Hey Reader!

Yesterday I talked to 3 school leaders: two on calls and one I ran into at a bris.

In all those convos, the feeling of this time of year came up--the finish line is in sight, yet the to-do list feels unending.

End of year testing, field trips, graduations, ceremonies, staff plans changing for next year suddenly....

plus we've caught Knicks fever over here, and the NBA finals are keeping me up wayyyy past my bedtime. (Worth it but wow I am tired.)

Some of you have ended the school year weeks ago, others have weeks left, many of you in between.

With so much going through your head right now, I wanted to take a beat and give you a minute to remind you:

One of the most valuable things you can do at this time of year is pause and reflect.

Feels hard (almost impossible!) but it's so essential.

Any leader who's been in the game for a minute knows that the transition between school years is one of the most valuable windows you have — not for planning (I mean, yes, that is great) but for actually reflecting on what just happened. What worked. What didn't. And my personal favorite: what you want to be different this time next year.

The problem is that reflection has a way of getting squeezed out by everything else. You close out one year and you're already mentally in August. The to-do's ares are unrelenting.

So before you get there — I want to offer you a few questions. Not a formal process. Not a worksheet. Just some honest questions worth sitting with, even if it's just for fifteen minutes with a cup of coffee.

You can bookmark or flag this for later, print it out for when you have a minute or can take it out in the sun--maybe it's perfect timing right now or maybe it's better for you the last week in June.

What actually worked this year--and why?

Really think about this in an expansive way--not just in terms of what goals you hit (those are great, but not the whole story) but also--what were specific moments where you made a tough call, led through challenges, built culture in a moment where it could have frayed. Give yourself some credit here and perhaps even a literal pat on the back!

Where you most stretched thin--and what would need to happen for this to change?

Acknowledging where the burn happens and where the pressure was on can help you think about: should this be yours to carry? Is there a system, some delegating, some upskilling or a structural shift that could make things different next school year? Or is this just the cost of the role as it is currently designed--and is that okay with you, or are the tweaks that could help it get a little better?

What do you keep tolerating you don't want to bring into next year?

We all have the things we overlook because there's something more urgent--but it can be helpful at this time of year to name it. I don't want any more of this talking behind people's backs. I'm tired of people naming problems without solutions. I am sick of making up for metaphorical fires during the days by working late nights.

Where and when do you feel like your best leader self--and how can you get more of that?

This one might feel like a luxury question. It isn't. The version of you that's most effective is usually also the version that's most energized. Worth figuring out when that showed up and what made it possible.

If you could pick one thing that was meaningfully different by this time next year, what would it be?

I know, you want to make a list and I get it, me too. Even if you cheat this question and make a list of your top 3 or 5 changes, put it in order--what's #1? What matters most? What is the one thing that if it shifted would make the biggest difference to your team, your organization, or to you.

That last question is the gold mine, because clarity about what you want to be different is actually the starting point for everything. It's hard to build toward something you haven't named.

You've done a lot this year. Take a beat to acknowledge it — and then get honest about what you actually want next year to look like.

I'd love to hear what comes up for you. Hit reply and tell me — what's the one thing you want to be different? I read and write back to every response and I truly would love to know.

Take care and go Knicks,

Beth

p.s. If this makes you think "honestly, I'm not even sure where to start", that's useful data. I offer complimentary Leadership Systems Diagnostics with leaders to help in exactly this situation--apply here if you're interested.