Wellness for Leaders

Wellness is a key theme in schools they are taking on the challenge of student mental and physical wellness head on. Schools across the globe, particularly in Australia have invested in wellness programs where positive psychology and mindfulness classes are taught. Several schools have institutes that maintain a focus on these areas. While schools look after the mental wellness of students, what can be done to sustain the mental wellbeing of school leaders so that they may build a culture where mental well-being is both sought and nurtured?  For, without resilience and positivity at the leadership level, the chances of schools supporting the wellness of students is slim. Thus, wellness becomes a critical issue in schools not just for students but for teachers and school leaders too.

I have had the pleasure of working with and presenting alongside thought leaders in the field of mindfulness sharing these insights with leaders across the world helping them navigate their high-pressure roles. The strategies have enabled them to be more resilient, have greater focus and build a culture of wellness in their schools ensuring teachers and students are better equipped to handle the growing pressures of our fast-paced society.

These are best summarized by the words “Take time”. Take time to be grateful and to build relationships. These two strategies build a mentally stronger, more resilient, more joyous and more focused leader. They are supported by best practice and by the work of well-regarded experts in the field of mental wellbeing.

Take time to be grateful. An attitude of gratitude is a key mindset that creates a calmer more joyous outlook on life. Gratitude enables people to refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. It may feel a little contrived at first but this mental state grows stronger with use and practice. With gratitude, people are more aware of the goodness in their lives. It also helps to connect to something outside of themselves for example a higher power, nature or other people. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly connected to greater happiness helping people deal with adversity and build strong relationships.

People feel, cultivate and express gratitude in various ways. Consider these:

Weekly gratitude notes. School leaders can model gratitude by writing weekly gratitude notes and encouraging teachers (and then students) to do the same. At the end of a semester, my school principal and I reinforce this by having all teachers gather to celebrate success. Cards are placed on the tables for teachers to write notes of gratitude to their peers. While thank you cards are encouraged throughout the year, time at the end of each semester is given. It has created an abundance mentality and an expectation of good. The benefits are seen in better trust, teamwork and communication.

Mentally thank someone. Even if you have no time to write, thinking about and mentally thinking the individual has positive effects on well-being.

Keep a gratitude journal and in it count all your blessings. Write in it each day listing the positive experiences of the day. Either simply list them or reflect on the sensations you felt when something good occurred. Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, found that a personally delivered letter of gratitude showed a massive increase in happiness scores. The impact was far larger than other interventions with benefits lasting for several weeks. While these studies do not always point to cause and effect, they do indicate an association between gratitude and the mental well-being of an individual.

Pray or meditate. People can use prayer to nurture gratitude or mindfulness meditation to focus on and appreciate the present moment.

‘Magnify the good’ with the faculty. I find this to be the most powerful ingredient of any successful school. I expect the chairperson of any meeting to begin with ‘Magnify the good.’ This is an opportunity I use for people to celebrate success of their peers, their students and of their own and others’ practice. Faculty know that they could be called upon at any time to share celebrations of good so they are daily on the lookout for good. It becomes an individual and collective mindset with people looking for the good in others. It starts off slowly but after a few months, this agenda item needs to be timed because so much good is shared. Magnifying the good creates a culture of positivity, trust and growth, all key ingredients of a healthy culture. A school where I used this strategy became the number 1 ranked co-educational school in the state, with many of the faculty pointing to this practice as a key lever in the success of the school.

Take time to build relationships. Good relationships, more than the quantity, are at the center of mental wellness. This is what Stephen Covey meant when he wrote about prioritizing the ‘Big Rocks’. Good leaders are purposeful about identifying and building key relationships. It’s not just being in a relationship that matters.

One of the longest and most complete studies of adult life ever conducted was done by Harvard Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The study found that people who were closer to others were mentally and physically healthier and lived longer than those who were not as socially connected. Work pressures tend to force us to work harder and longer yet these long term studies show that the people who out-perform others are those who invested in their relationships with family, friends and colleagues.

The leader’s awareness of the needs of others grows as she takes the time to connect with faculty, students, parents and key stakeholders. It allows a deeper sensibility to emerge and more compassion, understanding and empathy to flow. Consider these ways to build relationships.

Standing at the front of the school building at the start and end of each day.

Weekly check-in phone calls to 5 families a week.

A thank-you note to a spouse whose partner has given up several evenings with her family for school events.

Socialize. A quick coffee, a lunch or even a dinner at your home. I know of a principal who invited each of his faculty members and their partners once a year to dinners at his home to foster relationships.

Student time. Another principal I worked with blocked out each morning from 8am to 10am for student time to spend time in class or in his office with students. She took the time to be emotionally present and listen to them. Good relationships foster mental wellbeing.

Our jobs as school leaders are critical. They lay the foundation for a strong school culture where teachers and students can thrive. Leaders need to take the time to build their mental resilience and health. The mental state of the school leader does impact the school culture. Leaders ought to be very aware of their mental wellness and how to maintain a healthy and positive outlook on life adding great joy, energy and value to teachers, students and schools.

References

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). New York: Free Press.

Harvard Mental Health Letter (2011). In praise of gratitude. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude

Lewis, T. (2015). A Harvard psychiatrist says 3 things are the secret to real happiness. Retrieved from http://robertwaldinger.com/harvard-psychiatrist-says-3-things-secret-real-happiness/

https://hr.duke.edu/wellness/wellness-expo