From To-Do to To-Be

Early in my career, one of my mentors gave me a photograph of himself. On the back, he wrote my three priorities. The first priority was written three times.

Slowly, my world as a new vice-principal began to shift. The conversation moved away from doing everything toward doing the right few things.

What would it mean to say out loud, These are the things I’m working on this year—and then to ask for feedback only on those chosen priorities? It’s an explicit acknowledgement that you can’t do everything, and that you’re not seeking perfection from others.

Leaders have permission to be new.
Permission to scan before deciding.
Permission to listen before anything else.

In January 2008, on my first day as principal at a new school, a district-wide computer virus shut down our systems for weeks. What initially felt like a productivity disaster became a gift.

With “paper time” limited, I spent my days in “people time”—greeting parents and children as they arrived, spending time in classrooms, and genuinely getting to know people. I came to know—and truly see—everyone in our school community.

It gave me permission to say, This year is about understanding who we are becoming together.

That investment in people time wasn’t about what I could check off my to-do list—it was about how I was fulfilling my to-be list. A professor once challenged us to spend more time focusing on who we are being:
How are you walking through the day—showing courage? Collaboration? Listening?

It marked my shift from doing everything toward doing the right few things—and maybe even doing a few things right.

So as we walk through our days wondering whether we’re doing enough, perhaps the better question is: Are we being enough?