When you started on your journey to becoming a school leader, did you think that once you got that position, everything would change? If you can’t relate to that, maybe you know someone who goes from job to job, is super happy for a little while, then gets bored and moves on? Well, this is a common occurrence in our profession and it all comes from the thought that we can finally be happy when our situation changes.

It’s genuinely impossible to predict the reality of how it will feel when we do land our dream job as a school leader. One thing we can do, however, is keep a really close eye on what thoughts and emotions are coming up for us once we get there.

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Due to a slight mix up in my date-keeping, which I fully explain in the episode, I’ve got one more bonus episode on the subject of relationships. This is actually an amazing topic and, to be honest, it’s lucky that I got the chance to discuss it.

Having unconditional compassion for people with which you have a personal or professional relationship with is so freeing. It doesn’t matter how annoying someone can be, by maintaining this feeling of compassion for your colleagues and friends, you get to let them be themselves and remain in total control of your own emotions. It’s a win-win.

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Do you find yourself enduring relationships with people, things, or even jobs for way longer than you should because you believe things “could be worse?” Do you tell yourself every day that it’s not so bad and you can get through it? Well, that was me not all that long ago, and it’s something we all do when we can’t see past something ending.

Welcome to the final episode on January’s theme of relationships, fittingly all about ending your relationships. In this episode, I’ll be using the example of leaving my role as a school principal, but the great news is you can apply this to any relationship you have in your life.

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As a school leader, it’s impossible to get along with everyone all of the time. You have staff, parents, and students that all have opinions on everything you do, and vice versa. We know that molding people and having them behave exactly how we would like is never going to happen, but there must be something we can do, surely?

In my time as a principal and my work since as a coach, I’ve learned that there is work to be done in this area and that all hope is not lost. With just a little mind management, it’s remarkable what we can achieve.

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We’re continuing with this month’s subject of relationships. Last week, we took a deep dive into your relationship with yourself, which is fundamental to this week’s topic – your relationship with other people. Especially in our professional lives, getting new relationships off to a good start makes life so much easier.

When you meet someone new, you get flooded with first impressions. These early judgments shape the early part of our relationships with new people and they actually have our brains playing all kinds of tricks on us. What we think about a person straight off the bat can actually cloud our reality of working or spending time with someone.

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Welcome to 2019. I’m psyched to be bringing you guys this podcast on New Year’s Day! As I mentioned the last couple of weeks, the podcast is taking a new turn this year. We’re discussing a different topic every month, with each weekly episode covering an important aspect of that month’s subject.

This month is all about relationships and why cultivating them properly is a vital skill for any school leader. This week’s episode is diving deep into the most important relationship in our personal and professional lives – our relationship with ourself.

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This week on the show, I welcome my first guest, Stacey Smith! It’s been one year since I launched The Empowered Principal Podcast and I could not be more thrilled to be celebrating with one of the most inspiring people I know.

Stacey is not in the field of education, but she has taught me an unbelievable amount about being a school leader and how to show up in the world. Stacey and I have been working together for two years now and it’s thanks to her that I can bring you this podcast and show up for you guys every week.

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I’m going to be spending the whole month of January going deep into relationships and how to approach all of yours with finesse and grace. Today, I’m going to be discussing how to deal with challenging teachers so you’ve got some time to really absorb this before the holidays.

I’m exploring the two types of challenging behaviors I’ve seen in schools and how to approach them with awareness and compassion. It’s easy to get caught up in our judgments but don’t worry, we’re just human and it’s nothing to beat yourself up about! I’m sharing the importance of doing a brain drain when handling a difficult situation, and how you can set boundaries with your teachers.

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It’s episode 50, and every 10 episodes, I dedicate to someone who has changed my life personally and professionally. I usually choose a life coach or someone who has been around a while. However, I heard about this guy on one of my master coach’s podcasts and I just had to check him out.

Gary Vaynerchuk, or Gary V for short, is a multi-million dollar businessman, speaker, author and internet personality. I have taken so much from what Gary preaches and a lot of it translates perfectly to the field of school leadership.

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Think about your routine for your workday. Now think about how long you’ve been running that same routine over and over. This series of events might get you from the start of the day to the end, but is it producing a lot of negative feelings that you’d rather not have to face when you’re already so busy?

I did the same thing every day for years, eventually noticing that I felt overwhelmed. I was not really present enough to think about any way around this feeling other than to work harder and longer. I’m here to tell you that that does not work. School Principal is a stressful job and you have no time to live in fear of negative emotions surfacing, so listen closely.

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