You’re Not Just a Job Title: Why School Leaders Must Know Their Own Value

Let’s be honest - in the whirlwind of school leadership, it’s easy to forget who you are beyond the emails, the policies, and the 73 people asking, “Have you got a minute?”

But here’s the truth: if you don’t know your own value, the job will define it for you - and usually not kindly.

Knowing your value isn’t about ego. It’s about trust, purpose, and leading in a way that doesn’t drain the life out of you.

What does it mean to value ourselves? If it isn’t selfish and introspective, then what? It’s about knowing your worth, your strengths and your impact.

For years, I tried to adapt myself to fit in with the expectations of others. It’s exhausting. This is partly people pleasing but also, it’s about never quite feeling good enough and not being sure of my impact.

If you know who you are, what matters to you and what you have to offer, you live differently. Why do so many of us lack confidence in ourselves and what we bring to the role?

As a leader in schools, I was focussed on inclusion, supporting the vulnerable groups, checking progress, attendance and behaviour. However, I discovered that what really made a difference to my day was to check in on staff before the pupils came in - to ask how they were, their families and just life. One day, when I asked a teacher how their child was who had been sick the day before, they turned to me and responded that they really appreciated me checking in on them rather than on their displays or their data. So, the staff valued this, but for me, because I was using my valued strength of kindness, it also enabled me to start my day in a state of thriving and energy.

This was not in my job description, but it mattered to me. What do you do where you use your most valued strengths? Do you know what they are? Research shows that if we don’t regularly use our most valued strengths in our role, we are unlikely to thrive.

"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are." Brené Brown

Do you know your value? Your worth? Dr Chapman in his book The 5 Love Languages suggests that many of us have received mixed messages about our worth. He suggests we all have a need for significance, we want our lives to count for something.

To find out more on this topic, read my book “Break Free from Burnout. 7 Keys to Reignite your Passion for Teaching”