Stop Being the Answer: Grow the Next School Leader on Purpose
By Dr. Harold L. Wright
An assistant principal brings you a problem. You solve it. A department chair brings the next one. You solve that, too. By Friday, your calendar is full—and your team has had little room to practice making decisions.
The question is worth asking: Are you developing another leader, or becoming the approval step for every decision?
A lesson from Leading Schools That Work
In Chapter 10, I connect leadership development to protected check-ins, written goals, feedback and trusting relationships (Wright, 2026). The chapter draws on my qualitative study of one rural district, including ten interviews. That case offers practical lessons; it does not establish that those practices caused improved school outcomes.
What current research adds
Deignan and Heinz (2026) interviewed seven mentors and seven mentees in Ireland’s principal-mentoring programme. Participants described trust as depending on commitment, accessibility, confidentiality and honest support. These accounts illuminate mentoring relationships, rather than proving an effect on achievement.
Using TALIS 2018 survey data, Wiens et al. (2025) found that gaps between principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of shared leadership were associated with teacher autonomy. Leaders should check whether colleagues actually experience the authority leaders believe they have shared. The study reports associations, not causation.
Try one development conversation
The following is a practical recommendation, not a tested WCFIX intervention. Consider an illustrative assistant principal asked to improve the consistency of family communication.
1. Define the decision. Agree which communication routine the assistant principal can design and test, whom to consult, and what requires approval. Keep policy, privacy and budget boundaries explicit.
2. Coach the reasoning. Ask: What are you noticing? Whose perspective is missing? Which option do you recommend, and why? Listen before offering your solution.
3. Protect a check-in. Put a brief appointment on the calendar. Review the written goal, evidence collected and support needed. Keep developmental support distinct from formal evaluation, explaining any confidentiality limits.
4. Review the experience. Ask families and staff whether the routine is clearer. Ask the assistant principal whether decision rights were clear. Adjust the support before expanding responsibility.
For superintendents, use the same conversation with a principal. For principals, include emerging leaders beyond the colleagues who already receive every opportunity. Access to coaching should be a deliberate choice.
A useful book study ends with a leader choosing a real development goal and scheduling the next conversation. WCFIX can help your team connect that reflection to its leadership routines.
References
Deignan, N., & Heinz, M. (2026). The complex beginnings of mentoring for new school leaders: ‘It’s almost like a confession’. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432261485398
Wiens, P. D., Vongkulluksn, V., & Pan, H.-L. W. (2025). Distributed leadership: Teachers’ and principals’ perceptions match and the association with teacher work satisfaction and autonomy. AERA Open, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251350606
Wright, H. L. (2026). Leading schools that work: Practical lessons for principals, superintendents, and district leaders. Wright Consulting Future Innovation Xones LLC. https://www.wcfix.org/
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