Tom Hierck, Rita Marler, and Shan Jorgenson-Adam: How to Handle What Principal Preparation Doesn’t Teach You
Becoming a principal changes everything from relationships with colleagues to responsibility for instruction, culture, communication, and the direction of an entire school.
In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Hierck, Rita Marler, and Shan Jorgenson Adam, co-authors of You’re a Principal Now, What’s Next?, to explore the realities of school leadership that traditional preparation programs don’t always prepare leaders for.
We discuss why new principals need support beyond their initial training, how a clear and collectively owned vision becomes a lens for decision-making, and why leadership development should respond to the actual needs of each leader and school rather than follow a generic checklist.
We also explore:
- Why principals need trusted colleagues with whom they can be vulnerable
- How systems can better support and develop school leaders
- Why principals don’t need to be content experts to provide meaningful instructional feedback
- How classroom walkthroughs and reflective conversations strengthen teaching
- Why relationships and instructional leadership need to develop together
- How leaders can create and communicate a clear narrative about what their school stands for
- Why experienced principals can also benefit from revisiting the fundamentals of effective leadership
Whether you’re preparing for your first principalship or have been leading schools for years, this conversation offers practical insights into the parts of school leadership that are often learned only after you get the job and why leaders shouldn’t have to figure them out alone.
Shan Jorgenson-Adam LinkedIn Page