About the Book
A Year of Leading: A 40-Week Leadership Compass for Navigating the Role of Principal or Vice-Principal
By Kevin Reimer
An essential guide for school leaders who want to lead with purpose, clarity, and resilience-one week at a time.
Being a principal or vice-principal is one of the most demanding roles in education. Every week brings new decisions, shifting priorities, and moments that call for steady, values-based leadership. A Year of Leading offers a practical and reflective companion for navigating the complexities of school leadership throughout the school year.
Written by Kevin Reimer-an award-winning Canadian principal, ICF-certified coach, and former Executive Director of the BC Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association-this book blends real-world insight, research-informed strategies, and vivid metaphors to help you lead with confidence, connection, and care.
Designed to align with the 40-week rhythm of the school year, each chapter provides a focused lens on one key leadership theme. Topics include building trust, leading change, navigating conflict, managing burnout, and having meaningful conversations that shape school culture.
What You'll Gain:
40 concise, high-impact chapters to guide your weekly leadership practice
A leadership framework grounded in six core competencies: authentic, relational, visionary, instructional, operational, and equity-centered leadership
Coaching-style reflection prompts to clarify your thinking and strengthen your team
Metaphors and real-world examples that make leadership challenges easier to see-and solve
Ideal for:
New and experienced principals and vice-principals
Educational leadership coaches and mentors
Professional development coordinators
Graduate programs in educational leadership
Whether you're leading your first staff meeting or guiding your school through complex change, A Year of Leading offers the insight and structure you need to lead with intention-all year long.
Review :
Praise for A Year of Leading
A Year of Leading is more than a leadership manual for principals, it's a profound meditation on the essence of leadership itself. Though written for educators, this 40-week guide belongs on the shelf of anyone who aspires to lead people, organizations, or even nations! Kevin captures, with clarity and heart, that the heartbeat of a school is no different from the soul of a society: complex, diverse, emotionally charged, and in need of steady, ethical, and visionary guidance.
Dr. Gabrielle Serafini, CEO, WelTel Incorporated
This is the kind of leadership book we need right now. Not a checklist. Not a jargon-filled lecture. A guide that meets you where you are-with honesty, humility, and hard-won insight. It doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but it offers the right questions-and the space to sit with them. For leaders who want more than tips and tricks, this book delivers something deeper: meaning, clarity, and purpose.
Dr. Tsnomot Brad Baker, Superintendent of Indigenous Education, BC Ministry of Education and Child Care
A Year of Leading will serve as a compass to guide both aspiring and experienced leaders who seek to serve in a manner that supports the development of communities characterized by belonging, resilience, and commitment to oneself and others. It is, indeed, a mentor-in-print. Weaving together the warp and woof of domains of competency ranging from the visionary to the operational, the book crafts the kind of beautiful whole cloth necessary to enable and sustain inspirational leaders who, in turn, enable and sustain flourishing communities. It is at one and the same time insightful, inspiring, and accessible.
Paul Neufeld, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University
A Year of Leading is more than just a book; it is a mentor, a compass, and a steady coach guiding you through the complex and unpredictable terrain of school leadership. It offers insights while prompting leaders to engage deeply in reflecting through their own experiences. Leadership is not about simply following a predetermined route-it's about understanding the terrain, embracing challenges, and forging meaningful connections. A Year of Leading is a valuable companion for any educator committed to leading with purpose and heart.
Dr. Andrea McComb, BCPVPA Director of Professional Learning
In A Year of Leading, Kevin offers an approachable style that makes complex ideas easy to digest, and his ability to genuinely listen and connect with others shines through every page. Read this book to discover practical strategies that empower you to take charge of your life, cultivate meaningful connections, and reignite your creative spark no matter where you are on your leadership journey.
Shawn Lockhart, Boundary School District Principal
A Year of Leading really embodies a "career" of leading, learning, and growing. This book should be on the desk of every principal, vice-principal, and school leader in every school district in North America. It is a career's worth of learning and wisdom packed into 300 inspirational pages.
Geoff Manning, Campbell River School District Superintendent
