as staff learned that my observations were not about checking boxes or viewing the classroom through a punitive lens, but were approached as a way to develop teacher praxis.

As leaders, we tend to have a negative bias, where the negative moments live longer in our heads than the positive moments. Undeniably, we will all experience doubt, and that doubt can be a healthy gauge. Doubt can be a strong barometer to avoid overconfidence and force leaders to be reflective.

Maintaining a positive morale is an intentional process that begins with a mindset, includes action of being in a professional community, and entails looking for moments to celebrate. These three moves create a frequency that blocks out doubt and increases the volume of a leader’s attributes that maintain a consistent rhythm of high morale for school leaders.