9 Career Defining Questions APs (and Deans) Should Be Asking

Let these questions guide you as you grow in your leadership practice and determine your next career step.

This excerpt from Principal Magazine includes advice from veterans regarding considerations for APs looking to grow their practice and career:

• Why do you want to lead a building? What do you want to change in your current building? Be sure you’re engaging in visioning conversations with your principal. Make contributions.
• Consider whether an AP role or lead principal role is best for you. As you navigate this school year, tune in to what you notice the principal does and how you see yourself (or not) in that role. How do you feel when you put yourself in the principal's shoes? Noticing and being aware of your thoughts and feelings in these moments can inform your next steps.
• What are you doing well this fall? As you take some time to reflect on these first few months of school, what are you feeling good about? Where do you see your strengths? What would your principal say are your strengths? Are there others you might ask about what’s going well for you?
• Where can you improve? Reflect on “learning moments” you’ve had this fall. What have they revealed to you about where you have opportunities to grow? Ask your principal about where they see you being able to grow.
• What other aspects of the lead principal role do you have yet to explore? How else might you engage in the work of the lead principal in order to determine if that role is for you?
• What do you enjoy most about your role as AP or Dean? Does your role include additional responsibilities like AD, for example? What would be the implications for this responsibility were you to pursue a lead principal position?
• What about your role do you find dissatisfying?
• What is your life’s purpose and does this leadership role help you fulfill it?

You might journal around these questions and then process them in your mentoring partnership.

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