Authentic Leadership
There is a dire lack of ‘real’ commitments for supporting the health and well being of those in the education profession, particularly those at the top.
It really is no wonder then that burnout is a ‘hidden’ hall mark of the profession and that many Heads and school leaders end up exiting the profession early, falling short of fulfilling the dreams, hopes and aspirations that they had when they were first appointed to their posts.
“If your health and wellbeing is not priority for those to whom you are accountable, then you’ll find it difficult to make it a priority for yourself. You will [if the correct type of support is not forthcoming] sacrifice everything to meet the needs of everyone in your school, except your own!”
Authentic Leadership is an Evaluation Framework authored by Viv Grant, Director, Integrity Coaching. Working in partnership with Bluewave, Viv has created this challenging and insightful approach which is aimed at individual Headteachers or those on the journey to headship.
Our framework will enable you to reflect upon the work of psychologist Abraham Maslow and direct you in using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to assess levels of well-being and capacity for flourishing as a Head teacher. Maslow hypothesized with his Hierarchy of Needs, that individuals could only ever fulfil their potential i.e. self-actualise, if certain other needs had been given priority to and been satisfied.
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Authenticity is a key component of successful school leadership. Yet, very little time is given to helping school leaders understand the emotional and psychological factors that impact on personal levels of authenticity. For authenticity to be a true hallmark of successful school leadership, school leaders need to understand the link between school improvement and their own personal development.
It is our belief that every Head teacher wishes to thrive and to lead a learning community in which all pupils and adults flourish and achieve their full potential. Head teachers go to great lengths to create the environments in which both pupils and those they lead and manage can fulfil their ambitions. However, too few Heads focus on creating the conditions necessary for their own growth and development.