The Power of Being Consistent When Everything Else Isn't
One thing I've learned in school leadership is that no two days are ever the same. You can walk into school with a perfectly planned day, only to have that plan completely change before the first bell rings. A teacher calls out unexpectedly, a parent needs your attention, or a student makes a poor decision that requires an immediate response. Before you know it, the day you planned is gone, and you're simply trying to keep up with everything happening around you.
That's the nature of working in education. Schools are busy places filled with people, personalities, and circumstances that we cannot always predict or control. However, I've come to believe that one of the most important things we can provide as leaders is consistency, especially when everything else seems to be changing.
When I discuss predictability in Rooted Leadership, I'm not suggesting that schools should operate the exact same way every day. That's neither realistic nor necessarily desirable. Predictability is about creating an environment where students, teachers, and families have a clear understanding of what they can expect from the people leading them. It provides a sense of stability even when circumstances are uncertain.
Think about how this plays out in our schools. Students need to know that expectations don't change depending on which adult is standing in front of them. Teachers need to know that their administrator will approach difficult situations with fairness and professionalism, regardless of what else may be happening that day. Parents need to trust that decisions are grounded in established principles rather than emotions or convenience. None of this means every situation deserves the same response, but the values guiding those responses should remain consistent.
I also think we sometimes underestimate how closely people pay attention to the way we lead. Our students and teachers notice how we respond when things go wrong. They recognize when we follow through on commitments, and they certainly notice when our actions don't align with what we've communicated. Over time, these interactions shape the level of trust people have in us. That trust isn't necessarily built through major decisions or grand gestures. More often, it's established through the ordinary interactions that take place throughout the school day.
Of course, being consistent is easier to write about than it is to practice. There are days when we're tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed by the number of decisions that need to be made. I've certainly had days when I've had to remind myself that the frustration from one situation shouldn't influence how I handle the next. Consistency requires us to be intentional about our responses and willing to hold ourselves accountable to the same expectations we communicate to everyone else.
As school leaders, we spend a great deal of time trying to create systems that help our schools operate effectively. Those systems matter, but so does the way we personally lead within them. A well-written expectation means very little if the people responsible for reinforcing it approach it differently from day to day. In many ways, our daily actions become the most visible representation of what our school truly values.
We aren't going to eliminate the unexpected challenges that come with education, and we shouldn't measure our effectiveness by whether every day goes according to plan. Instead, we should consider whether the people around us can depend on our leadership when plans inevitably change. Providing that kind of consistency is one of the most practical ways we can create the predictability, trust, and sense of belonging that our schools need.
Stay Rooted.
Dr. Tyler Watkins
