The Harvard Business Review (HBR) lists emotional intelligence (EQ) as the number one quality of a great leader. The essence of EQ is to know yourself, manage yourself and manage relationships. Knowing yourself is the key as it allows you to manage yourself, which allows you to manage others. Out of all the various aspects…
Starting the Year Well
The start of a new school year should set the tone for the rest of the year. Most people start the year with renewed energy, focus and vigour. They have enjoyed a well-earned break and are ready for another challenging year. Whilst it is important to ‘hit the ground running, we need to guard against…
Surviving Report Writing
Report writing time is stressful – fact! It is an additional task to do as well as your usual day-to-day responsibilities as a teacher. It also comes at the end of term when we are most vulnerable. However the stress is to be expected – don’t be surprised. It happens at this time every year!…
The Ripple Effect
Working in schools you make a significant difference with your everyday actions. All of the little things you do in every moment of your work can ripple out to create endless changes in the lives of your students. If you don’t believe this, then just ask the parents of your students. They are very aware…
Top 5 Tips for Feeling Happy
There is a clear link between our health and our happiness. We know that the happier we are, the healthier we feel. The more that we can manage the stress in our lives and experience happiness, the more resistant we are to ill health. Ultimately it is how we respond to situations that has an…
Who Moved the Goal Posts?
To outsiders, working in a school probably seems simple enough! The aim or purpose won’t have appeared to have changed. Schools and staff in schools work towards helping young people learn, achieve their potential and become citizens who contribute to society. The big picture remains the same. However most who work in schools feel inundated…
Avoiding Year End Burnout
Many of us are running low on reserves at the end of the year. Events that wouldn’t normally irritate us can become blown out of proportion. It is inevitable that the photocopier will jam when we are rushing to make copies, that difficult parent will arrive when we are feeling frazzled and the boss will…
YOU Choose YOUR Attitude
The single most important factor in our stress level is OUR attitude. The attitude we bring to a situation has a huge impact on how we see and react to each of the situations we face. This has a direct impact on our stress level. The attitude that we bring is evident in our self-talk,…
Would You Rather Be “Right” Or “Happy”?
In his book ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff’, author Richard Carlson notes that one of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself is, “Do I want to be ‘right’ – or do I want to be happy?” According to Carlson, many times the two are mutually exclusive! At times we can waste our…
Why Are Some People You Work With So Difficult?
Whenever I speak in workplaces about difficult managers and co-workers, there is always one question that always comes up… ‘How do we get rid of them?’ But I think a more important question to ask is, ‘Why are they so difficult?’ If you have the belief that the answer to that question is that they…