As school leaders, our focus is often on student outcomes, teacher performance, and school improvement plans. But beneath all of that, the most important work we do is human. If we want teachers to create safe, supportive, and inclusive environments for students, we must first create those same spaces for them. Because here’s the truth I live by: Happy staff is a productive staff.
Educators, like students, need to feel safe, valued, and heard in order to grow. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs doesn’t just apply to children—it applies to adults, too. When teachers feel emotionally secure, professionally respected, and personally supported, they do their best work. When they don’t, the ripple effect touches everything from morale to student achievement.
The Higher You Rise, the More You Must Absorb
As an administrator, I’ve learned this firsthand: the further up the leadership ladder I climbed, the more conscious I had to become of how I showed up for my staff. With every promotion came more responsibility—not just for decisions and outcomes, but for people’s emotions. I had to learn how to hold space for frustration, anxiety, and burnout, while still keeping our mission front and center.
Leadership at this level isn’t just about strategy—it’s about emotional labor. I often had to be the calm in the storm, absorbing the emotional turbulence of a team while still being the steady hand guiding us forward. It’s exhausting at times, but also the most powerful form of leadership: one rooted in empathy, presence, and purpose.
Emotional Intelligence Isn’t Optional—It’s Foundational
An emotionally intelligent leader understands that staff well-being isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s the foundation of a healthy, high-functioning school. When we listen with empathy, respond with respect, and lead with humility, we model the very culture we want to see reflected in classrooms.
That means creating space where teachers feel safe to take risks, speak honestly, and even make mistakes without fear. It means recognizing their personal struggles and professional wins. It means making time to ask, “How are you doing?”—and meaning it.
Growth Happens in Safe Spaces
Teachers are lifelong learners. But just like students, they need emotionally safe environments to stretch, reflect, and grow. When we build cultures of psychological safety, we give educators permission to innovate, collaborate, and fail forward. We foster a climate where feedback is not criticism, but fuel for growth. And we remind our teams that perfection isn’t the goal—authentic progress is.
Mistakes aren’t signs of weakness. They’re signs that people are trying. A growth-minded culture welcomes vulnerability and values reflection. As leaders, we set the tone for that by how we respond to the hard moments.
Honoring Voice, Building Belonging
Some of the most transformational leadership moments I’ve had didn’t come from big initiatives. They came from simply listening. Truly listening. Teachers are the heartbeat of a school, and when their voices are honored, their energy and investment follow. They show up with commitment and creativity not because they have to—but because they want to.
We can’t expect teachers to pour into students if no one is pouring into them. That’s why emotionally intelligent leadership is not about perfection—it’s about connection. And it’s how we build schools where teachers feel empowered, students feel inspired, and the whole community thrives.
Because when our educators feel seen and supported, everyone wins. And that’s how great schools are built—from the inside out.