The New Principal's Playbook: Lead the Adults Well and Transform Your School's Culture - Paperback

Stepping into the principalship, or any new leadership role, can feel overwhelming. The expectations are high, the pace is relentless, and the adults you lead are watching closely-wondering who you are, what you value, and whether you can be trusted to lead well.

The New Principal's Playbook is a practical roadmap for new and emerging school principals (and any leader responsible for guiding adults) who want to build trust quickly, set a clear direction, and create a healthy, high-functioning professional culture.

Drawing from more than two decades of K-12 leadership, facilitation, and coaching, Dr. Jason Wenschlag provides a clear framework and actionable tools to help you:

• Build trust and authentic relationships through self-awareness and structured listening conversations.
• Launch with clarity through vision, alignment, and shared expectations.
• Develop people through coaching, connection, and shared leadership.
• Build systems that sustain culture and support long-term success.

Whether you are entering your first year as a school principal, serving in that capacity but launching in a new school, or wanting to reboot your leadership, this book will help you develop greater confidence, deepen competence, and foster a professional culture where faculty and staff thrive....and students do, too.

Bonus: the book includes access to an exclusive companion AI coaching tool, The Principal's Playbook AI, designed around the framework and ideas in this book (details inside).