It’s not difficult for me to know what goes on in a principal’s mind during that drive to school in the early morning. It’s a journey of calm reflection, mindfulness, a conscious bracing for what the day will bring and for every day’s difficult conversations; a picturing of all the places where the principal’s presence is expected that day, and an in-built reminder of looming deadlines.
But, what really happens, is that a choice is made; the principal in you digs deep, activates that well of resilience, fills that tank of strength and greets the janitor with the sincerity and confidence which makes the janitor think, ‘That’s my Principal.’
Teachers want a principal they trust. It’s the first requirement on their list. That confidence is earned by seeing you in action all day, every day. They get to know you; they gauge your sincerity, your professionalism, your work ethic and your compassion. You can’t fool a school. They have confidence in who you are; they respect that you are human and that you have a difficult job with tough decisions to make. How many times has a member of your school community told you that they keep you in their prayers?
As a principal you interact with different stakeholders every day and you’re taking a position on an issue with each one. You are making your school’s position clear. Whether it’s introducing a new family to the school, interviewing a prospective teacher, dealing with a serious disciplinary situation, making representation to a department official, meeting with a community leader, approaching a potential sponsor – you have a powerful message to convey with the key points imprinted in your mind and with the resolve to conclude each situation as a win-win, a positive outcome, a seed of hope.
We all know that confidence can be affected by setbacks of many kinds, but we know, too, that a confidence mindset can be developed and strengthened over time. I remember the real leadership responsibility of getting a new year or term started from the first moment. You’re out front trying to return a campus and its staffroom and classrooms to life. I used to feel the pressure and I needed that first crisis (which came in minutes) to remind myself that this is I what I do, and I do it well.
But confidence is a struggle for many lonely principals, especially when unthinking, easily influenced staff withhold support from a new principal because of staffroom immaturity which rejects change, school improvement and anything which means extra effort. This is sadly commonplace.
We strengthen our confidence by preparing properly for briefings, meetings, speeches and for important conversations. As the school’s leader, you have to have a plan and a vision for every day; you have to lead the people who make a good school work; you have to offer example and set the tone.
It helps to have a coach or mentor to lean on in developing confidence and celebrating the achievements of others in meaningful ways.
Just remember, being confident doesn’t mean you have all the answers. On the contrary, confidence gives you the mindset to easily rely on your team, to encourage diverse thinking, to attract the eventual buy-in which makes things happen. Your confidence helps you to facilitate discussion, engagement and outcomes. And be humble. Don’t make the fatal mistake of taking all the credit.
In making my point with principals I challenged them to think on their feet and respond to my scenario, instantly and confidently:
Siya Kolisi walks into your office and tells you that he has officially chosen your school for his son, and, as a parent, he puts himself at your disposal. ‘I’m telling you, use me.’ How will you use him?
The first six principals I approached had immediate, impressive, different answers.
Albert said that he wanted Siya in his staffroom to inspire his teachers, to help them to improve their skills and to work together in a winning team.
Natasha said she wanted Siya at assembly. She wanted him to share his personal story of disadvantage, talent, hard work, opportunity, success and failure.
Keriston shared that he was keen to improve participation in co-curricular activities, and he wanted Siya on his field to attract more learners to reap the benefits of exercise, commitment and teamwork.
Candice has the smallest school grounds in the Western Cape, and she wanted Siya, his sponsors and his contacts to make her dream playground come true.
Lee immediately saw a marketing opportunity and he would use Siya and his choice of school for his son to strengthen admission quality.
Ronald looked at me carefully and, without blinking, said ‘Look, this is big. I’m going to need a day to think, consult and make the best choice for my school.
But, I know Ronald, and I think he just wants to get Siya alone and ask for test tickets for the Springbok match against the Wallabies in August.
Someone, please forward this letter to Siya. How about you and I choosing a principal each and making his dream come true? Let me know.
I’m with Ronald.
Paul Cassar Coach/Mentor The Principals Academy Trust
No: 08/25
03 June 2025
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That’s my Principal
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.
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
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What do you bring to our school?
I had a unique retired principal’s weekend with an old girl’s wedding on Saturday and another’s memorial service on Sunday.
Any experienced principal knows that it’s not an ordinary life. You are the go-to leader in both the good times and the crisis times in the lives of many hundreds of families.
Even as a new principal you realise soon enough that you become a parental figure to children who live without their parents. As a male principal, and initially the only male on a big girls’ school staff, you are a father figure to many. Your role as a school leader requires you to demonstrate leadership, responsibility and integrity.
Obviously, you are not the parent so there are definite professional boundaries, but if, like me, you were the principal of the same school for decades, you can retain that link with past students, some now in their fifties. That continued contact in our connected times is a source of sincere interest, fulfilment and inspiration in my life. You may see this as unnecessary, maybe even weird, but it’s me; and I’m trying to share that part of principalship that we all share that’s far from ordinary.
It’s not ordinary to deal with family tragedy, but principals are often called upon to take the lead, to comfort and to guide, to facilitate support, to speak at funerals and to follow up on children for years to come. Principals bring a calmness and authority to difficult situations which have a devastating impact on young lives.
My experience as a Principals Academy mentor, these last six or seven years, is that of principals who see themselves as guardians of their school and its people, and, in many cases, as respected and effective community leaders. I remember how many of them followed the WCED’s lone call to bravely lead lockdown nutrition at their schools.
Let me tell you about my Saturday.
Gaby, a young, chartered accountant, one of my past students and the daughter of a close family friend chose a much older fiancé and together they faced a series of serious complications. They wanted a wedding that acknowledged that reality and reflected their dreams and desires. Who better to navigate the complexity of their relationship than your school principal who has known and respected you for many years. I’m 73, literally past it, and I was not keen, but no-one can say no to Gaby.
Being a principal also means having a grandstand seat, not only at weddings and graduations, but sharing in the pride of our learners’ many achievements and accomplishments.
Sunday was different.
I had known Crystal Donna Roberts (40), who died of breast cancer earlier this month, since she came to Gr 8 in 1998. Her memorial service was in the Opera House at Artscape and was hosted and attended by the film industry. Crystal was a radiant personality, an inner and outer beauty, a humble, vibrant spirit whose laughter was always kind and contagious. She was in over 800 episodes of Arendsvlei on KykNet and in many plays and films including Krotoa in which she played the titular role and won the 2017 SAFTA Best Actress Award and an invitation to the Cannes Festival.
I loved her candour. ‘My breasts were sick. They had to go; I could handle that. But my hair!’ If you are watching the audio version of this letter you will understand how central her hair was to her dramatic persona.
Excuse me sharing these personal stories with you, but they dominated my weekend even ten years after retiring as a principal. Once a principal; always available for use and abuse.
How many funerals of teachers, parents, learners have you attended? How many memorials have you organised at school and how many eulogies have you presented? In South Africa, it’s in a principal’s job description; as is dealing with the police, the neighbourhood watch, the construction mafia, the gang leaders and now, it seems, the protection networks, too. It is not an ordinary life.
When I look back at disciplinary issues in a busy boarding school, I could write a bestseller. You can, too. Trouble is, they might be banned!
A necessity to get you through each extraordinary week is the comforting presence and listening ear of a spouse or soulmate, although so much of what we experience is confidential. Being able to offload in the company of a trusted coach or mentor, usually an ex- or colleague-principal who has also seen it all, helps one to alleviate the stress that punctuates every week.
Being a principal has had a profound impact on my life. It’s a role that extends far beyond the confines of that big fence, a role that requires patience, empathy and understanding, but one that weaves itself into the very fabric of the community one serves. I know you long for an ordinary life, but principalship has given you much purpose, meaning and joy. Thank you for being extraordinary.
Paul Coach/Mentor The Principals Academy Trust
No: 05/25
26 March 2025
Video/Audio Links English Newsletter: https://youtu.be/cou_Fwu_GxY Afrikaans Newsletter: https://youtu.be/tASTpQecU2k
Dr Mark Potterton, principal of Sacred Heart Primary and joint-author of the powerful DBE ministerial committee publication, Schools That Work, penned an article on principalship in Daily Maverick recently – ‘Carrying the torch for excellence’.
He wrote that the qualities of a successful principal are, arguably, similar to those of a country’s president, but the role of a school principal is often more demanding. Unlike a president who has access to hundreds of staff, principals must navigate their responsibilities with limited resources and support.
But what stands out for me is that presidents and principals are human, too. They make mistakes every day by saying, not saying; by going and not going; by delegating and not delegating; by including and not including; by saying it all or minding confidentiality.
I set out to write about the common mistakes that principals like you and me make, but I was side-tracked by Potterton’s striking comparison.
Writing regularly to the same readers is really challenging. The secret is just to start writing. As EM Forester remarked, ‘How do I know what I think until I see what I say’.
When I look back, I wish I got the balance right, better. I needed to be more astute and more selective about why, where, when and how I used my time and shared it better between school and home. You can be at home but actually at school. You may work with 800 families at school but remember yours is number one.
I think I often made the mistake of dominating the conversation, instead of consciously inviting broad opinion. Our role as head of school often leads us to think that, because we see the bigger picture, we know best. Nothing beats listening and, even if we do know best, the message is often much more effective if it comes from someone else. As a principal, I tried to remind myself often: leading is not all about you.
Choosing a principal is always a gamble because the pressure of the hot seat sometimes manifests itself in unforeseen ways. Too often the senior or untried candidate makes the mistake of using the office as a refuge from those obvious issues – complex or sensitive or conflicting – which simply need a principal’s positional intervention in terms of policy, flexibility, wisdom, experience or understanding.
Problems can be addressed instantly and satisfactorily by the easily accessible, willing, confident and transparent leader. Imagine a 200-bed hospital being run by a Chief Nursing Officer who spends the week behind the closed doors of an office. School or hospital-wide excellence is delivered by classroom or ward standards which are driven and delivered by professional leaders.
When one looks at the issues which get principals into trouble, number one is always financial irregularity. A financial policy needs to be full and followed. Simple, non-negotiable rules which govern control, authorisation and budgeting and navigate the necessary legal requirements. You have to be happy with all financial processes because you’re the one legally responsible; and only you. No mistakes allowed.
I think the biggest mistake principals make is not insisting, demanding and following up on core business like teachers teaching from minute one, like teachers on active break duty, like effective grade and subject meetings, like written-book control and like subject specific competence. I say it often, but we get things wrong by going through the motions of a school year rather than maximising the opportunity to take learners to that expected standard. We leave far too many behind.
If you ask teachers to identify the common mistake principals make, most will highlight communication – that ability to hear, reach, motivate and align every teacher. Having a clear message, especially a vision which people immediately associate with everything you do and say, unites and empowers the staff as a team.
I’ve always believed that great principals lead their school’s staff in person on a daily basis even if you are meeting phase teams today and the full staff tomorrow and even if it’s just a five-minute briefing. Not seeing and leading your teachers regularly face to face is a mistake.
If you ask coaches to identify a mistake, I think the answer will be not sufficient, high-quality delegation. In other words, being tied down to administrative compliance which principals do themselves because they want it right. We should be developing layers and layers of skills, carefully constructed in a working organogram.
Like presidents, principals often make the mistake of trying to please everyone. One of my colleague principals showed me a poster this week: ‘If You Want To Please Everybody, Sell Ice Cream!’
Yes, we are very human, but, fortunately, the idea is to learn from our mistakes. It’s lots of learning because we make them every day.
