When Leaders Feel Stuck, It’s Rarely About Capability

School leaders often describe feeling “stuck”.

Not ineffective.
Not unskilled.

Just unclear.

This feeling usually shows up during periods of change; new priorities, shifting expectations, or competing demands that all feel equally urgent. Similarly, when faced with a persistent challenge, it’s easy to feel like you simply aren’t moving anywhere.

In most cases, this isn’t a capability issue.

It’s a clarity issue.

Over time, leaders can lose the space to think strategically, even though they are working harder than ever.

Effective leadership relies on having time to step back, reconnect with purpose, and make sense of what really matters right now. When leaders are supported to reflect, prioritise, and align their actions with their values, momentum often returns quickly.

Clarity doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from creating the conditions to think well.

This is why intentional leadership review and reflection is so powerful — not as an add-on, but as a core part of sustainable leadership practice.

If this resonates with your leadership context, I write regularly about school culture, pedagogy and data-informed practice.