Winning Isn’t the Only Thing That Matters

September has a particular energy in independent schools. Students return, faculty reconnect, athletic fields fill up, and the plans that occupied so much time over the summer suddenly become real. There is optimism in the air and an understandable desire to start well—to make this the year when the new initiative succeeds, the team comes together, and the school moves forward. For school leaders especially, September can feel like stepping onto the first tee: rested, prepared, and ready to perform.

That feeling had me thinking about Scottie Scheffler and an extraordinary moment at the end of the PGA Tour Championship. At this moment, Scheffler is the best golfer in the world and an almost relentless competitor. But after winning, with cameras understandably trying to capture every moment of the celebration, Scheffler briefly covered the cameras with his hat as he signed his winning card. 

He wanted a moment with his wife and young family that wasn't for television, social media, sponsors, or the rest of us. He had just won. And then, for a moment, he drew a boundary around what mattered even more.

There is something worth remembering in that image as a new school year begins. Independent-school leaders are ambitious people working in ambitious communities. We want our schools to win—not against one another, necessarily, but in the pursuit of their missions. We want enrollment to be strong, students to thrive, faculty to feel energized, programs to improve, and communities to move confidently forward. There is nothing wrong with that ambition. 

In fact, strategic leadership requires it. 

But the drive to succeed can also convince us that every email and text deserves an immediate response, every meeting requires our presence, and every problem belongs to us.

The best leaders I know don't lack commitment. They understand where to put it. They recognize that being fully present at school also requires occasionally being absent from it. They protect time for family, friendships, exercise, reflection, or simply the parts of themselves that have nothing to do with their titles. That isn't stepping away from leadership, it is part of sustaining it. 

Scheffler didn't cover the camera because winning didn't matter. He covered it because he knew that winning wasn't the only thing that mattered.

So, as September unfolds and our schools come roaring back to life, bring the energy. Set ambitious goals, take on difficult problems, support your colleagues, challenge your school to get better and try to win. But somewhere amid the opening meetings, back-to-school nights, athletic games, performances, emails, and the inevitable surprises, remember that not every part of your life needs to belong to the job. That it’s okay, every once in a while, to put a hat over the camera.

The work will still be there when you take it off.