Leading Through Crisis: Lessons in Resilience, Wellness, and Integrity

Crisis doesn’t create character—it reveals it.

During the most uncertain moments in education, leadership was no longer theoretical. It was immediate, personal, and tested every core belief I had about people, systems, and values.

As an Assistant Superintendent in New Jersey, I was tasked with helping lead our district through one of the most complex periods in public education history—the COVID-19 pandemic. The responsibilities were massive: ensure instructional continuity, support emotional wellness, secure funding, maintain compliance, and most of all, communicate clearly in the middle of chaos.

There were no guidebooks. Only decisions.

Leadership Is Not Control—It’s Care Under Pressure

In the first weeks of the shutdown, families needed certainty. Teachers needed support. Students needed safety and structure. And administrators were expected to provide all three—despite facing the same fears and unknowns as everyone else.

What I learned was this: control is a myth. But care is real.

The most effective thing I could do was to listen, respond, adapt, and over-communicate with clarity and empathy. Sometimes that meant making decisions that were unpopular but necessary. Other times, it meant pushing back on policies that didn’t account for real classroom conditions.

Leadership wasn’t about showing strength. It was about showing up, again and again, with transparency, accountability, and humanity.

Wellness Is Not a Program—It’s a Culture

During those years, I helped lead initiatives focused on mental health, family engagement, and teacher burnout prevention. But wellness isn’t just a toolkit or grant deliverable—it’s a cultural commitment.

We had to build systems of support:

    •    Trauma-informed practices in every classroom

    •    Targeted services for vulnerable students

    •    Professional development focused on educator well-being

    •    Clear communication channels between leadership and families

True wellness leadership requires acknowledging that burnout and fear live in the same building as ambition and care—and that both need attention.

Integrity Isn’t Optional When No One Is Watching

There were moments when difficult truths needed to be spoken. When advocating for students or staff meant stepping into uncomfortable conversations. When the safe thing would have been silence—but the right thing was transparency.

In those moments, I learned that advocacy is not a reaction—it’s a principle. And sometimes it comes at a cost.

But even when advocacy is inconvenient, I will always choose it. Because that’s what students deserve. That’s what public leadership demands.

Reflecting Forward

Leading through crisis changed me. It sharpened my values. It clarified my mission. It reminded me that leadership is not just about systems and outcomes—it’s about people, trust, and the courage to face hard things with honesty.

As I continue to grow, speak, and serve in new spaces, I carry these lessons forward:

    •    Resilience isn’t toughness—it’s commitment.

    •    Wellness isn’t extra—it’s essential.

    •    Integrity isn’t earned once—it’s practiced daily.

We won’t go back to the way things were—and we shouldn’t.

We have an opportunity to lead forward, wiser and braver than before.

Let’s not waste it.

— Christina Cirigliano

https://www.ccirig.info