During the recent Vatican conclave, Robert Francis Prevost emerged with the necessary amount of support from his fellow cardinals to become Pope Leo XIV. Seeing a new world leader emerge whether through election or appointment, and watching their actions and nonactions, is a lesson in leadership.

These days, it’s so easy for us to keep a constant focus on the devastation that leadership can create—and the division some leaders want to foster. Unfortunately, when we solely focus on the leaders who seemingly care about their own self-interests, the good leadership models that surround us get lost.

For those of us who have been leaders, or the young and seasoned people who want to enter into leadership for the first time, we need to provide them with a model to embrace as opposed to one that gives them a reason not to enter into leadership at all.

Listen, Understand, and Act

Immediately, interviews with friends and family of the pope emerged, and one common phase was shared in many: Pope Leo XIV will listen, understand, and then act. This caught the attention of both of us, and we began to wonder how this description of the new pope applied to educational leaders.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Jeffrey Yip and Colin M. Fisher say that, “Ample research has shown that when people believe that their managers and senior leaders are truly listening to their ideas and concerns, work relationships grow stronger, engagement rises, and performance improves.”

The calendar of school leaders is packed, and their need to make decisions is constant. It’s no secret that the stakes of leadership are high, every leader feels the pressure to work hard and harder, and it’s certainly tempting to equate action with effectiveness. In fact, in the same Yip and Fisher article, they state that haste is the first of the five most common and damaging causes of failure. In our experience, the two of us have found impactful educational leaders who show many of the traits ascribed to Pope Leo XIV. Impactful educational leaders understand a deeper truth that meaningful action doesn’t come from urgency alone. It emerges from listening.

Leadership that supports student learning starts not with a plan but with presence. Leaders who listen well for understanding, to teachers, students, families, community members, and one another are better positioned to make decisions that are rooted in reality and responsive to need. In working with leaders around this concept, we have often used the analogy of the interconnection of redwood trees’ root system. They are shallow and overlap with each other to provide strength and support that each tree could not attain alone.

Listening Is Strategic, Not Passive

There’s a misconception that listening is a soft skill. But the research says otherwise. Studies in educational leadership show that listening is a key lever for school improvement. In their meta-analysis, Robinson, Lloyd, and Rowe (2009) found that the leadership practice most associated with gains in student achievement is promoting and participating in teacher learning. That work can’t happen without first understanding what teachers are experiencing.

Deep listening allows leaders to act as sense makers. It creates space to notice patterns, question assumptions, and clarify needs. Leaders like this aren’t just collecting input; they are interpreting complexity with humility and care. That process increases shared understanding and precision and, therefore, the impact of their next leadership move.

Equity Begins With Who We Listen To

For leaders committed to equity, listening becomes even more vital. We must ask: Whose voices are centered in our decisionmaking? Whose experiences are missing? Equity-focused leadership begins with the willingness to hear perspectives that challenge our assumptions and expose blind spots in order to better support both student and staff learning.

Research by Khalifa et al. (2016) on culturally responsive leadership underscores the importance of engaging with minoritized students and communities. They are often referred to as empathy interviews. These conversations surface barriers that standardized data often hide. Leaders who truly listen can then take action that disrupts rather than reinforces inequity.

From Listening to Collective Action and Joint Work

Listening is also the entry point to engaging in joint work. When staff feel seen and heard, they are more likely to engage in shared problem-solving. In learning-focused schools, leaders create the conditions for collaborative inquiry. They create opportunities where teachers can explore data, reflect on practice, and take joint ownership to impact student learning.

As Peter Senge wrote in The Fifth Discipline, “Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through learning we recreate ourselves.” That re-creation begins when leaders listen to others and to themselves with genuine and authentic curiosity and intention. Doing this builds and sustains a culture of trust, coherence, and clarity.

Leading With Intention

Listening isn’t a pause before the “real work” of leadership begins. Listening is the work. It is what allows leaders to act with intention, not just reaction. To lead schools where people feel valued. To pursue impact that is both strategic and human. To ask: What do I need to understand first?