Introduction. In school management, many routine actions may appear to be mere formalities, but they can have serious strategic implications. One of them is preliminary staffing, that is, assigning teaching load for the coming academic year. In its usual form, this process only solves immediate tasks and does not support school development or teachers’ professional growth. The study aims to justify and present the Interview with the Headteacher Project as an effective means of developing teachers' professional and pedagogical culture within the preliminary staffing system. Materials and methods. The study rests on Russian and international research in professional and pedagogical culture, self-determination theory, and current work on teacher professional identity. The methods used were theoretical analysis, modelling of management actions, longitudinal observation, and diagnostics of teacher burnout. The tool was tested over two years at a regional site. Results and discussion. The Interview with the Headteacher Tool we have developed is built as a strategic dialogue and consists of five stages: preparation with a focus on reflection, independent analysis of professional positions, a meeting with the principal, written fixation of agreements, and their later integration into the school strategy. Burnout diagnostics involving 45 teachers showed that 89% had medium or low burnout levels, which suggests that their internal resources and emotional stability are generally intact. The remaining 11% were identified as a risk group requiring individual support. Conclusion. Turning formal workload distribution into a strategic dialogue makes it possible to preserve pedagogical freedom, strengthen intrinsic motivation, and move teachers from passive performers to active agents of innovative development. The tool is effective when it is based on dialogue, pedagogical freedom, transparency, and targeted support.