In the dynamic world of education, effective leadership is the cornerstone of a thriving school environment. As a principal, your ability to lead influences not only the administrative aspects but also the academic success and well-being of your students and staff. Drawing inspiration from renowned leadership expert John Maxwell, this guide explores actionable strategies to enhance your leadership skills and foster a positive school culture.

1. Understanding the Five Levels of Leadership

John Maxwell outlines a progressive model known as the “Five Levels of Leadership,” which serves as a roadmap for personal and professional growth:

• Level 1: Position – Leadership by title; people follow because they have to.
• Level 2: Permission – Leadership through relationships; people follow because they want to.
• Level 3: Production – Leadership by example; people follow because of what you’ve accomplished.
• Level 4: People Development – Leadership by empowerment; people follow because of what...

By Dr. Tom Miller

When school leaders come to me feeling stuck—burned out, frustrated, or unsure why their team isn’t delivering—I often ask one question:

“Where might you be leading from assumption instead of intention?”

It’s a game-changer.

Because here’s the truth: assumptive leadership is everywhere, and it’s silently destroying school culture, team morale, and leadership effectiveness.

What is Assumptive Leadership?

It’s when we assume our staff knows what to do—because they were hired, because they have experience, or because we told them once.

We assume:

• They’re good at what we’re good at.

• They’re motivated by what motivates us.

• They see the school the way we see it.

But they don’t.
And when we lead from assumption, the fallout is real: misalignment, miscommunication, unmet expectations, and a culture of frustration.

I’ve Been There

When I was a principal, I’d spend hours reading articles and curating resources on school leadership and improvemen...

Leadership is rewarding—but it’s not easy. Even the best school and business leaders hit plateaus, get overwhelmed, or start to feel isolated.

I know I have. I've felt stuck many times and feeling stuck really stinks. 

It wasn't until I hired a coach in 2014 did I begin to not just change, but transform my thinking, which accelerated my results. I can barely remember the Tom of 2019, let alone, the Tom of 2014. 

Here are 10 quick signs it might be time to bring a coach into your corner:

1. You’re constantly reacting instead of leading with intention.
2. You make big decisions alone—with no one to process them with.
3. You have a vision, but your team isn’t moving with clarity or urgency.
4. You’re tired of putting out fires and want to build something lasting.
5. You’re repeating the same meetings, conversations, or mistakes.
6. You’re unsure how to grow or empower the leaders around you.
7. You want accountability to focus on what really matters.
8. You’ve hit a personal or professional plateau.
...

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The issue is, you are not always sure when that first impression is going to happen. 

Over a 30 day span, pretty much every public and private school will open. Over a million students and families will enter a new school. Everyone will be meeting their new teacher. 

So when will that first impression occur? 

I believe that when you are standing in the frame, it is hard to see the full picture. 

Here is what I mean. When you are immersed IN the school business every day, you can sometimes become less aware of the "little things". The little things are what matter most to your guest, and they quickly become BIG things. 

Just a few years ago, I was consulting for a charter school. I had been there multiple times but never really felt welcome. 

I asked the head of school if they had ver walked into the building through the eyes and ears of a guest? Someone who is looking to enroll their child or drop off a job application? 

This month marks a significant milestone for us at Leaders Building Leaders as we kick off our tenth year in business. Established in April 2014, I led the company's first retreat around the second week of July that year. We are proud of the impact we've made over the past decade and remain dedicated to empowering leaders and fostering excellence.

To celebrate, each week I am going to highlight one of our school's in our Empowered Executives: Inner Circle. The Inner Circle is a weekly virtual mastermind made up of public charter school principals, directors, and other administrators. They come together to share breakthroughs, gain advice, strategy and new perspectives from leaders in their positions. 

The first school I desire to highlight is The Expedition School (TES) in Hillsborough, North Carolina. When I wrote my book on high performing charter schools, the chapter on a Healthy School Culture Conducive for Learning, it was a school like TES that I modeled it after. 

The Expedit...

I hope you are having a productive and restorative summer. 

As I…we ALL prepare for the upcoming school year, my teammate Lauren and I have been keeping track of where my focus goes in planning and preparation for the upcoming year. 

We wanted to share the top 10 from my list with you. 

If you have yet to get with yourself and your team and ask…

1. What went well this year?
2. What needs more focus next year?
3. What do we need to STOP doing to move forward? (Critical list!)
4. To accomplish our goals for the 2024-2025 year…what needs to be true about our behavior and actions as a team? As a staff?
5. Most import: Where do I need to grow as a leader to ensure one year from today we are in a much stronger position?

One of the BEST tools we have and I utilize often is our principal quarterly checklist.I look at it each month, and definitely each quarter to stay responsive to bigger issues. This checklist can be personalized to your school and shared as a team. My teammate Lauren organized ...

Ever see the movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy?

I love the scene where they are heading down the highway and everyone is beeping at them and yelling...you're going the wrong way...

It's more funny to see it (watch it here) 2 minutes

The sad part is...this just happened to me the other day. 

I have a lot going on right now...my mind is cluttered with emotions and tasks at hand. 

I was trying to get back to my school when suddenly I realized, I was going the wrong way. Not the wrong way on a road (like the classic scene). The opposite direction of my school. 

This is probably why I constantly use my GPS on my phone. 

In order to get from one point to another I need to know:

1. Where I am.

2. Where I am going.

If I get off track, the GPS will adjust my route. 

Wouldn't that be great to have as a school leader?

Do you ever wonder.....

How to build a GPS for your school leadership. 

How to measure where you are and create a clear destinatio...

I’ve got two amazing kids!

I am extremely blessed as they are good human beings and are way more advanced than I was at 11 or 16. Maybe even at 30!

Sometimes they do stuff, like leave their dirty dishes around, the lights on, argue, say a word out loud they shouldn’t, give attitude, bad mouth others, whatever…anything that gets my wife or I on a different emotion.

I've realized that all of the nagging to get them to do something different is pointless.

Because people don’t do what people say. People do what people see. 

That is the Law of the Picture from John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. 

I wish I had read a book or had a mentor like John Maxwell in my life in my twenties when I was a young teacher and baseball coach. I had a giant ego, a character that lacked integrity and humility, and a mouth to match. 

I recall making my JV Baseball team run and run and run when I heard them cursing or throwing equipment. Not 20 minutes later I’d be yelling at the umpire, ki...