Managing Conflict With Colleagues
One of the key factors in determining whether a school culture is toxic or thrives, is how staff members deal with their own conflicts as they arise. Whilst it is inevitable that there will be conflicts amongst staff, it is vital that these are dealt with in a positive, respectful manner. Alex Kajitani in Owning It: Proven Strategies for Success in ALL of Your Roles as a Teacher Today recommends the following approach when a conflict with a colleague arises. Discuss privately If we have an issue to discuss with a colleague it’s important that this conversation takes place in a comfortable, private location, with plenty of time. Catching someone off guard is not only unfair, it can also block…
Conveying Difficult Information on Student Reports
One of the most difficult aspects of writing comments on student reports is figuring out how to phrase messages that may be difficult, challenging or confronting for parents to receive. The following tips are intended to help you determine the most tactful and compassionate way to write about tough topics in your report comments. No Surprises Don’t take the opportunity to drop a bomb. Student reports should not contain surprises. If there are major concerns then the parent needs to know before the end of the semester. No one wants to find out about a problem after it’s already spiralled out of control for weeks on end. The problems you discuss in report comments should not be a surprise to…
Want MORE Satisfaction From Your Work?
Working in schools can be demanding. More is expected of us than ever before. Increases in accountability, the accelerating pace of change, high expectations from busy, stressed parents and the challenges of working with people all add to the melting pot that is 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 in the Harvard Business Review, “The factors that lead to producing job satisfaction (and motivation) are separate and distinct from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction.” According to Herzberg the opposite of job satisfaction is NOT job dissatisfaction but rather, NO job satisfaction. This resonated as one of the main…
Be Connected
“A worthy building cannot be erected on a weak foundation” I recently read this quote and it made me think about the importance of taking the time and effort to connect with people. Whether you want to build a relationship with a child, a parent, a colleague, a partner or a friend, building the foundations to connect with the other person will ensure relationships are starting from a stable base. Taking the time to build relationships now, makes it much easier to resolve any differences that may arise in the future. In today’s society we are short on time and resources. As a result, relationships are being built on agendas with the goal to achieve successful outcomes. Whilst I acknowledge…
Change Your Reality
Life is really not about reality. It’s about our perception of what is happening around us and to us; what we say to ourselves about it; how we view it or feel about it. That’s the beauty of the human brain – we have choices. We have options in terms of how we behave, respond, think or change in the face of the stresses in our lives. Most of us are lacking in energy and vitality, feeling overwhelmed, constantly exhausted, and having massive sense of humour failures! It’s called ‘Burn Out.’ We all know, the best way to avoid the big B.O., is to have a balanced lifestyle – exercise regularly, eat well, sleep at least seven hours a day,…
STOP – Make Rules That Help Your Well-Being
The default move for getting more done is to do more. That can work and it can also waste a lot of time, energy and attention doing stuff that just doesn’t really matter. We also need to know when to stop doing things. This week, create some stopping rules so you’ll know when to stop doing something. Here are 8 situations you might like to consider setting some rules that you should abide by. Inspired by Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt’s book, Simple Rules. Email – When have you spent enough time on email? If you are checking school email at night, set a time limit. You’ll be amazed at how much gets done in 15 minutes if we set…
What Story Are You Telling Yourself?
Self-talk refers to the internal dialogue we have with ourselves, the thoughts and messages that run through our minds on a daily basis. That little voice inside your head tells a story. The stories we tell ourselves are a specific form of self-talk, where we create narratives about ourselves, others and the world around us. These stories shape how we see the world, what actions we take and what we think about ourselves. The impact of self-talk and the stories we tell ourselves is significant. Positive self-talk can boost our self-esteem, motivation and resilience. By replacing negative thoughts with empowering and supportive ones, we can cultivate a more optimistic outlook and improve our mental health. For example, reframing a setback…
Are you Unhappy at Work?
Are you one of those people who jump out of bed each day and who enjoy their work so much they can’t wait to get there? According to recent research, about 25% of us really love what we do for a living. Then there are the majority of people, about 56%, who describe themselves as somewhat happy with their work but see room for improvement. Sadly, about 19% feel deeply unhappy with the work they do. Interestingly, the number one thing that makes us unhappy at work is also the number one thing that makes us happy. Are you ready for it? It is the quality of our workplace relationships – how well we are getting along with our leader…
Saying ‘No’ to Avoid Overload
Most staff who work in schools, like helping others. Many of us are people pleasers and we find it difficult to say ‘no’ to someone who is seeking our assistance. At times, to stay on track you just have to say ‘no’. Try using these strategies for saying ‘no’ to other people’s requests and still keep your reputation intact. Defer – I’m not able to assist you at this time. I will be able to help you at a later date. This will filter out those who don’t follow up. Refer – Offer to connect them with someone who is better placed to help them or to some resources that would help them solve it themselves. Commitment – Share your…
The Benefits of Staying In Your Own Lane
In the dynamic and demanding field of education, staff who work in schools are often confronted with various challenges and obstacles that can distract them from their main focus. It is not uncommon for teachers (and other staff who work in schools) to find themselves immersed in the problems and struggles of their colleagues and this inadvertently impacting on them and their own well-being. Whilst schools are filled with caring staff who want to help others, focusing too much on the issues that others are having can be counter-productive. There are numerous benefits to ‘staying in your own lane’ by shifting the focus inward and prioritising one’s own workload over the problems of others. Getting the balance right is important.…
Attitude Adjustment Hour- Part 2
In part 1, I wrote about the importance of reflecting on our attitude and adjusting it, if necessary, through an Attitude Adjustment Hour. I challenged you to get some feedback from your partner or children about the attitude you display when you get home each day. I’d suggest it might be a good exercise to have a few attitude adjustment moments each day. Perhaps on the way to school, become conscious of what you are thinking about work and your day. Do you have a positive or negative attitude? Are you feeling enthusiastic or bored? Consider what sort of attitude or thinking you could choose instead? Perhaps at lunchtime, spend a few minutes listening to yourself and the quality of…
Attitude Adjustment Hour- Part 1
Most of us would be familiar with the term ‘Happy Hour’ (also known in some places as ‘attitude adjustment hour’) used by many hotels to promote their half price drinks between 5pm ish and 6pm ish. How awful that we link alcohol with attitude adjustment but the concept of attitude adjustment is great. ‘Attitude’ is defined in the dictionary ‘posture of the body; settled behaviour as showing opinion’. The thesaurus uses these words – ‘stance, type, kind, pattern, frame of mind, mood’. It seems to me that attitude refers to the way we perceive things in life; what we filter all our information through; the ‘glasses’ through which we look at the world; the way we taint, colour or tint…