So now you have noticed that the power of the position changes the way people listen to you. And now you wish that you were actually smarter and knew more things and felt more certain about how things should be done. But in fact, you are still you. You will occasionally suffer from the "imposter syndrome"--the feeling that if people really knew you, they would know that you are an imposter in the role; you could not possibly be the real principal. You will go to meetings and hear other principals sounding so confident and giving their firm opinions about complex issues and you will wonder whether you will ever get to that stage.
In the first few months of your growing into the principalship, you will be vulnerable to flattery. It will be good to hear that somebody thinks you are doing a tremendous job and that nobody has ever done such a good job as you are doing. It's okay to appreciate those fine words as long as you temper your acceptance of the compliments with your own cool, analytical view of your performance.
You will always be seeking the balance between recognizing your successes and analyzing how to do things better next time. And you will be seeking the counsel of people around you who themselves have a balanced view and are willing to talk straight to you about how you are doing. You need to hear straight talk.
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