Emotional Management, School Leadership and Well-being
What would happen if you were 5% more vulnerable as a school leader? If you shared more of how you were feeling?
This is a question I posed in my newsletter this week as I explored some of the research on school leadership, well-being and emotional management.
➡ One of the research findings was that the main strategies that school leaders in their study used to deal with the emotional demands was by hiding their emotions (Maxwell and Riley, 2017).
➡However, hiding emotions was also associated with decreased well-being and increased burnout.
➡In another study school leaders felt the need to hide their fears and maintain and image of being in control (Mahfouz, 2018).
To be vulnerable, to share some of our feelings with others requires strength and can be done with control. However, my perception is that vulnerability is often less explored or worked towards as a desirable leadership trait, than for example confidence.
I am no longer leading within a school but when I reflect on my time as Headteacher during Covid, I wonder about what would have happened if I had been 5% more vulnerable, and shared with some people more about how I was feeling at those critical times.
I think that if I had done this, one of the impacts would have been the formation of a stronger team that would have led to a more distributed and considered decision-making.
If you would like to sign up for my newsletter exploring pathways to well-being and school leadership then sign up below.
(When I was looking for a related pic, I found this from a recent gallery visit. Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was someone who didn’t hide emotions but exaggerated them for his sculptures)
Mahfouz, J. (2018). Mindfulness Training for School Administrators: Effects on Well-Being and Leadership. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(6), 602–619. ERIC. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-12-2017-0171
Maxwell, A., & Riley, P. (2017). Emotional demands, emotional labour and occupational outcomes in school principals: Modelling the relationships. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 45(3), 484–502. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143215607878
