Don't let September steal August.

Every year educational leaders come back from the summer refreshed, refocused and jazzed to go. But too soon, the summer refresh slips away as we quickly we drift back into the busyness, urgency, habits. Why do we let this happen?

I am going to be bold in the short spin spark and put that back on us as leaders. If we set the tone and atmosphere, then why do we let the refresh of summer drift away so quickly?

If you are not in the business of education, keep reading. There is something here for you, too.

Spin Spark #3: Leadership Drift

This Spin Spark may edge into a slightly provocative space, as I am intentionally placing the concept of drift back into our hands. Whether we are paddling upstream or swimming with the current, how we choose to move is up to us.

While the references and examples in this Spin Spark lean into the educational landscape, there are leadership considerations across all disciplines. We all experience timelines, transitions, closures, and restarts that present new opportunities and renewed energy.

We know that life can bring waves, storms, and unexpected weather systems that change everything. We know there are many things completely beyond our control. But one thing we do know is that leaders have a unique responsibility to reposition, reset, and chart new courses so that those in our care can safely find a way forward.

Sometimes summers do not bring the deep rest that educational leaders need, making a return to high-energy professional environments quite challenging. I would be remiss if I did not create space for those harder realities in this Spin Spark. So, if this has been your reality, take these words gently and gift yourself the grace you need to return softly. Communicate with your team about your realities so that understanding, kindness, and compassion become the foundation of the support system you and your team may need.

I admit that after nearly three decades in public schools, I personally have experienced many different returns. Some have been softer than others, but regardless, summers gift us with interesting perspective. If we are lucky, we are able to hold on to it for a little while.

I am also learning that holding onto this renewed energy is not actually about luck. It is more about perspective. It is about our focus and our capacity to stay the course rather than drift back into ways that may no longer serve us or those we have been entrusted to support. It is also about knowing when we need to step away and recuperate if life has been unkind or painful. Resilient and lasting leaders know when to hold them and when to fold them.

There is an inherent tension in our work as educational leaders, between our individual needs and the needs of the broader communities which we serve. This Spin Spark is asking you to think about your realities and your return while perhaps reframing how you will see the journey ahead, with greater intention and discernment about what will claim your time and energy.

Leadership Drift: The Reframe

Let's be straight up: we don't intentionally drift. It happens.

We feel it when we are in a team planning meeting and the agenda expands with more to-dos. We feel it when our offices begin buzzing again as people return from breaks with ideas and expectations. We feel it when our calendars quickly populate with meetings and events as the invites and asks start layering up. These are not necessarily bad things, this is the work in human centred leadership systems. In high performing environments there are a lot of human and system demands to be considered and responded to. Again, this is the work.

But the reality is drift happens. When our capacity to prioritize and see the opportunities within the asks and invites blurs, we start to drift into a space where perhaps we long for the quiet days of summer or holiday breaks, or we may even begin to quietly resent and begrudge the tasks at hand. There is no judgement here, as these are honest, legitimate human responses when cognitive demands load up. Our physical and emotional selves respond, trying to make meaning, protect ourselves, and find ways to balance what we are experiencing.

The reframe begins with honest awareness. In the spirit of transparency, I will share that even in this first week, there have been moments when I have needed to pause, refocus, and intentionally regain perspective. Recognizing the early signs of layering and overload has reinforced the importance of proactively creating the conditions for sustained effectiveness.

Rather than stepping into a mindset of "I am already too busy," I am working to design my schedule differently, ensuring that quiet work time, space for deeper thinking, and opportunities for movement are embedded throughout the day. Streamlining priorities, focusing on the most impactful work, and intentionally letting go of less essential tasks are strategies I will continue to activate and model as I strive to hold drift at bay and navigate the complex currents of September.

3 Questions to Consider in The Reframe are:

1. What matters most today, and what can be set aside for now?
2. What are the two or three priorities (maximum) that will have the greatest impact moving forward?
3. What truth about your current reality do you need to acknowledge, even if it is uncomfortable? Are you okay? If not, what do you need to do to get back to okay?

Leadership Drift: The Let Go

We often don't notice that we are drifting. While our intentions to protect our focus and energy start out with great gusto, the reality is that drift happens. It sneaks in when we are tired or emotionally compromised. It sneaks in when everything feels important, and let's be honest it often is.

Cognitive weight is tough to carry for leaders who are deeply engaged in systems thinking. For those of us who are practitioners, this weight can be difficult to balance, and overload happens when we are pulled in many directions at once.

Like it or not, we are facing a crisis in attention. Our brains are being rewired for shallow, swift thinking, and the negative impact of technology on our attention spans is real (Future Design School, 2026). According to recent research, human attention spans have decreased significantly over the past decade (Mark, 2023). A distracted mind is not just a busy mind but a diminished mind (Rutherford, 2026). The average person is switching tasks hundreds of times a day. Every time we switch tasks, the brain needs to reorient itself. Thoughts get lost, attention becomes fragmented, and the depth required to make sense of complexity becomes harder to access.

When our brains are tired, our minds become more reactive, more easily overwhelmed and we drift from energetic to exhausted. This leads to increased vulnerability, personalizing responses, and heightened sensitivity. We begin to drift from what matters most and can find ourselves carrying more than is necessary.

The practice of letting go is not about caring less. It is about creating space for what matters most. It is actually about caring more. It is about taking care of our energy and our brain capacity. It is not about doing less or fragmenting, it is actually about doing more with deep cognitive attention. It requires us to release what is no longer serving us, question what we are carrying, and recognize that not every demand deserves our attention.

3 Questions to Consider in The Let Go:

1. What needs to be released to create space for what matters most? Am I trying to be everything for everyone? If so, who is that serving?
2. What am I carrying that belongs to yesterday rather than today? What can I lay to rest, redesign, or modernize?
3. What truth, expectation, or fear do I need to let go of to move forward with greater clarity?

Leadership Drift: The Calibrate

Summer gives us perspective. September tests whether we can hold it.

Human calibration is all about adjusting our energy, senses, and judgment to match the task at hand and the expectations that come with it. It is important to recognize that the expectations we feel and carry may be public, personal, or both. These expectations create pressure points, and regardless of whether they come from external demands or internal standards, the weight of expectation is real.

Different roles carry different expectations around work completion, productivity, and performance. Different personalities interpret these expectations and calibrate accordingly. I think about the dedicated school principal who is legitimately working 60-plus-hour weeks, where the lines between the instructional day and evening and weekend commitments become increasingly blurred. It becomes easier to say yes to everything and to just continue doing everything because "that is what we have always done."

Some traditions need to evolve. Some commitments need to be reconsidered. Continuing at this pace is not sustainable. When we remain in this space for too long, the human drift factor begins to emerge. Fatigue settles in, burnout quietly follows, and before long, the possibility of drowning feels very real. In education, we need to think more intentionally about recalibration. We need to reframe our work and be willing to let go of events, practices, or traditions that are no longer serving us or those around us.

Schools only work because of the people within them. The student experience is the result of all of us. We need leaders with cognitive stamina, leaders who have the energy and intellectual capacity to engage in productive struggle so that our schools can become the best possible places for children and youth.

Cognitive stamina and productive struggle are two leadership considerations that deserve more airtime. Cognitive stamina is the capacity to sustain the pace of work demands while also engaging in the deep learning required to inform sound decision-making. With the infusion of AI into leadership practice, there is a growing assumption that technology will make life easier. While AI can create efficiencies, the reality is that effective use of AI requires significant thought, discernment, and judgment. The cognitive lifting does not disappear. In many ways, it becomes more important.

This is where productive struggle layers in. Productive struggle is the grappling that occurs when something important needs to move toward completion, yet the pathway forward is filled with complexity, ambiguity, or challenge. Sometimes the hardest work leads us to the best places. We simply have to stay with it while remaining empathetic to the realities of the struggle.

Empathy is grounded in perspective-taking and in how we understand ourselves and others in a rapidly changing world. In the landscape of AI, human empathy cannot and should not be replaced. AI can generate answers, but genuine connection, compassion, and understanding still require courageous humans who are willing to open their hearts to the world around them.

Strong leaders take emotional risks. I am not talking about pouring your heart out or sharing your deepest secrets. I am talking about acknowledging feelings, demonstrating humanity, and intentionally creating the conditions for psychological safety. Maintaining momentum and excitement for the work that happens in schools requires leaders who think differently about productive struggle and who use modern practices to support the multifaceted demands of leadership, while never losing sight of the human connections that make the work matter.

3 Questions to consider in The Calibrate:

1. How do I manage the volume of requests that come my way, and do I need to revisit my priorities by reflecting on what matters most and why we do this work?
2. Am I open to taking emotional risks, and what might that look like in my professional context?
3. What do I need to do to maintain my energy, well-being, and cognitive stamina so I can perform at my best?

Take some time this weekend and in the weeks ahead to reflect on the questions in this latest Spin Spark as a way to support your well-being and capacity as a leader. You are worth the investment of time, and you deserve to experience joy and fulfillment in your work.

Don't let the drift pull you away from what matters most. Leadership longevity requires intentional focus and the discipline to prioritize your intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being. By caring for yourself, you strengthen your ability to lead others with clarity, purpose, and impact.

Author's Note: Once again, in the spirit of author integrity, I note that my Copilot AI thought partner assisted with soft-touch editing and grammatical revisions in support of publication. The ideas and reflections shared in this Spin Spark are my own and represent original thinking.