Leaning In When It Would Be Easier to Quit

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” — Benjamin Franklin

On Saturday, January 24th, I woke up early, around 3:30 a.m., as I usually do on Saturdays, ready for a planned 22-mile run. Instead, I was greeted by a hard truth: 34 degrees, rapidly dropping temperatures from a major cold front, and steady, driving rain.

About a half mile in, I turned back.

The rain wasn’t just cold, it was painful. A true downpour. I quickly realized my gear plan was wrong and that I needed another layer. Thankfully, I had options. I grabbed the right rain jacket, one that didn’t keep me dry, but did keep the piercing cold from cutting straight through me.

At that moment, the thought of crawling back into a warm, dry bed was incredibly tempting. Honestly, it felt like the best option. But then another thought hit me: Okay, that feels good right now… but then what?

That’s when I recognized a familiar feeling, the “oh shit” moment. The point where your body says stop, but your experience reminds you there’s still life, clarity, and execution on the other side of that feeling, if you keep going.

So I did. And, as it turns out, I ended up having a great run.

So what does this have to do with educational leadership?

Everything.

Over the past few weeks, many of our clients have been deep in the work, digesting large amounts of student data, trying to make sense of where they are mid-year, and preparing for mock end-of-year STAAR assessments that will give a clearer picture of student achievement and growth.

Alongside that work, we’ve noticed rising stress, unease, and, at times, a quiet reluctance to push forward. Fear is creeping in. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what the data might say. And when that fear shows up, it often pulls leaders off track from core routines: consistent classroom walkthroughs, timely feedback, and clear follow-through on expectations.

Why does this happen?

Because things are getting hard, again.

Like the seasons, difficult stretches in education are predictable. October and February, in particular, are months we encourage leaders to plan for intentionally: to both stretch themselves and check in more deeply with their people. When the data isn’t telling a clean growth story and the “what-ifs” start swirling, that familiar feeling shows up again.

The key isn’t avoiding it.It’s recognizing it, and moving forward anyway.

That’s where growth happens. And that’s what separates leaders who sustain impact from those who stall. Many of our clients are choosing to lean in, refining daily practice, tightening systems, and staying focused, rather than avoiding the work or allowing distractions to take over simply because they’re easier.

The message here is simple.

If this is you right now, name it. Call it what it is. Maybe it feels like things are hitting the fan, or maybe they aren’t. Either way, you still get to make a choice: understand what’s happening, create a plan, and execute.

It sounds simple. It isn’t easy. And many people choose the path of least resistance.

This shows up clearly in conversations about growth plans. We often say growth plans are the nuclear option, they immediately change the administrator-teacher relationship. That’s why we believe strong, consistent coaching cycles grounded in mutual accountability must come first. When a growth plan becomes necessary, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

Yet this remains one of the most common places leaders hesitate. Why? Because it’s hard. Because it matters. And because they’re worried about getting it wrong.

Our stance is this: acknowledge the discomfort, invite feedback on your plan, and then execute with the clear intention of growing someone, not making it personal or trying to push them out. Doing this well is one of the clearest distinctions between good principals and excellent ones.

Whether you’re struggling to maintain tough routines, classroom walkthroughs, coaching cycles, intervention refinement, or growth plans, I encourage you to pause, look it straight in the face, make a plan, and move forward.

It may not get easier. But it does get more familiar.

Practicing this, recognizing resistance, asking yourself what happens if you don’t act, refusing to negotiate your way out of the work, and pushing forward anyway, will absolutely set you apart.

At SLC, this is the work we do alongside our clients every day. Through one-on-one coaching and deep facilitation with principals and teacher leaders, we help teams build shared clarity, name the hard truths, and create actionable paths forward. And without exception, when leaders engage at this level, the results, for principals, teachers, and especially students, are powerful.

Sometimes the conditions are cold, wet, and uncomfortable.That doesn’t mean you turn back.