Same Seat, Different Story

In schools, we often talk about the “job” someone has—their title, their responsibilities, the bullet points on a sheet of paper that get pulled out during hiring season or annual reviews. And that’s fair. Schools, like any institution, rely on structure. We need people to do certain things, hold specific duties, make the place go.

But I’ve been thinking lately about the difference between the job someone has and the role they play. And how, in schools especially, those are not always the same thing.

Two people can hold the same position—same title, same general scope of work—and yet play dramatically different roles in the life of the school. One CFO might be a quiet financial steward, known for precision and discretion. The next might be more visible, leaning into mentorship or daily life with faculty and students. The job stays the same. The role does not.

This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I think it’s part of what makes schools so human and so dynamic. People don’t just fill positions; they bring their own style, presence, and ways of working. That individuality can stretch a school in new directions. It can challenge us to evolve. It can also, at times, ask us to adjust our expectations or habits—especially when someone new steps into a familiar seat.

I’ve come to believe that thriving school communities learn to hold both truths: honoring the structure of the job and giving space for the person to shape the role. That takes nuance. And trust. And a willingness to let go of the idea that every job should look exactly the same no matter who holds it.

We’re not cogs. We’re people. And in a school—where so much of the work is relational—that distinction matters.

Sometimes I think we miss that when we focus only on what someone does, instead of how they do it. And more importantly, who they become to the people around them.

I don’t have a neat conclusion here—just a growing awareness of how much the people behind the job shape the feel of a place. And how important it is, especially in schools, to leave room for that—or certainly to try to!