Watching Butterflies – A Pause in School Leadership When Everything Feels Too Much
Updated: Jul 7
Have you ever paused, even briefly, in the middle of it all?
When the pace of school leadership doesn’t quite let up -
and the emotional load of school leadership keeps everything moving, even when you need a moment to stand still.
A pause in school leadership isn’t always as simple as stepping away.
What feels familiar right now?
What have you stopped noticing?
When do you last remember feeling surprised?
What does leadership look like when nothing changes?
Everything continues as normal. Days run in patterns. Nothing feels wrong, and still, something feels quietly unchanged.
I notice how easily I move through the same spaces in the same ways. Familiar, steady, predictable. It works. I keep going.
Then I step somewhere different. A butterfly house. Warm air. Wings moving everywhere at once. I pause before I realise that I've stopped.
One butterfly lands briefly. Light, almost weightless. Long enough for me to notice it, and then it’s gone. Everything keeps moving.
The movement looks chaotic. It isn’t. There is a rhythm I don’t fully understand, but I can feel it.
HERE’S WHAT I’VE LEARNT
Even when nothing is wrong, something new can still be missing. A pause does not interrupt leadership.
CARRY THIS WITH YOU
• The familiar can be comfortable and limiting at the same time
• A brief pause can ignite something new
Leadership can look steady from the outside. Calm. Consistent. Reliable. What sits underneath is rarely seen.
There is a quiet repetition that builds over time. Decisions, conversations, expectations. Nothing breaks. Nothing stops. It continues.
And still, there are moments where something shifts. Not because anything is solved, but because something different is felt.
Having somewhere to step into, even briefly, lets that shift exist without needing to become anything else.
I help school leaders who feel like they’re slowly disappearing into the job -
find their way back.
If this resonates, I offer a complimentary 30 ‑ minute session where we focus on one thing that’s on your mind.
A simple space to step back, think clearly, and begin to feel like yourself again.