There is a myriad of information and advice that bombards us every day about how to manage stress and pressure at work, and there are few roles as stressful as being a college principal or senior leader. According to the NAHT, six out of ten headteachers are thinking seriously about resignation – so finding a way to cope with stress is absolutely vital. But having delved into the psychology and biology of stress and pressure, as well as looking at studies about this, I saw a flaw in just reading some helpful tips or a highly regarded book, or in watching numerous YouTube videos, to find the answers. Having worked with a large amount of people over many years, adding to that my own experiences of leadership in some highly pressurised circumstances (including in education), I realised that the answers are way more individualised than we may think.
You have probably heard by now the common analogy of putting your oxygen mask on before helping others (your staff); do you know what this means and how to do it? Most people are confused and that’s because I believe the right analogy is more like a first aid kit: a kit with many things inside to patch us up, repair us and protect us from further harm. Your first aid kit will be personal to you and once you know what to put in it and start using it, you will start to see a difference. However, you may already have noticed that some of the things you used to do (the items in your kit) are not as effective as they used to be. That is because there have been subtle changes to our thought patterns, expectations and levels of fear since experiencing a global pandemic and other world events. So, let’s look at the contents of this first aid kit.
Firstly, who is this kit for? What is the user profile? Do you know deeply, not on a superficial level, what situations, types of people and environments create elements of stress and pressure inside you? Are some things more heightened now since the pandemic - or maybe there are new things that you had not experienced before? Really take time to think about this, because the next question is: what is the level of stress or pressure you feel in each of these cases? If you were to grade them from 1-5, where 5 is totally debilitating, what does your list look like now? What about the reverse? Where you thrive under pressure, what is different about this? When is this most likely to occur?
In all the research I looked at, it is very clear that pressure is good for us at the right level. It elevates our heart rate and creates an aroused state that enhances focus. When experienced, knowledgeable people are in this state, studies show that when forced to make a decision, they make very competent decisions - so don’t underestimate yourself. There is a balance to be had though, and finding your personal ‘sweet spot’ can be tricky. It’s like finding the right dose of a medication.
