For a "Kappan" issue focusing on the job of the principal, this is an essay from a retired, longtime principal and superintendent. "I have notebooks full of advice that I've collected over the years: tips, mantras, cautions, and quotations appropriate for any occasion," the author says. "I learned to focus less on strategies for solving problems than on habitually consistent and thoughtful ways of approaching them." A principal is the only one in the building with your job title, which makes it a solitary occupation. But it doesn't have to be a lonely one if shared with other principals.