by Viv Grant | Oct 31, 2018 | blog, Maintaining personal and professional well being
Over the last few years, there’s been a growing understanding that; “talking of a work-life balance is too simplistic” and that we have become “collectively exhausted because of our inability to hold competing parts of ourselves together in a more integrated way” (David Whyte) This deepening understanding has come about as many have come to realise that the term “work-life balance” suggests that we have to split our time equally between our work and personal lives and in so doing barter one off against the others. The terminology forces individuals to think in terms of trade-offs and sacrifices – instead of the possibility for harmonising all aspects of our lives. The truth is all aspects of our lives inter-relate – work-life, home-life, personal-life, etc and they all have an impact on how we show up as individuals. To quote David Whyte again; “In the deeper hidden realms of the human psyche, work and life are not separate things and therefore cannot be balanced against each other, except to create further trouble.” So instead of trying to create balance, David Whyte and others suggest that it is better for us to think about the conversations that we can have with ourselves (and others) to bring greater harmony and alignment to our lives as a whole. This is no easy task and this is perhaps another reason as to why when considering well-being in schools “Work-life Balance” has become the default term. It is far easier to think in opposing terms, to set one thing up against the other, than it is to think about integration...
by Viv Grant | Oct 20, 2018 | blog
I recently wrote an article for the TES to offer my reflections on the recent BBC2 documentary “School” and why I believe the programme demonstrated the need for change in the profession. Below are the reflections that I shared with them… If you would like to comment or read my original article on the TES website, please click here The pace and volume of change in educational policy over the past decade has led to increased ambiguity, inconsistency and insecurity. Schools are sailing uncharted waters and many are flailing about at sea. BBC2’s School documentary, which has been on our screens for the past six weeks, demonstrates just how fragile our school system has become as a result of these changes and associated budget cuts. The education secretary, Damian Hinds, has told us that “there’s more money in education than ever before”. This documentary provided unequivocal proof, if ever any was needed, that his statement is quite simply untrue. Schools are at breaking point. Budgets are tighter than ever before and the casualties are our young people, teachers and school leaders. Cutting close to the bone Heads have told me that they couldn’t watch all of the episodes of School because viewing made them feel physically sick. The day-to-day struggles faced by teachers, support staff and school leaders mirrored too closely their own. Mid-series, we met James Pope, the head of Marlwood School – a rural comprehensive in South Gloucestershire. This was his first headship. Marlwood was in special measures and James was tasked with turning the school around. We were shown a picture of what James looked like when he first took on the role. He looked happy, confident, full of hope and promise for this...
by Viv Grant | Oct 17, 2018 | blog, Coaching and Performance Management
As a school leader you will no doubt, have a vast array of knowledge about leadership styles and how and when to deploy them. We all know context is everything and there is no point adopting a democratic leadership style, when the school fire alarm has gone off and the building needs to be evacuated immediately! However, I never cease to be amazed when working with school leaders, that out of the six most commonly referred to leadership styles i.e. Visionary, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, Authoritative and Coaching, the latter is the one that most leaders appear to find the hardest to develop. There are a number of reasons as to why this is so… 1. The frenetic pace of the school life: The speed at which things need to happen, means that many a time you have to set a fast pace, to get things done. So, pace-setting and authoritative styles of leadership lend themselves quite naturally to the role. 2. Everyone needs to be on board the bus: Everyone has to be in alignment with the school’s vision and goals. A school’s trajectory will flounder if there is not a clear sense of purpose and direction. Visionary leaders know this and ensure that at key times through-out the school year, they adopt a Visionary style to keep everyone on the bus. 3. Relationships are the key to school improvement: School Improvement plans are not the key to a school’s success, relationships are. It is the relationships that school leaders form with their staff that are important. They determine the degree to which...
by Viv Grant | Oct 15, 2018 | blog, Expert Interviews
This expert interview is with former Headteacher, executive coach and well-being expert, Samantha Jayasuriya. 1. How do you define Wellbeing? The way I would define “Wellbeing” is a state of positive physical, mental and emotional health which enables a person to live a creative life. 2. How has Wellbeing become a particular area of interest for you? My interest started around the same time as I became a Headteacher, and began to notice how exhausted I was around the ends of term. Like many of my fellow Heads I spent too many holidays fighting flu instead of sharing joy with my family and friends. A chance meeting with an artist friend who had spun, naturally dyed and knitted an autumnal jumper made me reflect on how I used my time out of work. By placing boundaries on my work, leaving at 6pm and not looking at emails at home I created the space to think and enjoy time with my family and friends, who helped to keep me grounded. I recognised that rest was vital for me to recharge, and a chance for me to take off the mantle of responsibility that I wore as a Head. I took up knitting again, enjoying the creative process as well as the finished product. This became my kind of mindfulness or meditation. Research backed up my knowledge that my well-being was being enhanced. The repetitive nature of a simple pattern de-stressed me, quieted my mind and had the added benefit of creating new neural pathways in my brain. It became increasingly obvious to me that...
by Viv Grant | Oct 11, 2018 | blog, The qualities of outstanding school leaders
As a Head you are human and just like us all, there will be times when you will make mistakes. Mistakes are not to be feared. It is through our mistakes that we learn and grow. However, in the life of a Head teacher, I would argue there is one mistake, that you cannot afford to make. And that is the mistake of believing because you are now at the ‘top’ of the ladder you are the finished article. Your years of honing your craft in the classroom and leading as a Deputy have fully prepared you for the role that you now occupy and that there is nothing more for you to learn. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. When you step into the Headteacher role, it is important to recognise that you are now at another stage in your development as a leader. Very often, the psychological adjustments that need to be made in order for you to fully accept and understand this can be like learning to walk again. Just as when you were a child learning to walk, you were supported by loved ones to move from a place of unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence (Maslow’s Four Stages of Learning – below), as a school leader you have to be supported to move to this confident place of being. The impact of leading without psychological support Without psychological support, the experience for a Head growing into their role can be both lonely and limiting. Progress can be slow and in extreme cases, stunted; neither the...
