As educators, you may have come across Sylvia Duckworth’s Iceberg Illusion visual. This visual shows that people tend to only see the visible part of the Iceberg (success), but not all the things below the surface that were required to achieve that success. 

As principals, so much of our work mirrors this visual and the mindsets we need to be successful. Below the surface is the deep and sometimes dark work that is not seen by others. This might include:

• The daily check-ins with struggling students.
• The supportive texts, emails, calls, and cards to staff.
• The late nights and early mornings finishing the tasks that didn’t get done due to sub shortages, student meltdowns, or other unscheduled and unpredicted events in the day.
• The hours, weeks, and months spent planning how the schedule will be built, monitoring the success of the new site plan, or reviewing the implementation cycle of the new curriculum adoption.

And while at times the work below can seem overwhelming, and underappreciated it is important to link the work beneath the surface, to the success you are achieving at the tip of the iceberg. 

Don’t Silo the Setbacks. So your new dismissal plan flopped, an interaction with a parent didn’t go well, or a post on social media went a direction you hadn’t planned. Instead of awfulizing, exaggerating, or internalizing the mistake-find someone to talk to about it. Connecting with other school leaders allows you to see you really are not alone, and chances are they have a story to match or top your fail.

Stop trying to put yourself on a pedestal of perfection that is not realistic to achieve and realize you are a person just like the rest of us, fails, flaws and all. 

Jessica Cabeen

Celebrate the Successes. Big or small it is important to celebrate the wins. Take time every day to reflect on what went well, instead of focusing on what went wrong. For me, this gratitude reflection happens during my morning ritual. Each morning I write down three things I am grateful for from the day before and three things I am looking forward to that day. By starting my day with a focus on what is going well, my mindset shifts to stop focusing on what is going wrong. 

Lean into the compliments more than the criticism. So often we may focus on the one negative comment that we forget about the five other positive ones that were said or sent. This may seem small, but I keep a good news box under my desk. On the tough days, I open the box and read the notes of encouragement, appreciation, and celebration I have received from staff, families, and students. 

Reflect-Rest-Reset. Happy Principal Month, no seriously. This year more than ever you are needed, appreciated, and deserve a little recognition. So if you haven’t heard it yet you are hearing it from me. Thank you for everything you do for your school, your work and the why behind it is important and appreciated. If you would like to pay a little encouragement forward feel free to use these E-Card templates for National Principal Month. Reflecting on the work you have been doing might also give you a moment to thank another school leader for helping you do it. 

And one final gentle reminder: principals, turn your title off….no seriously. Stop checking email at all hours of the day and night, do what you can to get the sleep you need, and give yourself grace when things don’t go the way you had hoped. While you have been focused on taking care of everyone around you-please make sure you are saving energy to take care of yourself. 

So while not everyone may fully understand all that goes on beneath the surface to accomplish the outcomes people see, please take time to celebrate the success at the tip of the iceberg, big and small, you deserve it.