The 7 hidden fears keeping principals from transforming their schools

Hey Ruckus Maker,

When clients write to me about their biggest challenges, the messages are strikingly similar.

Here's what landed in my inbox just this week:

"I am focused but struggling on rebuilding a school culture that has crumbled and is in ruins right now."

"I want to create a middle school climate and environment that is outside the norm and meets the needs of my students. We are too mired in the usual..."

"The hardest one for me is how to give good feedback...I struggle with do I need a form do I not need a form? How do I make sure to get into all the classrooms and make sure every teacher is receiving feedback."

“I am in my second year as an assistant principal, and I am thinking of ways to improve systems and structures on our campus that can be more efficient.”

Sound familiar?

In fact, after analyzing hundreds of messages from school leaders, here are the core challenges that keep coming up — the ones that keep you up at night:

#1 — The Isolation

"I don't want to say lonely, but lonely is the word I would use."

#2 — The Overwhelm

"All the things that you have to do as a principal, if they're not put out in a plan...what are you forgetting is one of those things that keeps you up at night."

#3 — The System

"The district wasn't seeing or hearing me. Their monthly principal meetings focused 100% on the managerial aspect of the role."

#4 — The Instructional Leadership Gap

"How do I make meaningful classroom visits and provide feedback that actually improves teaching when I'm constantly putting out fires?"

#5 — The Fear

"I was nervous at first thinking I couldn't contribute much to such accomplished leaders."

#6 — The Culture Challenge

"Before I wanted to be liked because I thought that led to trust. I needed to find my voice as a leader."

Here's what's fascinating: Whether you're a first-year assistant principal "looking for whatever leg up I can obtain" or a veteran leader seeking to "create a school filled with joy, sustainability and strong equitable outcomes" – these challenges are universal.

But there's hope. Here's what members of our community discovered after taking the leap:

"I so desperately want to be an amazing school principal that people remember forever... and I needed something to help push me in that area."

"Finding people to bounce ideas off of and refine my leadership personality — that was exactly what I was looking for."

Through our Ruckus Maker programs, we've helped thousands of principals move from:

• Isolation → Community of innovative leaders

• Chaos → Clear systems and frameworks

• Scattered feedback → Systematic instructional leadership

• Managerial tasks → Transformational leadership

• Uncertainty → Confident decision-making

• Survival mode → Strategic impact

If you're still on the fence, remember: It's okay to bet on yourself. In fact, that’s the best kind of bet you can ever make.

Doors close tomorrow and won’t open again for a year.

Keep Making a Ruckus,

Danny 

PS… "Without a plan, you're going to get lost and forget what's most important." Don't let another day go by feeling stuck in the status quo. Your school needs a leader who's ready to Make a Ruckus. Join the 90-Day Accelerator Today!