maintaining equilibrium 2 november 2008 jo harper coast-ed, tendring jo harper coast-ed, november...

Maintaining Equilibrium 2

November 2008

Jo HarperCoast-ed, Tendring

Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

• Filters

• Approaches

• Solutions


Being a martyr. Being a martyr is an extremely costly strategy in terms of stress, time and money. This kind of attitude sometimes becomes part of our stress reaction, albeit involuntarily, and only serves to exacerbate and prolong the stress as we become immersed in describing all that we have to do, or worse still rehearsing it all mentally, laced with a liberal helping of resentment.

so...... although describing the hopelessness of everything we have to do may be suggested as cathartic, the truth may be that it simply serves to amplify those emotive aspects of our attitude to workload that cause stress.


And we might find ourselves saying..

• We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it

• Some see the glass as half empty; others see it as half full. I see it as too big.


so....

when the sea is rough mend your sailswhen winter is bitter, withdraw and review your resourceswhen times are hard, look to what you have and what you do well at, and make plans


When you feel unresourceful, it doesn’t mean that you have no resources, just that you may not be using them successfully.These may be physical, mental, or emotional resourcesDraining mental resources may be mirrored in emotional stocks, in all but the most resilient


How resilient are you?

• Your ability to handle and bounce back from stress depends on many factors –

Sense of controlOptimistic attitudeStrong support systemAbility to adapt to changeAbility to handle unpleasant emotionsConfidence in yourselfSense of humour


Being resilient.......................

Reframe problems – view situations from a more positive perspective

Look at the big picture – how important will a particular issue be in a month? In a year?

Adjust your standards – set reasonable, if challenging standards; avoid a constant drive for perfectionism

Focus on the positive – take a moment to reflect on good things and your own positive qualities


What is stress?

Stress is defined as a person’s response to his or her environment.

so.......can we change that response to experience less stress?


What causes Headteacher stress?

Encounter stressors – 29.9%

Time stressors – 27.3%

Situational stressors – 27.3%

Anticipation stressors – 15.0%


Encounter stressorsDivided into role conflict ( 5.9%), issue conflict

(4.9%), and interpersonal conflict (19.1%)The latter area was seen as most significant –

heads engage on a daily basis with pupils, staff, parents , members of the surrounding community and governors, and may find themselves intervening as a referee or mediator as well as being initiator or receiver.

Discussion points – Are there established protocols for difficult and/or aggressive

encounters?How does the head develop the necessary skills for the

management of conflict?


Time stressors

Divided into work overload (19.7%) and lack of control (7.6%)

The main concern related to the inability to focus on what was perceived as the core element of the role.

Discussion points – How can national initiatives be customised to the school

to regain a sense of control and autonomy in school improvement?

Is the Head supported by sufficient and effective administrative and clerical staff?


Situational stressors

Relates mainly to unfavourable working conditions in their broadest sense – budget constraints, staff recruitment and retention, falling rolls, lack of appreciation and extent of teaching commitment.

Discussion points – What impact has the National Agreement had on the

Head’s teaching load?What support has the Head received during difficult

periods of recruitment, budget setting, falling rolls etc?


Anticipation stressorsDivided into unpleasant expectations (11.6%) and

fear (3.4%)The former clearly includes Ofsted inspections,

league tables, exam results, difficult interviews etc.

The latter includes isolation and loneliness, guilt, and career development beyond headship.

Discussion points – What support is provided to a head during inspections?What opportunities are in place for the professional

development of the head?


Stepping around stress

• The only way of really avoiding stress is to be really honest and analytical about the causes

• Questions are powerful – when looking at a situation or challenge, ask yourself a question about it and answer it honestly

• Analyse, don’t personalise, but DO recognise responsibility


We all know that….

Problem based thinking will keep you stuck in the problem. Outcome based thinking will move you forward


The Joyce Grenfell approach

Internal representation leads to state of mind leads to the way the external world is viewedacting ‘as if’choosing a positive statebeliefs determine what you pay attention to. What you pay attention to guides your behaviour.


I am good at what I do

Work on your self-belief. Write a positive statement about yourself and your abilities, e.g. 'I’m good at communicating.' Throughout your day, find 50 ways of proving this statement true and write all that evidence down. It usually takes 50-100 pieces of concrete evidence for a new belief to take hold. Every day find 50 pieces of evidence to prove something positive about yourself. You'll feel your confidence soar.


Useful questions

What am I good at, relating to my role?What would make me even better?How do I do what I do now?What can I do differently to improve outcomes?Am I the best person to answer these questions? Am I ready to ask others for their observations?


Making a difference

• What is the difference that makes a difference?

• Compare goals reached and goals not yet reached – can you see why?

• Consider a particular aspect of your work that you have recently found challenging, and compare it to another aspect which has been successful. What is the same? What is different?


Persistence makes perfect

• Persist in what you know to be a successful approach (remember your inner rudder?) – it will become a habit to you, and others will recognise it and appreciate it as a consistent sign of your vision and values


Back to the inner rudder

Don’t compromise your valuesWhat is most important to me about being a head?What did I say/think at my interview?Has that changed? Why? It’s part of my own value system about headshipWhat are my values with reference to my role as Head? Can these values help me achieve my vision?


• If you find yourself setting an outcome that is not in line with your own personal values, you won’t reach it because you will lack motivation and , ultimately, belief.


Goals and values

• What are the goals and values that drive you as Head?

• Try to order these by importance• Do any of them have a ‘should’, ‘must’, ‘have

to’ feel to them? You will find motivation in these areas more difficult.


Motivation

• Motivation is inextricably linked to our emotions - it is the emotional value that we attach to our actions and goals that gets us out of bed in the morning, draws us towards certain activities, people or experiences, and helps us to persist when things are difficult by imagining the big picture and future goals


Motivation

• We cannot feel motivated when our resilience and self-esteem are low.

• Motivation has a significant influence on our ability to direct our attention, concentrate for increasing lengths of time, and resist distractions.


Supporting motivation• Reframing - I really made a breakthrough with that family today

instead of I didn’t have any time for reading that document• Positive self-talk - I can do this• Challenging faulty thinking - black and white, magnification,

catastrophizing, global judgements• Keeping the big picture in mind - the inner rudder• Building in rewards - whatever!


‘Your talent is in the choices you make’ David Keeling


A great headteacher

• How would you describe a truly good headteacher? Think about the following areas:-

• Values• Communication• Relationships• Responsibilities• ????????????


• Who do you consider to be brilliant?• Why?• Can you translate these aspects of brilliance to

your own work?


• ‘You cannot solve problems with the same thinking that caused them in the first place’ Einstein


• One small step for tomorrow; one big step towards greater wellbeing


maintaining equilibrium 2 november 2008 jo harper coast-ed, tendring jo harper coast-ed, november...

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