What is Your Why?

Why do you do what you do? What do you miss family dinners and doing homework with your kids? Why do you work on the weekends and wake up in the middle of the night? Why do you come in early and stay late and spend your own money on school supplies or clothes or birthday cupcakes or clothes?

One of my colleagues asked me this earlier this week. "What is your why?" Why do I do what I do to the extent that I do it? The answer is pretty clear cut - I have to.

The passion that I feel for the students in my school is deep. I have two biological children and 800 other children that I feel equally as passionate about as I do my own. I did not know that urban education was my calling, however, once I started on this path I was completely taken.

You have to know your why. If you don't know what drives you, then you cannot have a clear vision and you cannot lead others.

In her book, The Leadership Muse, by Linda Cureton, she talks about determining your why. In this inspirational text, Cureton challenges leaders to consider what drives them and what inspires their leadership. Knowing what drives you and where that drive comes from is critical in inspiring others.

My teachers returned to school this week. We have the benefit of additional professional development before the students return. All of our work this week has focused first on the why. Why are we looking closely at our restorative practices? Why are we shifting our practices in mathematics instruction? Why have we aligned our writing instruction with our content instruction? The why has to be clear before the how or the what is ever discussed.

As a leader, knowing your why is essential. It is your vision. It is your messaging. It is your branding. And it is your drive.