Episode Details

In this week’s Monday Matters, Jen and Will talk about the challenge of the work of any educator, in knowing you are making a meaningful impact, not just a good impression.

Upcoming Events

If you’re going to be in St George, Utah, February 12-14, 2025, let Jen know as she’s speaking at the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals. 

Will is scheduled in Miami, Florida, January 15-18, 2024, at the SAM’s National Conference, and also at two Assistant Principal conferences with CLAS on January 22 and January 28, 2025, in Alabama. 

Below are some further thoughts from Will’s notes he and Jen discussed in the show:

From Will Parker:

Impact vs Impression

The other day, I returned from an education conference, and I felt unsettled. The conference was enjoyable, and my presentation was well-received. Afterwards, I talked to many principals who told me they were encouraged my presentation from my book Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator. I took lots of photos with leaders who asked me to sign their books. 

In some ways, the experience was everything I could have hoped for. The room was interactive, engaged, and friendly. The learning was collaborative. At the end of the event, however, I was left wondering: did I make an impact?

Later in the week, I was talking to fellow podcaster, and former principal John Mihaylo, a guest on my podcast. At the end of the recording, we were reflecting on our individual work as coaches and consultants. 

He was talking about a conversation he had with a guest, Jason Kurtis, who had a talent for attracting volunteers. His lesson was inviting volunteers as ‘ambassadors’ for your school versus volunteers for your school. As a result, he said that Jason never ran short of people willing to jump to help at any school activity or fundraiser.

While John and I were talking, I was reflecting on the unique contrast between the terms volunteer and ambassador. 

The first emphasizes a sacrifice while the latter emphasizes an invested contribution or identity. That led us to talk about the difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘engagement’. Involvement describes being present. Engagement describes being all-in or actively investing in the moment.

For some reason, the light bulb came on for me as I thought about feedback from leaders with whom I work. Their feedback is often helpful in knowing the impression I’ve made. What is harder to measure is my impact. 

Whatever season you are in as a leader, my guess is that you sometimes wonder the same: Am I really making an impact? 

I often tell educators who are interviewing for a new position to think of themselves as a consultant rather than a candidate. A candidate is trying to win a competition. A consultant is trying to add value and help someone else grow through their contributions.

The same can be said in the work we do as leaders. Anyone can make a good impression with enough practice. We should care about treating others with politeness, professionalism, and excellence. Those qualities, however, are not a substitute for helping others reflect, grow, and improve.

If making a meaningful impact versus a good impression is important to you, keep the following in mind:

1. Discover what needs or challenges someone is wrestling with, and try to understand that challenge with open-ended questions. 

Ask follow-ups like: What is the real challenge here for you? If you could have what you want, what would that look like?

2. Reframe the challenges others are having with powerful paraphrasi