Storytelling is not a soft skill; it’s a leadership superpower

May 15, 2025

I recently enjoyed re-connecting with a cousin my age with whom I shared a close relationship more than fifty years ago. He lost his wife in January to a car hijacking gone wrong (in Brisbane!). We spent days telling each other our personal and professional stories. Powerful, unique, first hand, reflections full of nuance and detail which bridged the years and recreated that strong bond. It got me thinking.

Some years ago, I was part of a Microsoft initiative which connected our school to one in Finland and one in Colombia. The company created a seven-minute video telling the story of each school and they did so by following the day in the life of one learner at each school. The cameraman was in our learner’s home in Mangaung, in the packed rattling taxi taking her to school, among her friends and in class. There’s surely no better way to view a school’s ethos than through the eyes, words, actions and attitude of a learner. If you’re watching the video version of this letter, you’re seeing Mantele Senoge as a Gr9 learner in 2011 and getting engaged in London in 2024.

The best educators, entertainers, elders and preachers are master storytellers. I’d like to delve into the idea of the principal as storyteller. Think about it: if you’re not telling the school’s daily or weekly stories, then someone else is.

Speaking and storytelling are crafts that require structure, technique and consistent practice. Suzan Hart, who regards herself a mindset mentor, says that storytelling is not a soft skill, it’s a leadership superpower. Gallagher and Thordarson, the communication experts say that you can either push information out or pull people in with a story.

Allow me to share with you, as personal examples, simple very short true stories which I have used many times in letters and speeches to make an important point. As a storytelling principal you are sharing a part of yourself, your vulnerability, your personality. You are engendering trust.
When my daughter, Kristina, graduated, I plonked myself in the front row of that great hall at UCT. ‘Dad, you’re not the principal’. I know. But my life has been a front row seat wherever promise and potential, through dedication, rigour and grit, become life-changing performance. You have a very special front row seat with a view of every face in your school.

I remember finishing my first Midmar Mile, the biggest open water swim in the world. I swam alongside a colleague. After 400 metres and about 40 litres, I said to her, That’s it. I’m out of here.’ And she looked at me as if I was in Gr 8 and shouted, ‘Listen. Shut up and swim.’ Like so many others (three bus loads) I only swam that Mile because a charismatic, unforgettable teacher had inspired us to commit to something we didn’t think possible at the time. It taught us all a life lesson.

The point is that stories are not just told, they’re carefully crafted for maximum impact, humour and memorability. Personal stories reveal your personality and engender trust. I promise you that your teachers will forget the meetings and the report remarks, but they’ll remember and retell the stories. And, as you can see, they don’t need to be long.

Stories build connection. Stories make strategy stick. Stories Inspire action.

Imagine committing a school to participating in a run/walk? It can be planned carefully with multiple rounds of a route around the school block or even just a street or two with the support of traffic wardens, police, paramedics, celebrities, etc. Can you encourage and succeed in getting 100% participation? Yes, with the right story.

Yes, you can compare the distance to any life challenge; put your minds to making it work; get teachers and parents on board; include the route community; the school’s sponsors. Call it ‘Stride for Success’ or ‘Unity Run’ or ‘Fit for Future’ or ‘Mandela Day Freedom Walk’. Or give it a theme: ‘Building Resilience One Step at a Time’. It might be topical to sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. The ideas are endless. Telling the story right makes all the difference to any project.

You have so many stories of learners with incredible resilience, others with great compassion or creativity or neatness or just amazing loyalty to their school. Their stories reflect your school’s values and your vision. As a master storyteller, you encourage your teachers and learners to tell theirs.

But remember, keep your staffroom or assembly story brief, visual and punchy. Headteacher Jan Scotland: ‘If it can’t be told in the time it takes to make a cup of tea, it’s not a story – it’s a sermon.

Paul
Coach/Mentor
The Principals Academy Trust

No: 07/25
15 May 2025

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English Newsletter
Storytelling is not a soft skill, it’s a Leadership SUPERPOWER.

What do you bring to our school? 

May 6, 2025

When school leaders set out to fill an important teacher vacancy, they look for three critical requirements. The first, in say a Mathematics teacher, is a clearly evident ability to master both the content and the delivery of either primary or high school Mathematics.  

The second is an experienced assessment by stakeholder representatives (staff and parents) of the candidate’s likelihood to relate well with learners (and colleagues) in order to bring out the best in them. 

The above requirements are simply non-negotiable. If they are not evident then the search for a suitable candidate intensifies.  

The third requirement is the heading above. ‘What will you bring to your classroom and to our school?’ It’s a question asked in some form or other in every interview. There’s no memo here except for substance, sincerity, dedication and individuality. I could include creativity, innovation and relevance, but it’s simply a question of adding value. 

It’s a question principals should pose regularly to new and seasoned members of their management team. What do you bring to the leadership of our school? It should invite us to pause, reflect and recommit to our core purpose. 

A professional coach wouldn’t simply ask a school leader ‘What do you bring to the role?’ Correctly, the question would be phrased: ‘What unique strengths and perspectives would you bring to the SMT or staffroom?’ Or ‘How would you leverage your skills and experiences to drive positive impact as a head of department in your school?’ 

As principals, we don’t just bring policies and programmes, we bring an unwavering belief in the potential of every child, the resilience to face challenges head-on and the vision to light the way forward for teachers and learners. 

We all stand in awe of great teachers we have known who made their mark on so many. I look back at a biology specialist teacher who added value by bringing a pride in his profession to his classroom which he turned into a laboratory. Always ready, always with an explanatory video; technology pre-checked and seamless. He was a part-time Education lecturer, and every lesson highlighted a skilled master at work. 

I look back at a mother and daughter team of Mathematics teachers. The former brought a demanding level of expectation – nothing but your best – to every lesson of the year, while the latter instilled an academic discipline which, in effect, shaped her class into an attentive, focused and involved collective space. Every second counted. 

Too often it’s about what we brought (in the past tense) to our classrooms, with teachers stuck in a state of apathy which paralyses schools and robs them of expertise, experience and commitment. Our classrooms need consistency with teachers who are there to greet learners with a businesslike firmness and engage them professionally till the last period of the year. That consistent rigour earns invaluable respect. 

In 2025, AI helps us search for answers which would have taken us hours to research. Using the question above I ‘fashioned’ the next two paragraphs: 

The famous Canadian education thinker, Michael Fullan, would tell principals that ‘we do not have to have all the right answers – we need to build capacity in others, create strong teams, and lead collaboratively. You are not alone in your mission. The strength of your school will lie in the strength of your people. Invest in their growth. Create a culture of shared ownership and collective efficacy’. 

Nelson Mandela would take the long walk into your staffroom and say, ‘The true character of this school is revealed in how it treats its children. As teachers, you hold the future in your hands. Your dedication, passion and patience are the sparks that ignite young minds. I urge you to continue inspiring, guiding and nurturing the leaders of tomorrow with the values of compassion, justice, and equality our nation strives for.’ 

Mike Abrams, whom nearly all of you have experienced at UCT GSB would probably say, ‘Your leadership is driven by PURPOSE – you know why you’re there, and you return to that purpose every day.’ 

I don’t ask the question posed in this newsletter lightly. I share it with you as I have a deep understanding of the ‘weight and wonder’ of modern school leadership. I have long experienced the triumphs and mistakes of principalship. Leadership in our context is not easy, but it can be powerful. Principals can bring transformation by shifting a staffroom narrative, uplifting a school community and changing the trajectory of young lives. 

Paul  

Coach/Mentor 

The Principals Academy Trust 

No: 06/25
25 April 2025

Video/Audio Links:
English Newsletter
What do you bring to our school?

Afrikaans Newsletter
Wat bring jy na ons skool?