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- Leaders who play it safe don’t make history
Leaders who play it safe don’t make history
Danny Bauer
May 22, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
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THE RUCKUS MAKER ADVANTAGE
What if trusting your gut was the most strategic move?
A principal in our mastermind had an interesting hot seat that I think you’d benefit from unpacking with me.
She kept circling back to the same tension:
“I want to be bold — but I also want to follow the ‘right’ steps.”
You’ve been there. So have I.
The group touched on everything: open door policies, setting boundaries, giving feedback, saying NO, staying in your Zone of Genius.
But the through line?
Trust.
Not in data. Not in district initiatives.
In yourself.
The Shift
Most school leaders were trained to override their instincts.
Follow the binder. Keep the peace. Do what’s expected.
But Ruckus Makers weren’t built to comply.
They were built to create.
Real leadership starts when you stop waiting for permission and start trusting what you already know.
One person in the group nailed it: “The system is designed to create administrators. Not leaders.”
That’s why I’m always pulling on two opposite ends of the leadership spectrum.
On one side are Play-It-Safe-Principals. They protect the Status Quo. They are really good at being an administrator. Everything they learned can be found in a manual.
Ruckus Makers on the other hand …
Well, they are visitors from the future showing us how education can one day be. There’s no manual for that. What is needed is Leadership and Innovation.
Here’s how to do it.
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