Episode 112 | The Leadership Blueprint: Dream, Design, Build

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Dr. Brandi Kelly: Over the last several months, I have had the privilege of watching my husband and my son build our new home. And when I say build, I mean they're doing all of the work themselves. Every wall, every doorway, measurement,

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Dr. Brandi Kelly: One afternoon I walked through the house and right now it is just lumber and framing, just the studs. The walls aren't finished yet. But Jeremy and Ryan, they already know exactly where every room is. And Jeremy walked me through and he showed me where the bedroom is. He showed me where the bathroom is going to be. And the reason for this is because they had a blueprint. Long before that first board was nailed into place, my husband and I dreamed. We dreamed about what this home was going to become. And then we designed it. He drew up the blueprints. And it was only then that the building process could begin. And as I stood there that afternoon, I couldn't help but wonder. how many of us are trying to build our leadership without ever creating a blueprint. As a school leader, you know how to create a school improvement plan, professional development, safety plans, strategic initiatives to get you to where you want to go. We are constantly designing systems for everybody else. But when was the last time that you intentionally designed your own leadership? Now, I'm not talking about your calendar. I'm not talking about goals or your evaluation. I'm talking about the leader that you want to become. It requires three intentional steps. First, dream. Before there was a blueprint for our home, there was a dream. We imagined, or maybe I should say I imagined, what life inside this home would look like. The laughter around the dinner table after church on Sunday afternoon. Conversations on the porch. all of the memories that we are going to make in this home as a family. Leadership starts the same way. When you first stepped into leadership, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you had a dream. Maybe you wanted every student to fill scene. you wanted teachers to love coming to work. Maybe you simply wanted to make a difference. But here's what happens. get busy. Emails replace your vision. Meetings replace your mission. Urgency, it takes the place of the purpose. And slowly, but surely, we stop dreaming. Not because we stop caring, but because we are just simply exhausted. you stopped dreaming about the leader God called you to become? The next step is to design. Dreams without designs rarely become reality. My husband and son couldn't simply show up lumber. And hope that everything worked out. They needed a plan. they needed to measure. What's that saying? measure twice and cut once. The blueprint, that is what directed their actions and they could return to that blueprint every single day. Leadership is no different. If your dream is to lead with joy, what habits support that? If your dream is healthy relationships, what boundaries are you putting in place to protect those healthy relationships? If your dream is to lead with hope and purpose, how are you intentionally filling your cup? Your leadership is not built by good intentions. It's built by intentional design. Finally, we build. Here's what I've learned about watching this house go up. Building is not glamorous. My husband and my son do not enjoy doing this work. It's slow, it's repetitive, and sometimes it is very frustrating. Leadership can be the same way. You build culture one conversation at a time. You build trust one decision. at a time. You build hope, encouragement at a time. And you build resilience, one day at a time. No one notices when that one brick goes into place. But over time, everyone notices the house. No one notices one encouraging conversation. But over time, everyone notices the culture. That's how leadership works. Small faithful choices become lasting impact. So let me ask you, what are you building? maybe even more importantly, are you building from a blueprint or are you simply reacting to what comes next? That's why I created the Leadership Wellbeing Blueprint. It's a guide to creating work-life harmony. This free resource will help you pause and consider what matters most before another school year begins. I hope it will help you reconnect to that dream that you once had to design your leadership. intentionally and to build a life and a career that reflects leader that you want to become. You're going to find the link in today's show notes. And if today's conversation has resonated with you, I'd love to invite you into the Spark Hope community. This isn't just another membership. It's a community of women who are committed to dreaming again. On August 5th, I'm especially excited because Melissa Wilkinson, she's going to be joining us for a powerful conversation about rediscovering the dreams God has placed on your heart. Because before God ever asks us to build anything, he will often put a dream on our heart. Sometimes leadership causes us to set that dream aside. Together, we're going to rediscover it. So today, before you rush in to your next meeting or answer another email or solve another problem, pause and ask yourself three questions. What am I dreaming about? How am I intentionally designing my leadership? And what am I building today? Because your school deserves a great leader Remember, dream boldly, design intentionally, and build faithfully. As always, keep leading with hope, my friend.