• 24 min
Episode 10: Challenges at the Building Level
Wake Up and Teach
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When school staffing falls short, it’s often the principal who shoulders the immediate burden. In this episode of Wake Up and Teach, we sat down with Angela Kelly, a leadership coach for school principals and host of The Empowered Principal Podcast, to dive deep into the realities facing school leaders today. With her unique perspective working one-on-one with principals across the country, Angela sheds light on how school leaders can remain resilient, navigate unexpected workforce disruptions, and maintain a sense of connection and purpose, even when resources are stretched thin.
An Expanding Role
Angela opened the conversation by naming a truth too often left unspoken: being a principal today means managing an ever-growing list of responsibilities, often without the team support necessary to do it all. From serving students and staff to meeting family and community expectations, principals are stretched in every direction. That alone is a tall order, but when you add in shrinking budgets, policy changes, and staffing shortages, the load becomes even heavier.
Angela described how today’s education leaders are asked to operate with less while still maintaining the same level of service and integrity. And, she stressed, it’s not just about what happens to a school, it’s about who the principal chooses to be in response. Her coaching approach focuses on mindset: helping leaders interpret situations through a lens of strength, adaptability, and trust in themselves and their teams.
A Crisis in Leadership Retention
With national data showing that only about 80% of public school principals remain in their role year over year, the conversation naturally turned to retention. Angela shared that many principals enter leadership with a clear vision and passion for positive change, but those aspirations can quickly erode when the demands of the job outweigh their sense of capacity or support.
Many leaders operate in isolation, without assistant principals or peer networks to lean on. That isolation, compounded by external pressures and internal self-doubt, can lead to burnout and early exits. Angela believes the key to retention lies in helping principals reconnect to their purpose and to each other. Simply having a trusted coach, colleague, or mentor can make the job feel more manageable – and more rewarding.
Creating a Sense of Stability
Angela emphasized that the most effective principals – those who weather the storm of turnover and shortage – are the ones who foster a sense of stability for their teams. That starts with giving equal attention to what’s working well. Too often, school leaders focus solely on what's still left undone. Angela encourages her clients to regularly reflect on their wins and their relationships: the things that ground them, and remind them why they chose leadership in the first place.
She also urged school leaders to resist the instinct to go it alone. Whether it’s talking with a peer, attending a professional learning community, or simply tuning into a podcast like this one, making space for connection improves resilience. It’s not about removing the challenges, it’s about building the mindset and relationships that help you rise above them.
Transparency as a Leadership Strategy
One powerful tactic Angela recommends is leaning into transparency. Communication should be clear, timely, and honest, especially in moments of uncertainty, like staffing decisions or budget changes. Leaders can acknowledge what they don’t yet know, while still offering reassurances and updates wherever possible. That kind of communication helps teachers and staff feel informed, valued, and grounded, which are key ingredients for team cohesion and trust.
She also reminds us that communication is ultimately about connection, and when principals prioritize human connection over formal messaging, the result is a stronger, more emotionally secure school culture.
Advice for New Principals
Angela closed the episode with a powerful message for new and aspiring school leaders: there will always be more to do than time allows. Rather than fighting that reality, she encourages principals to see it as an invitation to lead with intention. By learning to prioritize, to plan around your values, and to focus on who you want to be (not just what you want to accomplish), you’ll find empowerment in the chaos.
And, most importantly, she reminds leaders that support is always within reach. Whether through coaching, peer collaboration, or even weekly podcasts, no principal needs to navigate the demands of leadership alone.
Click here to listen to the entire episode of Wake Up And Teach, presented by Kelly Education.