As the summer sun begins to fade, I find myself reflecting on a familiar scenario. Across the US and in many countries throughout the world, children are buzzing with a mix of excitement and uncertainty (given the events of the past several years) preparing for a new school year. They’re selecting new supplies, and organizing their backpacks, and some are eagerly anticipating the return to their academic routines while others may not. This annual ritual of preparation and renewal isn’t confined to our personal lives; it has profound parallels in the professional world, especially at the executive level.

In fact, I recently had lunch with marketing executive, Theresa Spinale of an animation studio in the entertainment industry who quickly confirmed that indeed, the fall is a form of going back to school in her industry as well. It’s a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, something Theresa is experiencing as a new job is about to begin for her.

For those of us in a corporate setting, “Back to School” signifies more than just the return of children, or ourselves, to educational pursuits. It’s a powerful metaphor for our own professional journeys as leaders in business and in education. Just as students gear up for new challenges and opportunities, we, too, must continuously prepare, adapt, and set new goals. This season of transition is a reminder that leadership, much like education, is an ongoing process of learning and growth. It’s a time to reassess our strategies, refocus our efforts, embrace the opportunities that lie ahead, and test our flexibility for the unknowns that will inevitably arise during this seasonal transition.

Learn how Fall is A Time for Business Renewal and Strategic Focus.

This time of year is significant for families with children returning to school, as it frees up parents to refocus on their careers. Some of those parents are school leaders focused on recovering from the impact of COVID that turned education upside down causing a major shift in the culture of school. The shift in routine that comes with the start of the school year provides parents with the mental and physical space to re-engage with their professional goals. With the daily demands of childcare reduced, parents can reclaim time and energy that can be channeled into career advancement, taking on new responsibilities, or pursuing professional development opportunities that may have been put on hold during the more chaotic summer months.

Likewise in the world of education, the re-engagement gives rise to the need to re-evaluate what it will take to accomplish this idea of re-establishing school culture, trust, morale, and relationships to where they were pre-Covid. This has a direct impact on parents who are in the business world rather than in education. The reality is that these different world contexts depend on and impact one another.

A personal case study of a past experience comes to mind:

I’m living in Boston, MA situated between two cemeteries. Either way I go, I will dead-end at the cemeteries of the community’s past residents. While I do not have children, the township in which I live depends on its residents to support a tax increase to pay for much-needed improvements in the local school system. I vote to increase the tax so that students in my community might have a more palatable opportunity for their education than I had growing up in Texas. 

At some point, I am in conversation with a neighbor in my community who questions my motivation to vote for an increase in the town’s taxes when I do not have children who will benefit. My reason is simple. I may not have children and yet my life is impacted by the quality of education they do or do not receive. Should students not be engaged at school, they are more likely to skip school altogether and become aimless in my community. For a youngster who is at an impressionable age, when education isn’t getting their attention, getting into trouble and being a blight on the community is! 

They are more likely to get involved in gang violence or spend time standing on corners and making it obvious to law enforcement that they are not in school where they ought to be. At this age, youth are more likely to get into trouble and fall prey to unsavory influences that lead to drug use, home break-ins, and other types of unacceptable behavior. I too have to live with these issues when I fail to do my part in my own community. I must do what is possible to support the education that is provided for the neighborhood in which I live.

Education is not just the responsibility of those with children, it is the responsibility of us all to keep our communities safe, and inspire children to remain engaged in worthwhile activities, and motivated to learn. Lesson learned; when any of us fail to pitch in we all lose, not just the children and the families to which they belong. When we look at it as a community effort, we are including everyone within it. 

It can be difficult to look at what is next in your career when your community is in shambles. When you’re working towards promotions, managing more, and taking on different responsibilities, you can be distracted by questioning what is going on back at home. Especially when what is going on back home is not working. When you are focusing on upping your game at work, to become noticed for your contributions to an organization, team, or project, worrying that your home might be vandalized or your neighborhood compromised in some way is a distraction that will get in the way.

Moreover, the back-to-school season isn’t just about younger students; it’s also a time when educational institutions offer courses for adults, making it an ideal moment for anyone considering further education or training. This environment of widespread learning and growth fosters a mindset of improvement and ambition. As professionals, it’s a reminder that our personal and career development are lifelong pursuits, not confined to traditional schooling years.

For leaders to prosper, the holistic view of their lives must encompass the choices they make at home as well as at the office. Leaders know all too well that when their skill level is not where it needs to be, promotions and increased salaries are less likely to happen. Parents are less likely to provide as well for their families and those families without children suffer as well.

Often, this is when I see executives preparing for new roles that demand not only new skills, and also a shift in mindset. The back-to-school period symbolizes a time of renewal, making it an opportune moment to reassess career trajectories and set new goals. 

I help leaders get promoted, and this requires them to be coachable—and open to learning, even when it challenges their comfort zones or existing beliefs. Just as students are expected to adapt to new curricula and environments, leaders must be willing to embrace change and growth, continuously evolving to meet the demands of their roles. Even when what you are learning may seem to go against the grain of what you believe, trust, or what makes you comfortable. 

I recognize that while we may wish for life to go back to the way it was at a time in the past, the reality is that going back to a past time is not possible. Instead, our new selves must find a new way to show up. That is why I find it difficult to embrace the phrase, “new normal.” One might ask, what is normal and that definition is different for different people. Another consideration is that not everything from the past was necessarily working. That is why I find it difficult to embrace the phrase, “in the good ole days.” The truth of the matter is that not everything was necessarily “good.”

I think we might be more effectively served to embrace the possibility of reinvention instead. For instance, who we were and how we did what we did before 2020 is done. It is time to see life for what it is and what it is not. What it is now can be summed up by the advent of hybrid work conditions. It is unlikely we will ever go back to working in an office in the manner we once did. The whole world changed and we will experience less suffering when we embrace new ways of being and doing in all aspects of our lives. Seeing the world through the lens of  “that was then and this is now” can open up possibilities that did not exist before. 

I’ve encountered many moments where learning something new triggered hesitation or fear. These feelings are natural, just as my reaction to repeating the third grade triggered hesitation and fear, especially when the learning process challenges deeply held beliefs or pushes individuals into unfamiliar territory. Yet, in every instance, I’ve used those lessons to grow and to help others grow. The discomfort that comes with stepping outside of one’s comfort zone is often a precursor to significant personal and professional breakthroughs. When you commit to continuous learning, nothing can stop you except the end of your life. Just keep in mind that the number one and two greatest fears of many leaders is presenting in front of an audience and death…in that order! As long as you remain open to new ideas, skills, and perspectives, the potential for growth is limitless, and the opportunities for advancement are boundless.

When I began my formal career in leadership development I wasn’t always a quick study. I was thorough with my studies. I asked lots of questions and listened to many perspectives. I learned that no matter what I thought I knew, or how I felt about others and questioned when I could apply my knowledge, I was continually reminded that there is always room for improvement and other ways of thinking about everything. I remember one of my mentors commenting that of all the qualities I possess, two of my greatest is being a life learner and applying what I learned immediately. I wasn’t one to wait for the “right” moment. I took what I had and turned it into a practice that allowed me to progress quickly. Skating was one of my greatest teachers of those two qualities.

In the sport of figure skating, literally, every second counts. I learned that as a choreographer, technical coach, judge, collaborative partner both as a pair skater and coach, performer, and leader of skaters’ careers as an eligible, competitive athlete. I’ve also drawn on my keen sensibility to advise athletes on where they might go beyond the ice rink. In one case a skater was deciding between pursuing an MBA over a law degree. Every aspect of one’s being in the sport of figure skating is honed and perfected to the greatest degree possible. Always with room for improvement presenting itself in order to continue moving forward. 

Another mentor acknowledged me for being a relentless optimist. I wasn’t sure this was a compliment. Afterall, the word relentless can lead to unpleasantness and cruelty. My awareness of this has pulled me back from the brink of going overboard. Yet, I’d rather be accused of this as an optimist than any number of alternative descriptors of me and my work. No matter what I was up against, even today; I always find a way to do better, work smarter, focus more, and commit myself to let go of excuses and make it happen. 

Your personal Back to School time is the opportunity to hone skills that will make you an effective leader:

• Communication Style – Learn your style of communication and continue to build on it. Adjust it. Hone it and develop it in order to benefit from it.
• Interactions – Every interaction is an opportunity to improve your style and effectiveness in communicating well enough to influence outcomes.
• Feedback – Whether giving it or receiving it, do so humbly and with great appreciation. Even that which challenges you. Then be sure to learn from it.
• Coaching – Support others as though your career depends upon it. You want to prepare yourself for it to come back to roost to your benefit. And it will!
• Messaging – Care about what you say, how you say it, when you say it, and to whom you say it. Mike Lipkin’s magical words are powerful when he shares, “Who you are being when you are saying what you are saying. Says more about what you are saying than what you are saying.”
• Strategizing – In the words of Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Remain on the lookout for what will move you ahead and bask in where you are now so you are grounded for your next leap of faith.

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