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The Emotional Demands of School Leadership

Neartú’17

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job!!

Certain indisputable facts:-• We are all vulnerable• We will face challenges and encounter

crises• We underestimate our capacity to cope

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Indisputable facts

• Minding your emotional health is not the same as emotional indulgence

• No health without mental health!

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ieDealing with the expectations......perceptions

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Some thoughts......

• ‘Leader –centric’ culture• ‘if you please everyone, you aren’t making enough

progress’ Mark Zukerberg (Facebook)

• ‘Done is better than perfect’ Sheryl Sandleberg ‘Women, work and the will to lead’

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Expectations – new ones!

• Global influences-expectations of the pivotal role- ‘shaking’

• National –’repetitive change injury’

• Local –big ‘Ts’ and the small ‘ts’

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Global influences of ‘shaking’• My World Survey (2012) Headstrong

– 14,306 young people (12-25) year olds completed the My World Survey

– 10% report significant personal problems– 1 in 3 experience some level of mental health difficulty – 1 in 5 engage in self harm– 7% reported a suicidal attempt – Ireland has the fourth highest rate of youth suicide in

Europe– www.headstrong.ie/content/myworld

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‘Repetitive change’ injury

– L&N Focus

– SSE

– JCF

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Traumas

• Big ‘Ts’-the critical incident-Case Study-notion of supervision

• Small ‘t s’-humiliation, shaming ,aggression, unkindness.....dealing with this using reason and logic fails to resolve it –a scar remains. Induce calm and develop awareness.

• The emotive drives the negative …..always

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a hard battle’ Plato

• How did he do?• How did he feel afterwards?• Our shadow side?• The use of ‘professional’

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you, the better you hear what is sounding outside.’

Dag Hammarskjold UN

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Emotional Toxins• C-Complaining• C-Competing• C-Comparing• C-Contending• C-Criticising• If you engage in this type of behaviour with staff

then it becomes acceptable.• Major risk factor for disease!

• 5-min encounter with an angry parent = 6hrs suppression of immune system

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We all have difficult times• Emotional Demands require Emotional

Resilience

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“Capacity to cultivate strengths to positively meet the challenges of life.” (Silliman, 1994)“Ability to bounce back from adversity” (Stuart, 2004)“Capacity to rebound from adversity strengthened and more resourceful” (Walsh,1998)

Emotional Resilience is essential in Leadership

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What helps you be strong under stress?• Think back to a stressful time in your

professional life. What did you do that helped? (For example, talked to friends,)

• Now think about that stressful time and identify what qualities or attributes were helpful in keeping you resilient. (For example, a sense of humor.)

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The Keys to survival• Know yourself-emotional awareness Be in charge of our emotions Know your triggers Know your values• Be strong enough to acknowledge that you are ‘human’• Take real time for you • Accept the limits of your circle of control• This job does not define who you are!• Don’t expect to be appreciated, find inner motivation

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Thoughts and Feelings of di/Stress –Identify your Triggers!

• Difficulty concentrating, forgetting, excessive self-criticism, pre-occupation with thoughts/ tasks, quiet, talkative, sleeplessness, moody, worried, scared, irritable, depressed, reduced self-esteem, pessimistic, helpless, withdrawn, easily embarrassed, easily annoyed, defeatist, dread, isolated etc etc

• How do you know that you are stressed?

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The Resilience Domains

Intellectual DomainPhysical DomainSocial DomainEmotional DomainSpiritual Domain Tend to each one

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Psychological Factors that Contribute to Resilience

Positive Self-Regard- knowing and believing that you CAN cope

Internal Locus of Evaluation- Reflection, Perspective, Gratitude, Positivity

Stress Management Strategies (e.g. Time-out, “Scaling” “Parking”, Mindfulness, )

Existential Concepts of Freedom and Responsibility (Victor Frankl). Knowing you have choices….

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Reflective Practice-A Dialogue with Self

• “ Individuals have within themselves vast resources for self understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes and self directed behaviour” Rogers 1980

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What is Reflective Practice?

• Reflective practice is the application of the skill of reflection

• It involves the practitioner in reflection , understanding and analysis

• It involves the self and self-awareness• It is aimed at improving our practice and learning

about ourselves• It is about making our practice more effective

through action and change.• It helps us cope with stressful situations

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critical reflection?• Fosters Independent learning• Develops problem solving abilities• Highlights challenges in our practice• Provides a self corrective tool/reflexive

approach to learning• Gives us insight into our emotional well being• Opportunity for progressive mastery• Provides supportive feedback

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Kinds of reflection• Reflection-on-action

– Thinking back, making sense of event Reflection-in-action

– Thinking on our feet• Reflection-for-action

– Planning ahead using learning from past and present

Tools for reflection-• Writing• Journal• Conversations with critical friend• Finding new lenses: lectures, literature, networks

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What is Mindfulness?

‘Keeping one’s consciousness alive to present reality…… paying attention in a particular way on purpose in the present moment and non – judgementally’. (Kabat-Zinn 2012, p. 4, 11)

Self Compassion- Be kind to yourselfUse a mantra to refocus-”this too will pass”,

“today is all there is”,

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Dealing with stress is more than just “think positive”. It is bout recognising our feelings and developing “good thinking skills”

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Notice positive things/Positive rethinking Express these positive things Gratitude-counting our blessings Mindfulness- staying in the moment Focus on your strengths Attainable goals-realistic expectations Acts of kindness- wellbeing cycle Laughter is the Best Medicine

Using positive emotions in the midst of stress

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You have a choice….

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing:  the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."  (1963, p. 104) Man's Search for Meaning Victor Frankl

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For all the Right Reasons...

Leading adaptive change in the times we are in requires taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is not self-indulgence. The world needs you to be at the top of your game. And you cannot be at the top of your game if you have not had a good night’s sleep, eaten well, had some exercise and, yes, received the love and affection of family and friends to feel like a whole person.

If you care about education…take care of yourself…

Leading and Managing Schools, 2011 (Edited by O’ Sullivan, H. and West-Burnham, J.)