Intentional Leadership

Breaking free from reactive management

Does it ever feel like your leadership role has turned into a constant game of whack-a-mole? One issue pops up, you deal with it, and before you know it, another one appears. It’s exhausting—and it leaves little room to focus on what truly matters. This article explores how to break free from reactive management and begin leading with intention.

The Trap of Reactive Management

Being stuck in reactive mode is one of the most common challenges for school leaders. Whether it’s managing last-minute crises, handling unexpected staff issues, or chasing endless compliance tasks, it can feel like you’re just trying to stay afloat.

The real cost? Strategic thinking disappears. Meaningful progress stalls. And you begin each week with purpose, only to end it wondering where your time went—and what, if anything, truly moved forward.

Reactive management creates a culture of constant urgency. That pressure leads to burnout, not only for you but for your entire team. When leadership becomes a cycle of response rather than direction, long-term goals are replaced with short-term survival.

One Principal’s Turning Point

I once worked with a principal who described her days as “non-stop fire drills.” She felt like her time was consumed by other people’s problems—leaving no room to lead on her own terms.

We started by mapping her week. The results were eye-opening. Less than 20 percent of her time was spent on her core priorities—what she actually believed mattered most.

Reactive management creates a culture of constant urgency. 

We introduced one simple shift: she began blocking 30 minutes a day for proactive leadership work. No meetings. No interruptions. At first, it felt impossible. But over time, it became the most productive part of her day. She eventually expanded that time and built a rhythm that allowed her to lead both responsively and intentionally. The transformation wasn’t just in her calendar—it was in her mindset.

A Framework to Regain Clarity

Leading with intention means anchoring your actions in vision—not reaction. One tool that helps is the DMF framework: Destinations, Milestones, and Footsteps.

• Destinations are your long-term goals.
• Milestones are the measurable progress points that mark the way.
• Footsteps are the small, daily actions that move you forward.

Here’s how it works:

1. Destinations: Define three priorities for the year. These might include fostering teacher wellbeing, improving student engagement, or deepening community partnerships.
2. Milestones: Break each Destination into tangible markers. For example, if your Destination is staff wellbeing, a Milestone might be a 90% participation rate in wellness check-ins each term.
3. Footsteps: Take the next small, clear step. That could be scheduling a 20-minute strategy session, delegating a wellness lead, or gathering initial feedback from staff.

This approach brings vision back into your week. It doesn’t require overhauling everything—it just requires starting where you are, with clarity and purpose.

A Real Example of Impact

Another school leader I worked with used the DMF to address burnout on her team. Her Destination was to build a culture of teacher wellbeing. Her Milestone was to introduce monthly Professional Wellness Conversations.

Her first Footstep? Training her leadership team to lead those conversations—so it wasn’t all on her shoulders.

The result was a stronger sense of support, higher retention, and a team that felt heard and valued. It wasn’t magic. It was structure, aligned with intention.

Where to Begin

If you’ve been leading reactively, you’re not failing—you’re doing what most school systems incentivise. But you don’t have to stay there.

Start by naming one Destination. Then invite your team into a conversation about what progress might look like—and what small actions could begin today.

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about leading on purpose, with a rhythm that reflects what truly matters.

How do you stay connected to your long-term vision when the urgent takes over?