February 1, 2026

The Narrative You Don’t Control

Why Consistency Matters More Than Control in Leadership

When I began my journey leading schools, I knew people watched the leader. What I didn’t realize was how much they watched. And analyzed. And interpreted. And then applied their own meanings to everything.

About ten years ago, I had a secretary who referred to this behavior as “meaning making.” I was fortunate—she was a remarkably bright woman who could break things down instantly and hand them back in a way anyone could understand. That ability always inspired me. She was quick, insightful, and usually right. Her phrase gave language to something I was experiencing but hadn’t yet fully understood.

Early on, I assumed people paid about as much attention to leaders as I paid attention to leaders myself—not much at all. That assumption was wrong. Very wrong.

There are far more eyes on the leader than most people realize. There are far more voices in the leader’s ear than anyone imagines. And there are far more expectations—and consequences—than the job description ever mentions. On any given day, a leader may hear from three people with three very different views of the same issue. Then, each of those people leaves believing their perspective was the most persuasive—and fully expecting the leader to act on it.

So how does a leader manage that?

People read what you write. They listen closely to what you say. They study your facial expressions, your tone, your pauses, your sighs, and your smiles. They assign meaning to all of it—often without asking for clarification—and then share that meaning with others. Before long, a narrative about you begins to form. Once it’s out there, it’s surprisingly difficult to change.

Soon enough, people will start telling you who you are through that narrative. If you’re not careful, this can create serious problems. As the story circulates through an organization, people will eventually expect you to live up to it—whether it’s accurate or not.

Experts in human behavior tell us that people tend to find what they’re looking for while quietly ignoring information that contradicts their beliefs. This tendency, known as confirmation bias, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy in leadership—one that determines whether a leader is seen as good or bad, effective or ineffective, often regardless of the facts. This is why the first 100 days matter so much. Early impressions harden quickly. People decide who you are long before you’ve finished unpacking your office. If you’re not careful, you can end up living in a fool’s paradise—believing you are a beloved and effective leader while a very different narrative quietly drives your demise.

The emperor, after all, has no clothes.

So what can a leader do under that kind of microscope? A few things are worth remembering:

You don’t control every narrative.
You can’t correct every assumption.
You don’t respond to every whisper.

What you can do is make your next interaction as positive as possible.
Then do the same with the one after that.
And then again.

At the Superintendents Symposium in January 2026, one speaker captured this idea perfectly. She explained that low-road leaders treat people worse than they have been treated. Middle-road leaders treat people the same as they have been treated. High-road leaders treat people better than they have been treated. Then she challenged leaders across the state to choose the high road.

Changing a narrative—especially after the first 100 days—is difficult. It’s far easier to shape one intentionally from the beginning. The more negative experiences people accumulate, the longer and harder it becomes to turn things around. That said, it can be done. Psychologists suggest it takes roughly five positive experiences to counteract the impact of a single negative one. Negativity packs a real punch.

Like losing weight, if you check progress day by day, you’ll get discouraged. Over time, though, the change becomes undeniable. One of the most effective things a leader can do is bring people together—to discuss important issues and sometimes trivial ones. The more people work together, the better they become at listening, negotiating, and solving problems as a team. Those conversations continue outside the room, and that’s a good thing. People work things out, share ideas, and occasionally broker peace treaties without the leader ever knowing.

When teams solve problems together, there is less resentment toward leadership, less sabotage, and less negative rumination. When people are treated like trusted professionals, they usually respond like trusted professionals.

Leadership, it turns out, isn’t about managing every perception. It’s about consistently showing up in ways that give people fewer reasons to be wrong about you. As a bonus, it also makes the leader’s job a lot easier.

And if all of this sounds exhausting, that’s because it is. Leadership means learning that your “thinking face” looks suspiciously like disapproval, your silence is interpreted as strategy, and your bad day becomes a case study. You’ll discover that people can read meaning into a raised eyebrow faster than you can clarify it—and once they’ve decided what it meant, no amount of explanation will fully change their minds.

So be a high-road leader. Give them five. Build a reserve of positive experiences. Make daily moments of encouragement, visibility, and kindness part of your routine. It counts when you perform the positive act. It counts when people see you perform it. And it counts when people hear about it afterward. All of it feeds the narrative that creates a climate where problems are solved more easily and people can be at their best for one another.

So smile when you can, sigh quietly when you must, and remember: even when you’re just walking to get coffee, someone is absolutely certain it means something.

If you’re interested in being part of something special, Lone Pine Unified School District is always looking to add good people to our team. Take a look in the Lone Pine Unified Job Portal

 

William A. Brown, Superintendent/Principal

Lone Pine Unified School District