From "Scramble Mode" to Sanity: How One Leader Regained Control

Let’s be honest: leadership jobs can be absolutely wild sometimes.

The job description says "Strategic Vision," but the reality is often just a barrage of emails, unexpected resignations, and "got a minute?" interruptions.

I’ve been working with a client for a few years now who is the perfect example of this. As the Executive Director of a school, her plate is already overflowing with charter renewals, staff transitions, and a million other moving parts.

But her reality doesn't stop when she leaves the office. She is also a mom of two, managing the complexities of raising a child with significant health needs. When we first started digging into her workflow, she described feeling "scattered"—constantly pulled in opposite directions, trying to be everything to everyone.

She didn't need a lecture on "time management." She needed a way to lead without burning out.

Here is a look at the specific moves she made to stop the scramble, and what happened as a result.

What She Did

To get out of the weeds, we had to stop and look at how the machine was actually running. She committed to a few key changes:

1. She got real about her schedule.

We started with a Schedule Audit. It sounds tedious, but it was a game-changer. By looking at exactly where her time was going (versus where she thought it was going), she could finally see the difference between "urgent noise" and the work that actually matters—like that critical charter renewal.

2. She stopped playing every position.

She realized she was trying to be the Director, the Dean, and the CFO all at once. She took a hard look at her leadership team and tweaked the roles to play to everyone’s strengths. This meant handing off day-to-day student support tasks to the people best suited for them, so she could get back to the big-picture work needed to position her organization for the future.

3. She leaned on thought partnership.

When a key staff member resigned, it could have been a crisis. Instead of spiraling, she used our coaching sessions to map out a transition plan. We used that time to tackle the tricky questions that keep leaders up at night, turning potential panic into a managed process. By grounding her decisions in her organization’s North Star and personal values, she was able to resist short-term demands from staff and families and remain focused on the most critical, long-term work.

The Results

This wasn't an overnight fix – she’s been working at this for years – but the shift has been massive.

1. Friction turned into trust.

Early on, there was some tension in her leadership team. But as roles got clearer, that friction dissolved into trust. Now, the team makes big decisions as a group. They aren't waiting on her for every little answer; they own the mission together.

2. She’s looking forward, not down.

With other people handling the daily fires, her gaze has lifted. She isn't just surviving the day anymore; she’s focused on the future of the organization. She’s finally doing the visionary work that only she can do.

3. The "scramble" subsided.

Most importantly, the work feels sustainable. By defining her main "buckets" of responsibility and offloading the rest, she created breathing room. The system is streamlined, which means she has the capacity to handle the intensity of her job and the reality of her life as a mom.

If you feel like you're constantly reacting rather than leading, you aren't doing it wrong—you might be just a few adjustments away.