MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Let Them Theory

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Let Them Theory

From Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker by Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

June 22, 2026 · 19 min

About this episode

Will Parker and Jen Schwanke discuss the 'let them' theory and the importance of allowing people to feel their emotions in response to leadership decisions.

Will Parker and Jen Schwanke spend this Monday Matters episode discussing one of Jen’s recent newsletters about the “let them” theory. The central thesis of their discussion is that school leaders can’t control other people’s emotions. They talk about how leading sometimes means making decisions that people disagree with, and being okay with that. Whether you’re dealing with teachers, parents, or students, someone is going to be upset by your decisions. Let people be mad, sad, and frustrated for a little while, rather than trying to keep everyone happy. Sometimes people just need to feel their emotions for a bit before they calm down and be okay with your decision. Still, it can be hard to gauge when someone’s reaction is worth responding to. Jen offers up a framework she calls the “four ten’s” to figure out how to respond. The “four ten’s” work like this: Ask yourself if this is going to matter in ten minutes, ten hours, ten days, ten months, or ten years. You can hear all of our takeaways by listening to the episode, or watch it on YouTube. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Let Them Theory appeared first on Principal Matters .

People in this episode

Host: Will Parker

Guest: Jen Schwanke

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Principal Matters

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