Leadership Lens: The Magic Wand

Last week, I attended a workalike conference with professionals from across the country who conduct superintendent searches. We gathered to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and admit the challenges that come with our work. During one session, someone made a statement that has stayed with me. "There is no magic in what we do. The magic lies in how we do it." 

I've thought about that sentence several times since returning home because I believe it reaches far beyond superintendent searches. It describes leadership. 

As leaders, we all have a list. Meetings to attend. Decisions to make. Budgets to review. Difficult conversations to have. Problems to solve. None of those things are particularly glamorous. In fact, they're often repetitive. 

But leadership has never been about checking boxes. The magic isn't in holding a meeting. It's in whether people leave feeling heard. The magic isn't in making a decision. It's in making one with integrity, transparency, and courage. The magic isn't having a strategic plan. It's consistently living it. The magic isn't in saying you value people. It's in showing them they matter—one conversation, one action, one encouraging word at a time. 

School boards across Alabama have remarkably similar responsibilities. They adopt policies. They oversee finances. They hire and evaluate superintendents. They set the direction for their systems. Those responsibilities are important, but they don't distinguish one board from another. 

How a board approaches those responsibilities does. 

Boards that listen well build trust. Boards that prepare well make better decisions. Boards that treat one another with respect create healthier cultures. And boards that keep students at the center of every discussion leave a legacy that extends far beyond a single vote. 

We often search for the next great idea that will transform our organizations. The truth is, most organizations don't need a magic wand. They need leaders who consistently do ordinary things with extraordinary intentionality. Maybe that's the real lesson. 

Leadership isn't magical because of what we do. It's magical because of how we choose to do it. 

Janice Stockman
AASB Director of Leadership Development