8 Hours of Teacher Interviews Later
Reflections on leadership, clarity, & the questions no one is asking (plus a free download for teachers)
I spent eight hours on Zoom the other day, interviewing teachers for a school that hasn’t officially opened yet.
We open in September. Which means every conversation is part of something that’s still coming together….I have no history to lean on. I’m new too.
And I’m the one leading it (*cue the quiet, internal freak out*)
As I headed into an insane day of back-to-back interviews, I was on a mission to find teachers who were excited about building a foundation. Every candidate I met could be part of shaping what this school becomes through how they collaborate, how they communicate, and how they show up when things are still messy.
Leadership shows up in interviews
This time around, I wasn’t on a hiring committee. I wasn’t one voice on a panel of many voices. I was setting the tone, running the process. It is solely me who is seeking out the people who will become our first team.
I’ve done plenty of interviews before, yet this time felt different. I could feel how much I’ve grown in how I lead the conversation.
Not long ago, I was focused on structure, making sure I asked the “right” questions, and moving through the process crisply. Now I care more about what the conversation feels like.
I’m not there to assess someone against a checklist. I want to understand how they work, what they value, and whether this school will give them the conditions they need to do their best work. That shift away from evaluation and toward alignment is a super intentional part of what mindful leadership looks like in practice for me right now.
There were a few moments of imposter syndrome
Even though I’ve been interviewing for years, being the decision-maker had imposter syndrome knocking on my door. I’d ask a question and wonder if it landed the way I intended. I’d pause after answering something myself and think, Did that sound clear? Or did it sound like I don’t have it figured out yet?
But that’s where we are. We’re building. And some of my answers were solid. Others were more honest: “We’re still working that out, and you’d be part of shaping it.”
I’ve learned to recognize those thoughts for what they are. They’re not a weakness, they’re part of the work.
If I want to build a team that can navigate uncertainty with clarity and care, I have to model that in the interview itself. My Oura ring showed only about three hours of stress that day and a surprising amount of restorative time. That’s not usually the case when it comes to Zoom calls for me. But I’ve built the capacity to hold that level of responsibility with more ease and clarity than I could have before.
The question that tells me the most
“What type of school environment helps support your best work?”
Most people paused before answering. Some say no one’s ever asked them that before, which tells me a lot. It tells me how much of the education profession is shaped around adapting and showing that we can fit in, keep up, stay flexible without ever being asked what helps us thrive.
I’ve been thinking about how much the role of the teacher has changed in the past few years. Flexibility is constantly expected, but rarely supported. That’s why I think leaders need to be even more intentional about creating the kind of environments that help teachers stay grounded, connected, and able to do their best work.
A surprising pattern and what it revealed
By the end of the day, I realized that no one had asked me about well-being. Not a single person asked what kind of support teachers receive or how we think about leadership culture. Based on all the research and my own experience with leadership and educator well-being I wasn’t surprised.
It also felt familiar.
For a long time, I wouldn’t have asked those questions either.
We’re conditioned to focus on getting the offer and to prove we’re a good hire. In my experience it’s almost universally frowned upon to check whether we’re stepping into a school culture that’s aligned with our values or sustainable long-term.
Which is exactly why I’m writing a book about this and treating my own leadership as a kind of action research plan.
What I’ve learned from this round of hiring
The interview is a mirror. It reflects back the kind of leadership you bring into the room.
Most people aren’t used to being asked what kind of support they need. That doesn’t mean they don’t have an answer. It means no one’s ever made space for it.
When you’re building something new (or even if you’re not) clarity matters. People can feel when you’re being honest/authentic.
Not every system needs to be figured out. But you do need to communicate what kind of culture you’re working toward and invite people into that process.
A few questions I’ve started leading with
If you're in hiring season too, here are a few that have helped me shift the tone of the conversation:
What kind of school environment helps support your best work?
What makes you feel like you’re part of a strong team?
What helps you stay grounded when you’re in a season of change?
What do you hope leadership will feel like in your next school?
And a few for teachers to keep in their back pocket
If you’re the one being interviewed, it’s worth remembering that you get to ask questions too. I pulled together a free download with 20 thoughtful, clarity-building questions that touch on values, culture, collaboration, and well-being:
📥 DOWNLOAD: « 20 Questions to Bring Into Your Next Teaching Interview »
The ones below are a few I wish more teachers felt permission to ask:
What does meaningful support look like here, especially when things feel complex or uncertain?
How does leadership communicate and stay connected with staff throughout the year?
What boundaries are respected when it comes to time, communication, and workload?
How are teachers involved in shaping school culture?
These questions might feel risky but they’re also thoughtful. And they can open the door to the kind of clarity we all deserve when deciding where, and with whom, we want to do our best work.
A final reflection
One of the questions I’ve been asking myself after each interview is this:
Would I want to be interviewed by me?
That’s how I check in with whether I’m leading the way I intend to: present, clear, curious, and consistent.
Interviews are ultimately connection. They’re one of the first moments where someone experiences your leadership. And they’re a chance to show that you see the person and not just the position.
P.S. Some of this will make its way into the book I’m writing on mindful leadership. If you’re new here and want to follow along, you can subscribe to get future posts: real-time reflections, questions I’m sitting with, and what life is like in Southern Italy 🇮🇹🫶