The Aspiring School Leader Podcast

A school leadership interview can make even a prepared candidate question their experience, strengths, and ability to lead. But often, the problem isn’t preparation, it’s confidence in your own leadership story.
In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shares 3-mindset shifts to help aspiring school leaders build confidence before their next school leadership interview and communicate who they are, what they’ve accomplished, and what they bring to the table.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Your Confidence Starts With Your Story
02:59 Own the Uniqueness of Your Journey
06:37 Lead Your Interview With Your Strengths
09:07 Recognize the Leadership You Already Carry
If you’ve ever walked into a school leadership interview wondering whether you’re the strongest candidate, this episode will help you stop focusing on what you lack and start recognizing the leadership you already demonstrate.
You’ll learn how to:
✅ Embrace your unique journey and experiences
✅ Communicate your strengths with confidence
✅ Answer leadership questions from a leadership perspective
✅ Stop comparing your experience to other candidates
✅ Recognize leadership skills you already demonstrate through mentoring, collaboration, problem-solving, and initiative
✅ Show up to your interview with confidence, clarity, and ownership
You don’t become a leader when you get the title. You expand the leader you already are.
🎯 Need Support Preparing for Your Leadership Interview?
If you’re an aspiring school leader preparing to land your first school leadership role, personalized coaching can help you practice scenario-based questions, clarify your leadership story, and receive targeted feedback before the real interview.
👉🏾Learn More About 1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching: https://www.donovansmalls2.com/coaching
📘 Grab my book, Beyond the Classroom: https://shorturl.at/74Bgy  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
About Dr. Donovan Smalls II:
Assistant Principal | Best Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders get interview ready & confidently land their first school leadership role.
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Listen & Connect
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📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on Leadership Interviews, Assistant Principal Interviews, School Leadership, Educational Leadership, Interview Preparation, Leadership Development, and Career Growth for aspiring school leaders.
#SchoolLeadership #LeadershipInterview #InterviewPreparation #AssistantPrincipal #AspiringSchoolLeaders

Leadership interview questions can feel intimidating when you don't have formal leadership experience. In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shows aspiring school leaders how to turn their teaching experiences into strong leadership interview answers.
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 — Answer Leadership Questions Without Experience
02:43 — Stop Thinking About Titles, Start Thinking About Decisions
05:52 — Answer From the Leadership Lens
08:30 — Show Your Influence
You may have never been an Assistant Principal, supervisor, or academic coach—but that doesn't mean you don't have leadership experience. The key is learning how to communicate your experience through a leadership lens and demonstrate your ability to make sound decisions, influence others, and create meaningful impact.
In this episode, you'll learn 3 practical strategies to answer school leadership interview questions with confidence:
✅ Stop thinking about titles and start thinking about decisions
✅ Answer leadership interview questions from a leadership lens
✅ Show your influence and the impact of your actions
You'll also learn how to use experiences such as coaching teachers, mentoring colleagues, resolving conflicts, collaborating with teams, and serving on school committees to demonstrate leadership—even when you haven't held a formal leadership position.
If you’re an aspiring school leader, this episode will help you communicate your experience in a way that sounds like a school leader.
🎯 PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW?
If you're preparing to land your first school leadership role, don't underestimate the leadership experience you already have.
Your challenge isn't always a lack of experience. Sometimes it's knowing how to frame your experience, communicate your leadership thinking, and demonstrate your impact during the interview.
🎯 1:1 Interview Preparation Coaching
If you're preparing for your first leadership role and want personalized interview coaching, learn more here: https://www.donovansmalls2.com/coaching
👋🏾 ABOUT DR. DONOVAN SMALLS II:
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders get interview-ready & confidently land their first leadership role.
📘 Grab Beyond the Classroom: https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
🔗 LISTEN & CONNECT:
📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on interview preparation for aspiring school leaders!
#SchoolLeadership #AssistantPrincipalInterview #LeadershipInterview #EducationalLeadership #AspiringSchoolLeader #InterviewPreparation #LeadershipDevelopment

School leadership interview rejection can feel personal, but what if that “no” isn't rejection at all? What if it's redirection?
Many aspiring school leaders spend hours preparing interview questions, researching districts, and memorizing leadership frameworks. But there’s one question that can make all the difference:
Who am I as a leader?
Because when you know who you are before you walk into a school leadership interview, a closed door doesn't have to define you. Instead, you can learn from the experience, stay confident, and recognize when you're being redirected toward the right leadership opportunity.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Who Am I as a Leader?
02:29 Rejection or Redirection?
05:17 What Kind of Leader Am I Becoming?
08:24 When Success Feeds Your Ego
In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shares three powerful reflection lenses to help aspiring school leaders develop a stronger leadership identity before their next interview.
You'll learn:
✅ Turn rejection into redirection instead of allowing one interview outcome to define you
✅ Understand who you're becoming as a school leader
✅ Identify your core leadership values, principles, and motivations
✅ Recognize whether a school, district, or leadership role truly aligns with you
✅ Stop chasing every leadership opportunity and start pursuing the right opportunities
✅ Build confidence without allowing success to feed your ego
✅ Lead through influence instead of authority
✅ Become a confident, humble, and authentic leader who isn't threatened by the strengths of others
If you're preparing to land your first school leadership role, remember: the goal isn't just to give the right answers. The goal is to know who you are before you sit in that interview chair.
Your leadership will ultimately flow from your identity. The more rooted you are in your values and principles, the less a “no” can shake you.
🎯 Preparing for Your First Leadership Role?
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If you want personalized support to become interview ready, confident, and authentic, explore 1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching with Dr. Donovan Smalls II.
Learn More About 1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching
📘 Grab my book, Beyond the Classroom: https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
Get more leadership insights from Dr. Donovan Smalls II: https://www.donovansmalls2.com/coaching
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About Dr. Donovan Smalls II
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Assistant Principal | Best Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders become interview ready, strengthen their leadership confidence, and confidently land their first school leadership role. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Listen & Connect
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr

New Assistant Principal?
Here’s what to expect in your first year of school leadership—from managing emotional challenges to leading adults and growing into your new role.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 — What New Assistant Principals Should Expect
01:51 — The Emotional Roller Coaster of Leadership
07:35 — Leading & Managing Adults
11:23 — Give Yourself Grace While You Grow
Stepping into your first Assistant Principal role is exciting, but leadership can be very different from what you imagined. Your days may be unpredictable, difficult conversations may arise, and leading adults requires a different set of skills than leading students.
In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shares 3 essential lessons every new Assistant Principal should understand:
✅ Be ready for the emotional roller coaster of leadership
✅ Learn how to lead and manage adults through trust and influence
✅ Give yourself grace while you learn, reflect, and grow
You'll also learn why being a great classroom teacher doesn't automatically mean you'll be a great school leader—and why experience, relationships, emotional intelligence, and reflection are essential to becoming an effective assistant principal.
Whether you're a new assistant principal or an aspiring school leader, this episode will help you better understand what your first year in school leadership may look like.
🎯 PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW?
Learn how to strengthen your interview responses, communicate your leadership experience, and confidently land your first leadership role.
🎯 1:1 Interview Coaching
If you're preparing for your first leadership role and want personalized interview coaching, learn more here: https://www.donovansmalls2.com/coaching
👋🏾 ABOUT DR. DONOVAN SMALLS II:
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders get interview-ready & confidently land their first leadership role.
📘 Grab my book, Beyond the Classroom: https://shorturl.at/74Bgy  
Streaming on:
📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
👉🏾 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more school leadership interview prep and leadership readiness strategies.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on school leadership interview preparation specifically geared toward aspiring school leaders.
#AssistantPrincipal #SchoolLeadership #EducationalLeadership #AssistantPrincipalInterview #LeadershipDevelopment #AspiringSchoolLeader #interview

A school leadership job is about more than getting an offer—it’s about finding the right school, district, and leadership environment for you.
In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shares how aspiring school leaders can evaluate a leadership opportunity before saying yes.
Chapters:
00:00 You’re Interviewing Them, Too
02:33 Know What You’re Looking For
07:12 Ask Questions That Reveal the Culture
09:33 Remember the Value You Bring
When preparing for a school leadership interview, it’s easy to focus entirely on proving yourself to the interview panel. But remember…you’re interviewing them, too.
This episode will help you approach your next leadership interview with confidence, clarity, and discernment, by learning how to:
✅ Evaluate whether a school leadership job is right for you
✅ Ask questions that reveal the school’s culture
✅ Understand whether the district supports leadership growth
✅ Recognize the value and experience you bring to the table
You’ll learn how to determine whether a school leadership position aligns with your long-term goals, leadership growth, values, and ability to make a meaningful impact on students, staff, and families.
If you need personalized support with your leadership interview preparation, let’s explore 1:1 coaching below.
👉🏾 1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching: https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching
📘 Beyond the Classroom https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
About Dr. Donovan Smalls II:
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders become interview-ready, strengthen their leadership confidence, and confidently land their first school leadership role.
Streaming on:
📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on Leadership Interviews, Assistant Principal Interviews, School Leadership, Educational Leadership, Interview Preparation, Leadership Development, and Career Growth for aspiring school leaders.
#SchoolLeadership #LeadershipInterview #InterviewPreparation #AssistantPrincipal #AspiringSchoolLeaders

School leadership interview success takes more than experience and qualifications. In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II shares 3 powerful leadership interview strategies to help aspiring school leaders answer with confidence, reduce interview anxiety, and position themselves as the leader a district wants to hire.
Two candidates can have similar experience, qualifications, and resumes—but one gets the job while the other doesn't. Often, the difference isn't experience. It's strategy.
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 — Why Qualified Candidates Fail Leadership Interviews
01:56 — Strategy #1: Know the District Before You Sell Yourself
06:38 — Strategy #2: Think Beyond the Question
09:27 — Strategy #3: Control the Narrative
If you're preparing to land your first school leadership role, this video will help you:
✅ Research the district before you sell yourself
✅ Connect your experience to the district's goals and needs
✅ Understand what interview questions are really designed to reveal
✅ Answer unexpected leadership interview questions with confidence
✅ Use frameworks instead of memorizing answers
✅ Reduce interview anxiety and communicate your leadership more effectively
✅ Control the narrative and leave the interview with a clear leadership message
🎯 Ready to Prepare for Your Leadership Interview?
If you have a strong resume and the experience to lead, but need additional support preparing for your next school leadership interview, Dr. Donovan Smalls II's 4-week interview preparation coaching program, Elevate Your Impact, can help you:
• Clarify and confidently communicate your leadership story
• Practice scenario-based leadership interview questions
• Receive real-time coaching and targeted feedback
• Complete a full one-on-one mock leadership interview
👉🏾 1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching: https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching
📘 Beyond the Classroom https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
About Dr. Donovan Smalls II:
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders become interview-ready, strengthen their leadership confidence, and confidently land their first school leadership role.
Streaming on:
📺 YouTube 🔗 https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on Leadership Interviews, Assistant Principal Interviews, School Leadership, Educational Leadership, Interview Preparation, Leadership Development, and Career Growth for aspiring school leaders.
#SchoolLeadership #LeadershipInterview #AssistantPrincipal #InterviewPreparation #EducationalLeadership

Leadership Interview Tips for Aspiring School Leadership Interview Success.
Learn what hiring committees want to hear in leadership interviews.
You don't need a stronger resume.
You need stronger interview answers.
The candidates who consistently earn leadership roles aren't always the most experienced—they're the ones who clearly communicate how their leadership changes outcomes for teachers, students, and the entire school community.
If you're preparing for your first leadership interview, these three principles will completely change how you approach your next interview.
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**INSIDE THIS EPISODE**
00:00 | The mistake that weakens great interview answers
00:24 | Why hiring committees think differently than candidates
03:08 | Principle #1 — You shouldn't always be the hero
06:18 | Principle #2 — Think beyond your classroom
12:16 | Principle #3 — Put students at the center of every answer
14:24 | The interview framework every aspiring school leader should remember ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
**WHY THIS MATTERS**
Hiring committees aren't simply looking for someone who can manage a school.
They're looking for someone who can develop teachers, inspire people, and improve student outcomes.
That's the difference between sounding qualified...and sounding like the leader they're ready to hire.
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**IN THIS VIDEO, YOU'LL DISCOVER**
• The three things hiring committees actually want to hear
• Why talking about yourself too much weakens your interview answers
• How to communicate leadership impact instead of accomplishments
• How to connect classroom success to school-wide leadership
• The mindset shift that separates teachers from future school leaders
• Why student-centered leadership creates unforgettable interview answers
• How to position yourself as someone who develops people—not just manages them ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
**ONE IDEA TO REMEMBER**
Great leadership interviews aren't about proving how impressive you are. They're about proving how many lives your leadership will improve.
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**ABOUT DR. DONOVAN SMALLS II**
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders strengthen their interview skills, communicate their leadership story with confidence, and successfully transition into their first leadership role.
Beyond the Classroom https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
Interview Coaching https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
LISTEN & CONNECT
YouTube https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
Apple Podcasts https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
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Subscribe for weekly content on leadership interviews, assistant principal interviews, school leadership, educational leadership, leadership development, interview preparation, and career growth for aspiring school leaders.
 

Preparing to land your first leadership role?
This episode reveals the #1 mistake aspiring school leaders make and how a student-centered leadership approach can help you stand out with interview committees.
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**CHAPTERS**
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00:00 – The #1 Interview Mistake
00:24 – Why Most Leadership Interview Answers Fall Short
03:08 – Principle #1: Stop Making Yourself the Hero
06:18 – Principle #2: Connect Classroom Impact to School-wide Impact
12:16 – Principle #3: Make Students the Center of Your Leadership Philosophy
14:24 – Three Principles That Transform Interview Answers
14:51 – Leadership Interview Coaching
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Many aspiring school leaders miss out on leadership opportunities—not because they lack experience, but because they communicate leadership the wrong way.
In this episode, you'll learn three practical leadership interview principles that will help you answer interview questions with confidence, demonstrate student-centered leadership, and leave hiring committees with a lasting impression.
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**WHAT YOU'LL LEARN**
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✔ The #1 leadership interview mistake aspiring school leaders make
✔ Why hiring committees look beyond leadership skills and experience
✔ How to stop making yourself the hero in your interview answers
✔ How to connect your classroom experience to schoolwide leadership
✔ Why student-centered leadership creates stronger interview answers
✔ How to develop a leadership philosophy that hiring committees remember
✔ How to communicate leadership impact instead of listing accomplishments
✔ What separates great teachers from great school leaders during interviews
Great interview answers don't just explain **how you lead.** They explain **who benefits from your leadership.**
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**About Dr. Donovan Smalls II** ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach Dr. Donovan Smalls II helps aspiring school leaders become interview-ready, strengthen their leadership confidence, and confidently land their first school leadership role.
📘 **Grab Beyond the Classroom** https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
🎯 **1:1 Leadership Interview Coaching** If you're preparing for your first leadership role and want personalized interview coaching, learn more here: https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching
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**Listen & Connect**
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📺 YouTube https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on **Leadership Interviews, Assistant Principal Interviews, School Leadership, Educational Leadership, Interview Preparation, Leadership Development,** and **Career Growth** for aspiring school leaders. 

Preparing for an assistant principal interview or school leadership interview but still not getting hired?
In this episode, discover why hiring committees often reject highly qualified candidates—and what they're actually looking for during an interview.
How to communicate your leadership experience, demonstrate real impact, and answer interview questions in a way that builds confidence and trust.
0:00 - The Harsh Truth About Great Resumes
1:01 - Your Resume Isn't the Problem (The Savior Misconception)
2:53 - Principle 1: Don't Tell Them What You Did, Tell Them Why It Mattered
6:20 - Principle 2: Translate Your Experiences Into Leadership (Influence vs. Authority)
9:36 - Principle 3: Every Answer Should Reinforce Your Leadership Identity
11:00 - The Closing Challenge: 3 Questions You Must Ask Yourself Learn:
✔ Why a great resume isn't enough to get hired
✔ The biggest interview mistakes aspiring school leaders make
✔ How to turn your experience into leadership evidence
✔ What hiring committees really want to hear
✔ 3 powerful interview principles to help you stand out
✔ How to build a strong leadership identity during an interview
👤 About Dr. Donovan Smalls II
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Smalls helps aspiring school leaders get interview-ready & confidently land their first leadership role.
📕 Grab Beyond the Classroom → https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
🎯 1:1 Leadership Coaching is available for aspiring school leaders who want to strengthen their interview skills and confidently transition into administrative roles:
👉🏾 https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching
🎧 Listen & Connect
📺 YouTube: https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
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🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on school leadership interviews, leadership development, and career growth strategies.
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#InterviewTips #LeadershipInterview #SchoolLeadership #CareerGrowth #InterviewPreparation #LeadershipSkills #AssistantPrincipal #AspiringLeaders

THE 5 INTERVIEW MOVES THAT HELP YOU LAND YOUR FIRST SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ROLE
You can prepare your answers.
You can practice your delivery.
You can walk into the interview feeling confident.
But if you’re not positioning yourself as a leader… you won’t get hired.
Because every hiring panel is asking one core question:
Can you step into leadership—and solve problems at a systems level?
In this episode, Dr. Donovan Smalls II breaks down 5 powerful interview readiness moves to help aspiring school leaders stand out, communicate their leadership identity, and confidently land their first leadership role.
If you’re preparing for your first school leadership interview, this video will help you shift your mindset, strengthen your responses, and show up as the leader they’re looking for. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
TIMESTAMPS:
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00:00 Intro – Why Most Candidates Don’t Get Hired
01:45 #1: Study the School & District Like a Leader
04:32 #2: Tighten Your Leadership Story
07:22 #3: Translate Experience into Leadership Impact
10:56 #4: Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
14:57 #5: Ask Questions Like a Leader
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WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
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➤ How to prepare for your first school leadership interview
➤ What hiring panels are really evaluating (beyond your answers)
➤ How to position yourself as a systems-level thinker
➤ How to turn classroom experience into leadership impact
➤ How to answer scenario-based interview questions with confidence
➤ What questions to ask that make you stand out as a leader
➤ The mindset shift required to land your first leadership role
Strong candidates don’t just answer questions.
They demonstrate leadership, judgment, and impact. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
About Dr. Donovan Smalls II
Assistant Principal | Best-Selling Author | Interview Coach
Dr. Smalls helps aspiring school leaders get interview-ready & confidently land their first leadership role.
📕 Grab Beyond the Classroom → https://shorturl.at/74Bgy
1:1 leadership coaching available for aspiring school leaders: https://donovansmalls2.com/coaching
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Listen & Connect
📺 YouTube https://urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/L0Y2m
🎧 Apple Podcasts https://tinyurl.com/mv7f683k
🎧 Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4wydt4nr
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Subscribe for weekly content on school leadership interviews, assistant principal interview tips, and career growth for aspiring school leaders.
#SchoolLeadershipInterview #AssistantPrincipalInterview #AspiringSchoolLeaders #InterviewPreparation #EducationalLeadership