In my experience as a district administrator facing a budget deficit, a school-site accident, and a potentially contentious upcoming board meeting, I questioned whether I could address each with full capacity and focus. In those moments, leadership felt more like survival. However, after my long tenure in education as a principal, central office administrator, and superintendent, I know that the most challenging moments taught me more about leadership than the times when everything went smoothly.

Resilience is a frequent topic in education. We distribute self-care articles, schedule wellness workshops, and encourage breaks. However, research shows a different reality. A 2021 Gallup study found that 44 percent of K-12 workers reported feeling burned out “always” or “very often” at work, the highest rate among all industries surveyed that year. Higher education is not far behind. In this context, resilience is not a soft skill or personality trait. It is a professional competency that warrants the same rigorous attention as instructional practice or financial management.

Ann Masten defines resilience as “the capacity of a system to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten the function, survival, or development of the system” (Masten, 2014, p. 10). This definition is important because it places resilience within systems, not just individuals. As an educator, I once believed that burnout was a personal failing. Over time, and through candid discussions with experienced colleagues, I realized that systems either support or undermine capacity. The key question is not simply how to endure, but what kind of system I am building for myself and those I lead.

This isn’t self-help talk. It’s how lasting professional growth actually happens.

Peter Senge’s concept of the learning organization provides a valuable framework. In a learning organization, people continually expand their capacity to achieve desired results, nurture new ways of thinking, and develop a shared understanding (Senge, 1990). In practice, this means creating schools and institutions where reflection is routine, mistakes are openly examined, and leaders demonstrate intellectual humility.

I observed an effective principal embody this approach. After a year of declining reading scores, she met with her teacher leadership team, reviewed the data, acknowledged decisions she would change, and invited their input. Scores improved over the next two years. More importantly, her faculty became more open, bringing issues forward early, confident that raising concerns would not be penalized. This is a learning organization in action and demonstrates scholarly resilience.

Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky distinguish between technical problems, which have known solutions, and adaptive challenges, which require changes in beliefs, behaviors, or values and cannot be solved by the leader alone (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). Educational leaders face adaptive challenges daily, such as student and staff mental health, workforce demographic shifts, and the changing role of technology. These issues cannot be resolved by adopting new curricula or revising policy manuals.

A common mistake I made is treating adaptive challenges as technical problems. We often implement quick fixes, form committees, or launch initiatives. When these efforts do not address the underlying issues, we become exhausted and frustrated by the lack of progress. Heifetz and Linsky describe adaptive leadership as stepping back to observe patterns rather than being caught up in them. For me, this involves practicing reflection, seeking trusted colleagues, and articulating observations before responding.

Karl Weick’s concept of sensemaking describes the process by which people assign meaning to collective experiences, particularly during ambiguity or disruption (Weick, 1995). In crises, effective leaders are not always those with the best plan, but those who help others understand events as they unfold, acknowledge uncertainty without yielding to it, and keep the organization focused on its shared purpose.

I experienced this during a year when our district faced a sudden leadership transition and a state budget crisis. Staff were anxious and the community was attentive. My role was not to provide all the answers, but to communicate clearly, remain visible, acknowledge uncertainties, and offer enough direction for others to continue their work. During that period, sensemaking was my most important leadership responsibility.

Scholarly resilience in educational leadership is not about becoming tougher. It involves grounding oneself in evidence, theory, and reflection while managing complex relational work. Leaders in K-12 and higher education are called to understand frameworks, use data, foster organizations that prioritize learning and adaptation, and model the intellectual courage they wish to see in students and faculty.

In that early morning moment, I lacked these frameworks. I relied on instinct, commitment, and the support of those around me. Over time, gaining the language for my experiences made me a more effective and consistent leader. If you find yourself exhausted and uncertain, I encourage you to continue building a learning organization, address adaptive challenges openly, engage in collective sensemaking, and remember that resilience is developed through ongoing practice within a supportive community.

Here's the question and a task I want you to sit with this week: When was the last time you truly examined a challenge in your organization, not just to solve it, but to understand the underlying systems that created it?

At your next leadership meeting, set aside 15 minutes to get on the balcony together. Bring one persistent challenge and ask everyone to share what patterns or assumptions they see—no solutions yet, just honest observation. I’ve seen the conversation shift completely when we slow down like this. Go first yourself, and notice how the room opens up.

/Resources for educators who build, lead, and grow.

From Classroom to Boardroom - Considering Your Edupreneurial Journey — A deep dive into the mindset and strategies of successful educational entrepreneurs. Worth bookmarking.

If this issue resonated with you, Chapter 4 of Thought Leadership in Education: A Comprehensive Exploration of Transformative Educational Ideas goes deeper into why leaders must understand systems before acting on them. I draw on Weick's sensemaking framework and Heifetz's adaptive leadership to show how pausing, observing, and naming what is really happening changes everything. The chapter also addresses psychological safety and the difference between technical fixes and the adaptive challenges that actually demand new thinking. [Grab it here]

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