Recently, we were sorting through some old gear when my youngest son found my old compass and a stack of topographic maps from my Outdoor Education days.
Naturally, we headed outside.
I showed him how to set a bearing and explained the importance of accuracy. We set the compass to true north and started walking. After a while, I noticed that although we intended to set the compass true north, we were a few degrees off. I decided not to say anything and let it play out. At first, it didn’t matter. The direction felt close enough. But as we kept walking, that small error compounded. We didn’t end up slightly off course; instead, we ended up somewhere completely different.
And that’s when it hit me. This is exactly what happens in schools, and in life.
Your “true north” is who you want to be. It’s your internal compass. The kind of teacher you want to be or the leader you aspire to be. It’s about the way you want to show up, especially when things are hard.
But here’s the reality. We don’t lose our way in big, dramatic moments. We drift. Not through one poor decision, but through lots of small ones. We don’t just have one single bad day, but an accumulation of repeated habits. Maybe it’s a sharper tone than intended, a missed moment of connection, an emotional response to a decision in a meeting, or choosing judgment when curiosity would have been better.
In isolation, they don’t feel like much. But over time? They add up. And eventually, you find yourself asking: “How did I get here?”
James Clear, in Atomic Habits, reminds us that our behaviours shape our identity. So, if we want to stay aligned with our true north, we don’t need a grand reset. We need small, consistent alignment.
If you ever want to check your compass and see if you’re on course, try this:
At the end of the day, ask yourself one question: “Did I show up today as the teacher (or leader) I want to be?”
If the answer is yes, then keep going.
If the answer is no, then maybe ask yourself:
- Where did I drift?
- What caused it?
- What will I do differently tomorrow?
No judgement. Just adjustment.
Because even with the clearest compass, drift is inevitable. There will always be pressure, fatigue, and moments that pull you off course. That’s not the issue. The issue is not noticing and not correcting.
Staying true to your north isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness. It’s about catching the drift early and having the courage to reset your direction, even when everything or everyone around you is heading on the wrong track, too. Just a few degrees can take you somewhere completely different.
But a small correction? That can bring you right back to who you set out to be. Back to the teacher or leader you want to be.
