Leading with Hauora
Via Zoom
Session Overview
- Leadership lab focused on well-being for beginning principals, facilitated by Chris Murphy with psychotherapist Vanessa McCarthy as guest presenter
- Session examined the connection between personal well-being and leadership effectiveness, with emphasis on practical strategies rather than theory
Opening Discussion and Context Setting
- Principalship described as rewarding but relentless, with self-care often deferred until other tasks are completed
- Session objectives established as understanding stress effects on leadership, providing immediate practical tools, and identifying sustainable changes
- Participants asked to identify energy drains over the past two weeks via chat function
Participant Energy Drains Identified
- Ministry of Education requirements identified as primary stressor, followed by staffing challenges and personnel issues
- Supporting diverse student needs and managing complex learning requirements noted as significant pressures
- Teaching principals highlighted particular challenges balancing classroom duties with leadership responsibilities
- Additional stressors included constant change, collaboration demands, property issues, and unexpected events
Overwhelming Aspects of School Leadership
- HR matters, constant change, and finding time for colleague collaboration identified as most overwhelming
- Teaching principals noted difficulty balancing dual roles and ongoing time requests
- Property issues and unexpected challenges mentioned as additional pressures
Well-being Strategies Currently Working
- Exercise identified as the first thing to drop when busy but essential for mental and physical health
- Having a mentor and colleague collaboration noted as supportive
- Work-life balance attempts mentioned, though difficult to maintain
Well-being Audit Activity
- Participants completed individual well-being audit covering physical, mental/emotional, and other domains
- Groups discussed results in breakout rooms for twenty minutes
- Physical well-being ratings ranged from 4-6 out of 10, with sleep, movement, and stress response noted as variable
- Mental/emotional well-being scores ranged from 5-7, with trusted colleagues and boundary-setting identified as strengths
Key Themes from Well-being Audit Discussions
- Exercise identified as essential but first to be dropped during busy periods
- Context matters, with rural versus urban school differences affecting well-being approaches
- Communication with family about school matters varies in comfort level
- Second-year principals reported different scoring compared to first year
- Strong spiritual connection and community belonging noted as positive factors
Vanessa McCarthy Interview: Stress Biology
- Stress response explained as evolutionary "alarm system" triggering fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses
- Calm system (parasympathetic) developed through relationships, not innate like alarm system
- Stress described as contagious, with leader's state affecting entire school community through cortisol transmission
- Example given of stressed teacher elevating student stress levels versus calm teacher maintaining lower cortisol in classroom
Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Responses in Leadership Context
- Fight response: Blaming others, resisting directives, criticising requirements as "stupid"
- Flight response: Avoiding difficult tasks by becoming overly helpful elsewhere or switching to different projects
- Freeze response: Withdrawing, becoming isolated, daydreaming, reduced connection with colleagues
- Fawn response: People-pleasing behaviours to avoid conflict or difficult situations
Calm as Leadership Skill
- Calm system built through relationships and can be actively developed
- Micro daily actions more effective than occasional macro activities for building calm
- "I am not being chased by a tiger" technique combined with horse lips to activate calm system
- Brain responds more to spoken words than thoughts, making verbal self-regulation powerful
Authenticity in Leadership
- Leaders appearing composed externally while internally stressed create exhaustion and inauthenticity
- Teams can detect inauthenticity, affecting trust and psychological safety
- Modelling vulnerability appropriately gives permission for team members to seek support
- Burnout risk increases when maintaining an inauthentic composed facade over time
Indicators of Calm versus Stressed Leadership
- Calm leaders demonstrate steadiness, approachability, availability for connection
- Stressed leaders show hardness in demeanour, lack of settlement; everything becomes urgent
- Teams feel able to approach calm leaders versus avoiding stressed leaders
- Calm leaders model help-seeking behaviours versus maintaining "I've got this" facade
Practical Regulation Tools
- Hand on heart for twenty seconds activates coherent heart rate variability
- Rubbing outside of arms activates oxytocin release
- Slow eye closure brings attention inward
- Gentle breathing technique focusing on cool air at nose tip
- Hand-holding exercise for self-connection and warmth
- Shake it off movement releases nervous system tension through bilateral activation
Walking as Regulation Tool
- Walking activates bilateral brain processing and supports memory
- Peripheral vision during walking signals safety to nervous system
- Rhythmic movement massages fascia connective tissue throughout body
- Fifteen-minute daily walks shown to improve academic outcomes and reduce obesity in Scottish schools
Well-being Basics Often Overlooked
- Sleep, hydration, and nutrition viewed as too simple despite profound impact
- Sleep hygiene includes device curfews by 7pm due to melatonin suppression
- Ultra-processed food reduction more important than specific dietary approaches
- Vitamin D as "hibernation hormone" affects sleep quality through sun exposure
Session Conclusion and Commitments
- Participants asked to identify one thing to stop, start, enhance, and protect for personal well-being
- Emphasis placed on well-being as integral to leadership role rather than separate from it
- Feedback collection via QR code or chat link provided
