Engagement

The first step in improving your work / life balance is to work out exactly what it is that you want. What aspect of your life do you want to be different? What would you like to improve? Whilst your initial reaction may be to ‘work less’, reducing your paid hours, for example working part time, might not be possible. This may be for financial or logistical factors. Try to be as specific as you can about the outcome you would like to achieve. If you could free some time, how would you utilise it? What is it about your lifestyle that you would like to change eg spend more time with my kids, sleep better at night, worry less…

According to best-selling author and motivation guru Daniel Pink, there are three key drivers of motivation- PURPOSE, AUTONOMY and MASTERY. Each driver contributes to our motivation. PURPOSE – Keeping the BIG picture in mind is important in keeping us motivated, especially in challenging times. Our work in schools can be very busy and stressful. One of the factors that contributes to our stress level is dealing with people. You never quite know what is going on in other people’s lives. Our work in schools is important and has purpose. As schools are at the hub of the community, all staff who work in schools have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. As well as looking…

Working in schools can be REALLY demanding. At times we can feel that we are at the mercy of other people’s moods. People can sometimes be unreasonable, emotional and erratic. At times THAT person might even be you! It is important that we get job satisfaction from our work. There are six key factors that determine the level of satisfaction that people gain from their work. People want to feel that their work is important – This should be a ‘no brainer’ for people working in schools. Our work is vitally important. We play a critical role in society. I make a difference is the second key factor in achieving job satisfaction. This factor should also be easily achieved by…

Working in schools can be demanding. More is expected of us than ever before and we are often expected to do MORE, with LESS. Increases in accountability, the accelerating pace of change, high expectations from busy working parents and the challenges of working with people all add to life in a busy school. It is therefore not surprising that staff morale can suffer. This leads to a lower sense of job satisfaction. However, according to Herzberg, “the factors that lead to producing job satisfaction (and motivation) are separate and distinct from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction.” Harvard Business Review, Sept 2007 According to Herzberg the opposite of job satisfaction is NOT job dissatisfaction but, rather, NO job satisfaction.…

Feeling inundated and overwhelmed by the feeling of constant change? You aren’t alone! Staff in many schools feel that their world is in a constant state of flux and to an extent they are right! Much HAS changed, IS changing and WILL continue to change in schools. Increased accountability, tightening budgets, increasing expectations, changing curriculum, new systems and the demands of fast paced technology developments all contribute to the unsettled feeling of change. It is no wonder that many people who work in schools are experiencing what I call change fatigue. Leadership guru Ken Blanchard’s Predictable Stages of Concern are helpful in reflecting on and understanding our mindset when faced with yet another change initiative. Just like Kubler-Ross argues that…

The well documented research by Stamford University on the ability of four year olds to delay their gratification is commonly referred to as the Marshmallow Test. The children were given the choice of immediately eating a marshmallow or if they could wait and resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow, they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. Of the 600 children tested, only 200 children were able to delay their gratification and therefore receive the reward. Stamford reported a high correlation between this ability and future success. This importance of persistence, focusing on a task and “doing the work” is not likely to be a surprise to most educators. This is consistent with the key messages in Dr Carol…