Skip to content

Are you being lifted or drained by colleagues

March 25, 2021

The moods and demeanours of our colleagues can have a huge impact on our own moods, our productivity, our overall work satisfaction and even our general well-being. Let’s face it, we can’t work in a bubble and our recent experiences with covid and social distancing have shown us that most people prefer to be around others rather than working alone, at least for some of the time (sorry introverts!). Unfortunately, while the majority of people enjoy connecting and collaborating with others, some individuals behave in ways that bring teams down rather than lifting them up – there’s even a term for these people: drain. Most of us have come across someone we would call a draining presence in the workplace…

It’s Not About You, It’s About Them

March 18, 2021

One of the many challenges we face in schools is dealing with difficult parents.  You won’t be surprised to read that some parents’ expectations are unrealistic, their viewpoint one-sided and their outlook delusional. At times, some parents can come across as aggressive, over-protective and even downright obnoxious. Whilst I am not forgiving that behaviour for one moment, it is worthwhile considering what has contributed to their behaviour. One of the contributing factors to being at the sharp end of such poor behaviour is the business we are in. Whilst our purpose in schools is education, we are in fact in the ‘people’ business. Day-in, day-out we work with people. People from all walks of life. People with a range of…

Who Is Your Biggest Distraction?

March 11, 2021

For most of us the answer to the question, “Who is your biggest distraction?” is simple. We are our BIGGEST distraction! We often procrastinate and get distracted away from what we SHOULD be doing by doing the things we LIKE to do. Time is a precious commodity. We often have too much to do and not enough time to get it done. This can result in us working longer hours than we should or NEED to. With so much to be done in schools, it is vital that we use our time efficiently. This is especially important with any discretionary time that we have during the day.  Often our days at school are filled with fixed commitments eg classes or…

Find Your “Why” to Keep You Motivated

March 4, 2021

After the excitement of a new year and all the changes it brings starts to wear off, we can become a little lacklustre in our enthusiasm for work. Finding your “why” helps you avoid the rut, giving you clarity, purpose and direction… and is often just what you need when the going gets a little tougher, repetition sets in and the holidays still seem a long way off! Aside from helping us amidst the rhythms of the school and work year, finding your why is an important step to help you set goals, take risks, maintain motivation and move forward – personally AND professionally. So, how DO you find your “why”? Well, it requires a bit of work – part…

Back To Top