Sustaining and developing emotional resilience for school leadership

www.emccconference.org

3rd AnnualMentoring and Coaching Research

Conference27-28 June 2013 – Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

Gill Fowler & Julia Steward

Connecting Leaders with Emotional Resilience

Bend or Break?




Map of the session

Context for leaders and background to researchThemes from literatureMethodologyFindings from researchModel of emotional resilienceQuestions and discussion: implications for us and our clients




Context for leaders and background to research




Context for Leadership: accelerating change




Systems within systems: from macro to micro-level




Headteacher hanged herself in primary school

after six months in job - The Telegraph




The question:

Is it possible proactively to develop emotional resilience for leadership, and if so how?




Exploring the literature




From the literature: definitionsThe ability to remain on course without being adversely affected by emotional responses




Well-being/work-life balance/stress

Self– -confidence-awareness

-management-acceptance

Values

Emotional resilienceEmerging themes







Work-life balance and well-being‘knowing you are doing a good job without jeopardising health and happiness’‘I am sometimes quite happy not having everything done perfectly’‘being able to identify the positives so that you can celebrate success’

pursuing other professional opportunitiesnetworking with otherstime for reflection




Working in harmony with personal values

Seven Levels of Consciousness Model © Barrett Values Centre




Relationship with self




Methodology

Interpretive approachChoice of interviewees for range of experienceImplications of a pre-existing relationshipSemi-structured in-depth interviews with audio recorder and full transcriptEmotional resilience defined by interviewee




Findings and conclusions




Findings: definitions




Findings: Positive contribution to ER

‘Having work life balance’

‘Being aware of health: exercise, healthy eating’

‘Recognise stressful situations: control everything I can’

‘Sense of achievement through making a difference’

‘Personal and professional networks/support of family’

‘Feeling valued as an individual’

‘Relaxing and doing other things at weekends’




Findings: resilience and control

‘It’s that old circle of influence, circle of concern stuff. I think, right, can I do anything about influencing? Is there anything I can do? Is it in my control at all, and if it’s not, then I just am much better at letting go …’

‘To stay sane you have to acknowledge that you’re not controlling all minds’

‘I should be able to fix everything; especially within a school setting’

‘I actually think - and I have learned – your mind can take you to places you don’t want to go, and you don’t have a lot of control over it. And that’s when your emotional resilience just goes’




Findings: own and others’ expectations of leaders in the role




Findings: internal dialoguewhen the going gets tough:

‘I should be able to fix everything’: need for control

Acceptance of lack of control

Self-doubt, fear of being found out

Awareness of own limitations: self acceptance

Focusing on what hasn’t been achieved

Noticing the impact and rewards of the role




Is it possible proactively to develop emotional resilience for leadership, and if so how?

Emotional resilience is affected by experienceHow leaders respond to the role may support or undermine their resilience Leaders’ beliefs about themselves may have a positive or negative affect on their ability to stay on course in the face of difficulty Emotional resilience is supported by taking action to ensure well-being, including work-life balance




Energy

Ability to sustain or cease activity

Agency

Ability to make and act on choices staying true to real

self

Beliefs

about selfnature nurture

Attention to wellbeing

Emotional Resilience Remain on course without being adversely affected by emotion

Inter-relations affecting emotional resilience, © Steward, 2012. In press School leadership and management




For more information, contact

julia@chrysalisleadershipdevelopment.

com

Education

Sustaining and developing emotional resilience for school leadership