Am I Cut Out for This?

Am I Cut Out for This? An Educational Leader’s Guide to Navigating Self-Doubt

By Elizabeth Dampf

Book Details

Product Code: 125007

ISBN: 9781416633686

Release Date: 2025-06-04

Length: 144 pages

A practical guide to helping school leaders overcome those discomforting self-doubts.

“It’s not that grad school was useless, exactly. It’s just that I have a few notes. Sure, learning about leadership theory was cool, but the syllabus seemed to be missing a few things. Where was the seminar on handling an angry mob? On working with your bullying boss? On promoting someone else’s unpopular plan?”

As a school leader, you know how hard the job is. Even the most talented and best prepared of us sometimes struggle to meet the complex, conflicting demands of stakeholders and serve our students and staff the way we want to.

Author and veteran school administrator Elizabeth Dampf is here to help. In Am I Cut Out for This? she reassures school leaders that

• Self-doubt is a natural response to daily encounters with demanding situations.
• You’re not alone, even though few administrators are comfortable openly admitting to uncertainty.
• You can prevail by analyzing your doubts and strategizing counterattacks.

Dampf presents seven familiar self-doubting archetypes—the jittery innovator, the empty empathizer, the punching bag, the struggling salesperson, the mob mollifier, the short straw, and the instructional impostor. In each scenario, she “debriefs the doubt” by exploring the complex challenges the leader faces, identifies pitfalls to avoid in addressing such circumstances, and suggests ways to navigate a path to success.

Whether you are new to the profession or an experienced administrator, Am I Cut Out for This? is the tool you need to affirm, support, and inspire you to continue your leadership journey with greater skill and confidence.

Table of contents

Introduction: Doubt Comes Naturally; Confidence Takes Work

1. The Jittery Innovator

2. The Empty Empathizer

3. The Punching Bag

4. The Struggling Salesperson

5. The Mob Mollifier

6. The Short Straw

7. The Instructional Impostor

Conclusion

References

Index

About the Author

About the author

Elizabeth Dampf is a practicing administrator in the Chicagoland area, where she has served at both building and district levels. She wrote several print articles in Educational Leadership and regularly contributes to the ASCD blog. Elizabeth has also spoken on several podcasts, including Leaning into Leadership and Principal Liner Notes. Her conference presentations include "It’s About HOW, Not WHAT: Rethinking Professional Learning Systems in a Time of Scarcity, Tension, and Turnover" (Large Unit District Association, 2023), "Responding to Staff Turnover with Guaranteed PD Systems" (Illinois Association of School Boards Joint Annual Conference, 2023), and “Worthwhile Walk-Throughs” and "Engaging with Mentors to Improve Teacher Effectiveness" (Learning Forward Annual Conference, 2019).

Praise for Am I Cut Out for This?

"Being an educational leader is just about impossible—full of crazy expectations, tough calls, and constant intensity. Am I Cut Out for This? doesn't just acknowledge these realities, it tackles them head-on with humor, insight, and real-world strategies. Elizabeth Dampf delivers a refreshingly readable guide, blending compelling storytelling with practical advice."

—Simon Rodberg, author, What If I'm Wrong? And Other Key Questions for Decisive School Leadership; executive director, Lee Montessori Public Charter School, Washington, DC

"Elizabeth Dampf delivers an essential guide for every school leader who has ever wrestled with self-doubt. Am I Cut Out for This? is a powerful, heartfelt, and practical roadmap that transforms uncertainty into confidence, isolation into community, and hesitation into action. With authenticity and wisdom, Dampf equips leaders with the mindset, strategies, and support they need to navigate the challenges of leadership with purpose and resilience. This book isn't just a read, it's a companion for the journey, offering encouragement that will stay with you long after you turn the last page."

—Sean Gaillard, principal; author, The Pepper Effect; podcaster, Principal Liner Notes