The 13% Trap: Which feedback is the loudest?
The big picture: The loudest voices demanding your attention aren't always representing your school's reality, and leading by their noise can pull you away from your mission.
Why it matters: When 13% of stakeholders generate 100% of the comments, principals risk mistaking volume for validity and losing sight of the 87% who quietly trust your leadership.
A few years back, I set a goal to read 100 books in a year. When I told my wife, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “How many are you planning to listen to?” In her mind, audiobooks don’t count as “real” reading. I disagreed—and to this day, we laugh about our little household debate. But it got me thinking about perception, priorities, and how we measure what matters.
Recently, I stumbled across a LinkedIn poll asking the same question: Are audiobooks real books? Out of 112 votes, 87% said yes—overwhelmingly affirming my side. But here’s the kicker: 13% said no, and those 13% left 20 comments, nearly all fiery and insistent. The math hit me hard—13% of the voters drove 100% of the noise. The 87%? They gave a quietly moved on.
Sound familiar? If you’re a principal, vice principal, or board chair at a private Christian school, you’ve lived this. You’ve felt the weight of the vocal 13%—parents upset about a policy, a board member fixated on approving every hire, staff grumbling over unclear roles. Meanwhile, the 87%—the families who trust your mission, the teachers who thrive under your leadership—go about their day, satisfied but silent.
Here’s the toughest part: knowing who to listen to. The 13% will flood your inbox, corner you at drop-off, or dominate board meetings. Their passion can feel like a mandate. But if you lead by their noise, you risk drifting from your school’s true objective—your Christ-centered mission. The 87% might not shout, but they’re the heartbeat of your community.
This is where clarity and alignment come in. In my Stronger Board Coaching Program, we tackle this head-on. You can’t ignore the 13%—sometimes they’re right, and their feedback sharpens your focus. But you also can’t let them drown out the mission. That’s why we use tools like the Health Dashboard and metrics like eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score). They cut through the noise, showing you what’s really moving the needle.
Think about your school’s objective. Is it raising godly leaders? Strengthening faith-driven education? Whatever it is, that’s your filter. The 13% might demand your attention, but the 87% reflect your success. When your board and administration are united, when your metrics are clear, you don’t have to guess who’s right—you know. And that’s when you lead with confidence, not chaos.
So, next time the loud voices come knocking, pause. Take a breath. Look at your dashboard, not just your inbox. Because a thriving school isn’t built on the 13%’s volume—it’s built on the 87%’s trust, anchored in your mission.
