Why Schools Need Entrepreneurial Leadership
When people hear the word “entrepreneur,” they often think of tech startups, business deals, or new product launches—not public schools. But after spending years as both a small business owner and a school administrator, I’ve come to believe that schools need entrepreneurial leadership now more than ever.
The challenges we face as educators—student engagement, teacher retention, resource limitations, and shifting expectations—require innovative thinking, calculated risk-taking, and a sense of ownership from every member of our school community. These are the same traits that drive successful entrepreneurs.
When I transitioned from running a company to leading in education, I didn’t leave my entrepreneurial mindset behind. In fact, it became one of my greatest assets. Today, I lead with the belief that schools thrive when leaders encourage experimentation, support initiative, and build systems where everyone—from students to staff—feels a sense of ownership.
Seeing Schools as Ecosystems, Not Institutions
In business, entrepreneurs constantly adapt to a changing market. They view challenges as opportunities, and they build flexible systems that can grow and evolve. Schools need that same mindset but leaders must realize a school is not a business and it doesn’t work the same way.
Too often, school leadership becomes about maintaining the status quo—keeping things running rather than moving forward. But schools aren’t static institutions; they’re living, breathing ecosystems. Just like businesses must adapt to survive, so must schools. You see this more so with the evolution of technology and the latest addition of A.I. (artificial intelligence). The schools that are able to adjust quickly are going to lead the way.
As a principal and superintendent, I’ve made it a priority to foster a culture where change isn’t feared but welcomed. That means listening to new ideas, rethinking old systems, and empowering staff and students to challenge assumptions. In short, it means treating school leadership more like running a startup and less like managing a factory.
Empowering Staff & Students Through Ownership
One of the most important lessons I learned as a business owner is that people work harder and care more when they feel ownership in what they do. That lesson applies just as powerfully to schools.
When teachers and staff feel that their voice matters and their ideas are respected, they bring energy and creativity to their work. But if decisions are always top-down, innovation dies quickly. It is also key to include the students. When students take ownership of their work and their school it can make a significant positive impact on student achievement and the culture of the building.
As a school leader, I strive to build systems where staff feel empowered to lead. That might mean encouraging a teacher to pilot a new instructional strategy, involving staff in budget decisions, or giving teams the freedom to redesign parts of the school day.
Ownership isn’t just about handing people more responsibility—it’s about trusting them to lead and supporting them when they do. That’s how you build a school culture where innovation is the norm, not the exception.
Failing Forward: Encouraging Smart Risk-Taking
Entrepreneurs know that not every idea will work—and that’s okay. The most successful innovations often come after a string of failures. In schools, however, we’re sometimes afraid to take risks because we don’t want to fail in front of our students or community.
But if we want to create a culture of innovation, we have to make room for smart risk-taking. That starts with how we, as leaders, respond to failure.
When a new program doesn’t deliver immediate results or a strategy needs to be revised, I don’t see that as a failure—I see it as learning. I encourage my staff to take calculated risks and then reflect, adjust, and improve. We talk openly about what worked and what didn’t, and we celebrate the courage to try something new.
This approach not only fuels innovation—it models resilience for our students.
Student Voice as a Driver of Change
Entrepreneurial leadership isn’t just about empowering adults. One of the most overlooked areas of school innovation is student voice.
Just as a business listens to its customers, schools must listen to the students they serve. Too often, we make decisions about curriculum, schedules, or extracurriculars without asking students what they think or need.
I’ve made it a practice to involve students in real decision-making. From focus groups to student leadership teams, I want students to know that their opinions matter. When students feel heard, they engage more deeply—and they often come up with creative solutions adults hadn’t considered.
When students feel ownership in their education, they take it more seriously. They move from passive participants to active contributors in the school community.
Sustainability and Scalability: Thinking Long-Term
In the business world, a great idea is only valuable if it can scale and sustain itself. The same is true in education. As school leaders, we can’t just launch exciting programs—we have to build them in ways that last.
That means being intentional about implementation, collecting data to measure impact, and planning for long-term funding and staffing. I’ve learned that it’s better to start small and scale smart than to launch something big without a plan to sustain it.
Entrepreneurial thinking isn’t just about having ideas—it’s about execution and endurance.
Shaping the Future Through Bold Leadership
At the end of the day, leading like an entrepreneur isn’t about turning schools into businesses. It’s about bringing the best parts of entrepreneurial thinking—innovation, ownership, agility, and vision—into the world of education.
Our students are growing up in a fast-changing world. To prepare them for it, we need schools that are just as dynamic and forward-thinking. That means building cultures where teachers innovate, students lead, and leaders aren’t afraid to break the mold.
Education needs bold, creative leadership. It needs principals and superintendents who think like entrepreneurs—and act with the heart of an educator. That’s the kind of leadership I strive to bring every day.