When I moved from a middle school vice-principalship to my first principalship in an elementary school, I quickly discovered how different the world of early primary students was. One morning, a kindergarten student named Grace tugged on my pant leg and asked, with complete sincerity, “Mr. Reimer, what do you do?” I recognized in that question that students can see the roles that their teachers and the other adults have in the life of a school, but much of a principal’s most meaningful work happens out of sight. I also knew that my job description would make little sense to a five-year-old, so I knelt beside her, and said, “Grace, I help everyone do their best.” She smiled, seemed to accept the answer without hesitation, and ran off to start her day, leaving me with a simple truth that has shaped my understanding of leadership ever since.
Later, in my roles as President and Executive Director of the BCPVPA, I travelled across British Columbia visiting northern communities, coastal districts, rural schools, and large urban centres, and Grace’s question stuck with me. I realized that she had unintentionally named something essential. Much of what school leaders do is not visible. It is quiet, complex, relational, and often carried out alone. Leadership is felt long before it is seen. That realization became the spark that eventually led to my writing and publishing A Year of Leading: A 40-Week Leadership Compass for Principals and Vice-Principals. a book inspired by the lessons generously shared by school leaders across the province and the rest of the country.
During those years of travel, I had the privilege of hearing stories that revealed the inner landscape of school leadership. A vice-principal in a large secondary school described days spent in near constant motion, moving from one need to the next, often wondering whether her presence had been felt as she intended. A coastal school leader offered a different insight: He said that on certain days, it felt as though the whole community rested on his shoulders. Then he added, with quiet conviction, that he would not want to be doing anything else.
These stories were not about tasks. They were about what leadership felt like. They described the work through metaphor. One described it like bamboo bending under pressure put rooted deeply. Another likened it to conducting an orchestra, adjusting tempo and tone to bring out harmony. These metaphors helped make the invisible become more visible. They captured the emotional, ethical, and intellectual work that shapes a school’s culture.
Across communities and provinces, certain leadership qualities appeared again and again. Principals showed authenticity when they communicated openly with staff during difficult moments. They demonstrated vision by holding on to long-term goals even when the day felt overwhelming. Relational leadership surfaced through small acts of kindness and encouragement. Instructional leadership appeared in their commitment to improving teaching and learning. Operational leadership was evident in the coordination that keeps a school functioning. And equity-centred leadership lived in decisions that protected fairness and dignity for students. These competencies did not come from theory: they emerged directly from practise. Leadership research affirms what school leaders have long understood. School culture is shaped less by directives and more by everyday interactions.
As I listened to leaders, I also heard a recurring theme: the need for mentorship. Principals said they wanted someone who would sit beside them on the days when decisions weighed heavily. They wanted guiding questions rather than quick answers. Many spoke about the value of reflection, not as an abstract practice but as a tool for clarity. Considering questions such as “What matters most right now?” “Where is my presence needed most today?” and “How do I want to show up for my community?” helped them to regain focus when the day felt blurred by competing priorities.
Across Canada today, principals and vice-principals are leading in complex and demanding environments. They navigate shifting expectations, support staff who are carrying their own pressures, and respond to crises while keeping their sights on what matters most. They, too, are looking for someone or something to turn to guide their thinking.
All these insights I gained shaped the structure of A Year of Leading, which is designed as a “mentor-in-print” that leaders can return to week after week. My goal in writing it was to provide a guiding hand for principals that encourages them to reflect on what leadership in schools looks like: that it is expressed when a principal listens without judgment to a staff member who feels discouraged. It shows up when they help a family navigate a challenging moment with their child. It becomes visible when they stand before a community in times of uncertainty and offer calm, steadying guidance. It grows through fairness, consistency, and decisions anchored in values. Leadership is most evident in the culture of a school. Students sense it. Teachers feel it. Families trust it.
Grace’s question to me as a new principal—“What do you do?”—continues to shape how I understand leadership. If she were to ask me that question again today, my answer would be the same: “I help everyone do their best.” But in thinking about how to answer, I would also consider what I have learned from listening to leaders across the country. Principals create the conditions where learning and belonging can thrive. They nurture hope. They steady their communities in moments of disruption. They help people grow. They do most of this in the quiet places of the school day, where few are watching but many are shaped by their presence.
That’s the message I try to convey in A Year of Leading with a message for each of the 40 weeks of the school year. The book grew from the stories leaders shared—their challenges, their hopes, and the wisdom they offered so freely. My hope in writing it was to offer school leaders something they could turn to in the margins of their day. Leadership seldom allows long stretches of uninterrupted reflection, so each weekly message is designed to meet them where they are: at their desk between meetings, over a cup of coffee before supervision, or at the end of a challenging afternoon. Each weekly reflection provides leaders with a moment of grounding, a reminder of what matters, and a sense that they are not alone in the challenges they face.
To every school leader reading this, know that your work matters deeply. Your presence shapes belonging and trust. Your decisions shape the pathways of students. Even on the days you feel unseen, your leadership is felt in every corner of your school. You are strengthening communities. You are carrying hope. You are guiding others toward their best.
And that is the true work of school leadership.
THE AUTHOR:
Kevin Reimer is a retired principal, leadership coach, and former President and Executive Director of the BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association.
