Goals, Growth, and a Fresh Start
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
The start of the school year always carries a certain charge. Leaders step into the first faculty meeting, the first board retreat, the first walk through the halls with both energy and expectation. The questions come quickly: What are we aiming for this year? What’s most important for our students, our teachers, our community?
At TheLeaderNetwork, we love these questions. Setting goals at the beginning of the year clarifies priorities and gives everyone a sense of direction and a fresh start. But here’s the harder part:
How do we make sure our goals don’t just live on paper, but shape real growth?
That’s where evaluation—done thoughtfully—comes in.
Too often, evaluations feel like compliance exercises, or worse, “gotcha” moments. They measure performance as if leadership were a checklist—rather than a living practice. We believe there’s a better way.
TheLeaderNetwork’s Growth Assessments start from a different premise: leadership is about behaviors that can be learned, strengthened, and celebrated. We use Kouzes and Posner’s Five Exemplary Leadership Practices—Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart—as the foundation. These practices aren’t abstract ideals. They're research-based, observable, and deeply human.
By framing evaluations around these practices, we shift the conversation:
From judgment to development.
From performance review to growth assessment.
From what went wrong to what’s possible.
And when leaders engage in this kind of evaluation, something powerful happens. Goals set in August and September stay alive all year because they’re tied to reflection, feedback, and growth. Evaluation stops being the end of the story and becomes part of the journey.
At TheLeaderNetwork, we’ve seen schools and teams thrive when they combine bold goal-setting with growth-focused evaluations. The results have been remarkable—not only for leaders themselves but for the communities they serve.
If you (and members of your leadership team) want to set clear, meaningful goals—and link them to a thoughtful evaluation process that fosters growth, not judgment—we’d love to partner with you. Reach out to us at TheLeaderNetwork. Together, we can help you, your team, your school flourish.
With best wishes for a strong start,
Jim Best & The Leader Network Team