Clarity and Intentionality: Four Questions to Guide Your Instructional Leadership
This past week, I had the privilege of working with a group of passionate, dedicated school and district leaders in Virginia. Over two full days together, we explored one central idea: when school leaders gain clarity and lead with intention, everything changes.
We talked about the realities of the job—the constant demands, the never-ending list of tasks, and the pressure to be everything to everyone. But we also dug deep into what it means to lead with focus, especially when it comes to instructional leadership. Because at the end of the day, the most impactful leaders are those who know exactly what they’re looking for in classrooms and who support their teachers with purpose and consistency.
To anchor our work, I shared four essential sets of questions. These aren’t checklist items or one-time reflections. They’re a framework—one that can shift your leadership from reactive to intentional, from scattered to focused.
Let’s break them down.
1. What do you want to see in every classroom, every day?
This question is about clarity. It forces you—and your leadership team—to get specific about your instructional vision. Not what sounds good in a strategic plan, but what you actually want to observe happening in classrooms on a regular basis.
Do you want to see students owning their learning? Academic discourse? Clear learning targets posted and used? A consistent focus on formative assessment?
When you define this clearly and collectively, your entire school benefits. Teachers know what matters. Students know what to expect. And your leadership team can support a shared purpose.
2. How will you know? What are you looking for?
This question brings intentionality to your presence in classrooms.
It’s not enough to “do walkthroughs.” You need to observe with a purpose. This means developing look-fors aligned to your instructional vision and giving meaningful, actionable feedback that moves practice forward.
At the retreat, we worked through an activity where teams clarified what they were looking for and how they’d name it when they saw it. It was powerful to watch leaders realize they hadn’t always been aligned—and that this alignment was within their reach.
3. How will you coach and support when you aren’t seeing it?
Here’s where leadership becomes about growth, not compliance.
We talked about the need for brave, honest, and supportive conversations—where the goal is not to catch someone doing it wrong, but to lift them up and help them improve. When something isn’t working, how do you respond? How do you ensure your teachers feel supported, not judged?
This question helps leaders create a culture where feedback is part of the fabric of learning—for adults and students alike.
4. How will you celebrate and share it when you do see it?
Too often, we move right past great teaching. We notice it, we’re glad it’s happening—but we don’t amplify it.
This question is about reinforcing what you value. It’s about creating a ripple effect by celebrating great instructional moments, lifting up teacher successes, and sharing stories that connect your vision to daily practice.
Celebration builds culture. It builds morale. And it makes your instructional vision stick.
From Firefighting to Focus
One of the most meaningful reflections came from a participant who said:
“I really enjoyed it and learned so much. This is on my list of the best PDs I have attended in my career. I walk away with a lot to think about. I am a full-on firefighter. Partly because that is the nature of my job. People contact me when there is an issue with a software platform, but I would love to discuss doing a few things differently to give me time to get out of my office and into schools next year.”
That statement captures the challenge so many leaders face. The job feels like firefighting. But it doesn’t have to be. When we pause and ask the right questions, we shift from reacting to leading. From scattered to strategic.
Let’s Bring This Work to Your Team
If you’re ready to gain clarity and lead with greater intention—especially around instruction—start by bringing these four questions to your next leadership team meeting. Sit with them. Reflect on them. And start designing systems that support the answers you want to see.
And if your team could use a guide to walk alongside you in this work, I’d love to help. Let’s talk about how we can bring this kind of transformation to your school or district.
Together, we can move from firefighting to focused leadership.
Send me a message or visit RoadToAwesome.net to start the conversation.
Tune in this Sunday to “Leaning into Leadership” when I sit down with Todd Nesloney, Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA).