Maintaining Equilibrium 2

1. Maintaining Equilibrium 2 November 2008 Jo Harper Coast-ed, Tendring Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

2. Filters • Approaches • Solutions Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

3. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

4. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

5. so.... • when the sea is rough mend your sails • when winter is bitter, withdraw and review your resources • when times are hard, look to what you have and what you do well at, and make plans Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

6. 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 resources • Draining mental resources may be mirrored in emotional stocks, in all but the most resilient Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

7. How resilient are you? • Your ability to handle and bounce back from stress depends on many factors – • Sense of control • Optimistic attitude • Strong support system • Ability to adapt to change • Ability to handle unpleasant emotions • Confidence in yourself • Sense of humour Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

8. 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 Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

9. 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

10. What causes Headteacher stress? • Encounter stressors – 29.9% • Time stressors – 27.3% • Situational stressors – 27.3% • Anticipation stressors – 15.0% Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

11. Encounter stressors • Divided 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

12. 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

13. 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

14. Anticipation stressors • Divided 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

15. 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 Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

16. We all know that…. • Problem based thinking will keep you stuck in the problem. • Outcome based thinking will move you forward Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

17. The Joyce Grenfell approach • Internal representation leads to state of mind leads to the way the external world is viewed • acting ‘as if’ • choosing a positive state • beliefs determine what you pay attention to. What you pay attention to guides your behaviour. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

18. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

19. 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

20. 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? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

21. 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 Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

22. Back to the inner rudder • Don’t compromise your values • What 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 headship • What are my values with reference to my role as Head? Can these values help me achieve my vision? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

23. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

24. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

25. 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 Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

26. 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. Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

27. 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! Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

28. ‘Your talent is in the choices you make’ David Keeling Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

29. A great headteacher • How would you describe a truly good headteacher? Think about the following areas:- • Values • Communication • Relationships • Responsibilities • ???????????? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

30. Who do you consider to be brilliant? • Why? • Can you translate these aspects of brilliance to your own work? Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

31. ‘You cannot solve problems with the same thinking that caused them in the first place’ Einstein Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008

32. One small step for tomorrow; one big step towards greater wellbeing Jo Harper Coast-ed, November 2008